The Auburn Plainsman 03.10.16 Issue

Spring Fashion Issue Inside

The Auburn Plainsman A SPIRIT THAT IS NOT AFRAID

Thursday, March 10, 2016 Vol. 123, Issue 23, 28 Pages

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

CRIME

Remembering Lauren Burk Eight years after her murder, Burk’s parents struggle to ensure it never happens again

Andria Moore CAMPUS REPORTER

Lauren Burk was walking through campus on her way back from her boyfriend’s dorm when she was abducted, shot, and left fatally wounded on Alabama Highway 147. Her killer then drove back to campus and set her car on fire.

She was 18 years old when she was killed on March 4, 2008.

Courtney Lockhart was convicted of her murder a year later and sentenced to death by lethal injection in 2011.

Lauren was a petite brunette with dark hair and eyes from Marietta, Georgia. She was studying art at Auburn University.

Her memorial service was held in the BeardEaves Memorial Coliseum, and approximately 6,000 students attended to remember a student with a “contagious smile.”

Since her death, Lauren’s parents, James Burk and Viviane Guerchon, have fought vigorously to provide better safety for students at Auburn University.

They believe that if the University had an on-

GURDEN SMITH / GRAPHICS EDITOR

CAMPUS

campus police force, then Lauren might still be alive.

“I went and saw that there were video cameras in the parking lot the night Lauren was abducted,” James said. “So how come no one noticed that the killer sat in the parking lot all day, left and came back? That’s ridiculous.”

Burk and Guerchon filed an official claim against Auburn University in 2009. However, that lawsuit was dismissed because of sovereignty laws that prevent the University from being sued directly.

They then changed the subject of the $1 million claim from Auburn University to the City of Auburn with Alabama’s Board of Adjustment. The Alabama Board of Adjustment denied that claim in 2014. However, Burk’s family refused to give up.

“We are still very concerned that they don’t have an on-campus police department,” Burk said. “Auburn is one of the only universities in the country that doesn’t have on-campus police.

It’s no better now than it was in 2008.”

» See BURK, 2

SPORTS

​ eet SGA’s first executive M vice president of outreach Claire Tully CAMPUS WRITER

Harlan Bailey, sophomore in agricultural business, was recently appointed SGA’s executive vice president of outreach, a new position created by executive officers to ensure Auburn students’ voices are heard.

Brandon Honeywell, SGA vice president, said the creation of this position was a joint decision made by himself; Jesse Westerhouse, SGA president; and James Beauchaine, SGA treasurer.

The new position is designed to help communicate effectively with the student body, Honeywell said.

“We want to systematically make sure that student government is getting a wide range of feedback from all student groups and at the same time make sure that we are doing a good job of keeping students updated on how we are working for them,” Honeywell said. “This communication gap has long been a struggle of ours in the past, and this year, we intend to end the misperception that student government does not work on the behalf of all students.”

Honeywell said he is excited to see what happens with Bailey's position.

“As (executive vice president) of outreach, Harlan will be leading the front on a project that will not only send liaisons to organizations and student groups for more effective communication, but will also be placing an emphasis on forming close relationships with individual students of all backgrounds,” Honeywell said.

Bailey, who served as SGA director of research and assessment two years ago, said he was initially contacted by Westerhouse to interview for the position.

“After Jesse explained the position to me, I thought it would be an amazing opportunity for me to help SGA and also Auburn as a whole in a major way,” Bailey said. “I went through the interview process, and after a few days of patiently

MADISON OGLETREE / PHOTOGRAPHER

Duke Williams sprints during 50-yard dash at Auburn’s annual Pro Day on Monday, March 7, 2016.

Duke Williams returns for Pro Day Sam Butler SPORTS EDITOR

CONTRIBUTED BY HARLAN BAILEY Harlan Bailey wants every student to feel a part of SGA.

and anxiously waiting, I was selected as the executive vice president of outreach.”

Bailey said his vision for this new position is to make every Auburn student feel like they’re a part of SGA. “Some of the ways I expect to accomplish this vision is through town hall meetings, a weekly newsletter and campus relations liaisons,” Bailey said. “Those will be huge parts of the push

» See OUTREACH, 2

For a few hours, it was just like old times.

Ricardo Louis and Melvin Ray were running routes in the Auburn practice facility like they’ve done hundreds of times, and just like they were before that night in October, the two seniors were joined by fellow senior receiver Duke Williams.

Nearly five months after he was dismissed from the team following an altercation at a bar after Auburn’s win over San Jose State on Oct. 3, 2015, Williams joined a handful of NFL Draft-bound Tigers at Auburn’s Pro Day on Monday, flanked by dozens of professional scouts and NFL coaches he hopes will take a chance on him.

Auburn coach Gus Malzahn invited Williams to Pro Day, despite the unceremonious manner in which Williams departed.

“I just decided to give him a chance for his future to show what he can do in front of the scouts, and I made that call last week,” Malzahn said. “He’s out here, and we wish him the best.”

Williams, along with eight other former Tigers, participated in the NFL Draft Combine in

See more Pro Day coverage on page 9 Indianapolis in February, but he didn’t do himself any favors.

He was clocked at a 4.72 40-yard dash, tied for second slowest among all receivers. His three-cone drill time of 4.73 placed him last among his position. He had the lowest vertical jump of any receivers, and he placed 28th out of 40 receivers in the broad jump.

On Monday, it was more of the same.

He shaved .02 seconds off of his time, down to 4.70, but he either performed about the same at every other drill or did worse.

Although his on-field performance remained largely unchanged, his off-the-field demeanor impressed his former teammates.

“He’s hungry,” Louis said. “He’s remorseful for everything that’s happened. He just wants to

» See DUKE, 2

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The Auburn Plainsman

Thursday, March 10, 2016

SGA

DUI REPORTS The following were arrested and charged with driving under the influence by the Auburn Police Division from March 1–7:

Adviser challenges senators to serve Claire Tully CAMPUS WRITER

March 1 - Matthew Daniel Fox, 23 McKinley Avenue at 11:41 p.m.

March 2 - Justin Martez Davis, 27 South College Street at 11:47 p.m.

- Stephanie Owens Moylan, 20 North Ross Street and Martin Avenue at 11:13 p.m.

- Matthew Wayne Sorrells, 26 East Glenn Avenue at 2:47 p.m.

March 3 - Milton Jake Andrews, 18 Miracle Road at 3:30 a.m.

- Sydni K. Crews, 20 North Ross Street at 11:31 p.m.

March 5 - William Tyler Rhodes, 30 Wright Street at 1:30 a.m.

The newly instated senators had their first formal meeting on Monday, March 7, where they discussed bills regarding the official appointment of executive vice presidents, chief of staff and student council leaders for each college.

Brad Smith, SGA adviser, addressed the senators to inform them he is a resource available to them to make sure they are serving the student body to the best of their ability.

“I’m going to be challenging you guys week in and week out with different things … you start to step into a committee roll now,” Smith said. “A lot of times you forget that you were elected by a college and that you have a lot of responsibility to represent the students in your college.”

Smith said they must remember their two sets of responsibilities to their commit-

tees and respective colleges.

“Another thing I want to challenge you guys with: One of the easiest things you can do, that I hope you establish as a habit of doing from the very beginning, is meet some random student in your college each week, at least one,” Smith said. “Just those tiny little things, usually will impact more than just that person.“ Introducing yourself to fellow students and asking for recommendations to enhance the Auburn experience are important, according to Smith.

“The perception that can come from just talking to one person can carry a lot of weight,” Smith said.

Jesse Westerhouse, SGA president, then encouraged students to take a survey they may have received via email from Jay Gogue, Auburn Unviersity president, and to tell other students to do the same.

“Use your platform as senators to do

that,” Westerhouse said. “It’s kind of measuring the diversity and inclusion here on Auburn’s campus … there’s going to be some really cool stuff that comes from it and I encourage you to do that and tell anyone that you know.”

During general orders of business bills, the senate voted to approve appointees for chief of staff and executive vice president.

Emma Grace Laird was appointed as chief of staff, Trey Fields as executive vice president of initiatives, Hunter Gibson as executive vice president of programs, Taylor Wood as executive vice president of marketing and engagement and Harlan Bailey as executive vice president of outreach.

There were no objections to the appointees.

Next week the senators are set to approve chairpersons and student council appointments for individual colleges.

STATE

A full crime report provided by the Auburn Department of Public Safety is available online at ThePlainsman.com.

–Reports provided by the Auburn Department of Public Safety

(334) 329-7777 2059 S College St, Auburn

Governor creates office of minority affairs Staff Report

Gov. Robert Bentley signed an executive order creating a Governor's Office of Minority Affairs on Wednesday, March 9.

The new office will advise Bentley on issues affecting minorities and women, according to a press release from the governor's office.

“Alabama has a unique history in promoting civil rights for minorities, and the courage and boldness of our citizens is a testament to the principles on which our state and country were founded,” Bentley said. “The newly created Governor’s Office of Minority Affairs will be a great resource and a new perspective on addressing minority and women’s issues."

Bentley also announced the new office on his Twitter account.

"It has been a while since the Alabama Governor’s Office has devoted a position solely to minority and women’s issues," Bentley said over Twitter. "Today changes that course, and brings a new found perspective on addressing minority and women issues."

Bentley said the new office was a part of his Great State 2019 Plan, which he announced at the State of the State address in February.

Bentley's plan is meant to address issues that have plagued Alabama.

“Poverty does not discriminate,” Bentley said in his State of the State address.

“In Alabama, it knows no race, no region and no political party. The poverty rate is in double digits in Winston County, just as

DAKOTA SUMPTER / PHOTO EDITOR

Gov. Robert Bentley speaks at the State of the State address on Feb. 2, 2016.

it is in Dallas County.”

Bentley appointed Nichelle Nix as the director the newly created office.

Nix was an attorney in the Governmental and Regulatory Affairs Division at the Birmingham law firm of Maynard, Cooper & Gale, P.C. She also served as legislative counsel to U.S. Rep. Artur Davis.

“I am honored to join the Governor’s

Office and help support Governor Bentley’s efforts to create jobs, improve education and increase quality of life opportunities,” Nix said in a press release. “The opportunities and well-being of minorities and women will be my primary focus.

I look forward to building broad coalitions to make Alabama a better state for everyone.”

FITNESS

New biking program puts students on course Jake LeGrone CAMPUS WRITER

OUTREACH » From 1

for letting the student voice be heard and letting the students know what SGA is doing for them.”

Bailey said he is also excited to gather his team of assistant vice presidents and directors and working with them.

“I feel as though the best part in that for me, especially with it being a new position, will be hearing the new ideas of what else we could do for the Auburn students,” Bailey said. “I have a plan of what the rest of exec and I want to see us do, but we are not perfect by any means and know that there are other ideas that we may not have thought of

BURK » From 1

The campus police force was merged with the city’s in 2000 to save the University money. However, Guerchon said she expected that to change after her daughter’s murder.

“We found out that the area Lauren was abducted was a hot spot,” Guerchon said. “You’d think they would have reinstated the campus police after that, but it hasn’t changed.”

Robbie Treese, Lee County district attorney and prosecu-

that could benefit all students on Auburn’s campus.”

Bailey said he would describe himself as a huge people person and can’t wait to use this position as a way to build new relationships.

“I know that I will be talking to many different students with different backgrounds, races and opinions. I want them all to understand that I am here to listen and make sure that SGA can strive to help them in any aspect of their Auburn experience,” Bailey said. “I recognized early in my college career that Auburn is a place that I love and call home, and I want to make sure that every student can feel that same way.” tor in the criminal trial, said although he has no part in handling the legal claims happening now, he believes the City of Auburn Police Division and Auburn University are collaborating to improve safety.

“I understand that the University is re-doing a police course,” Treese said. “The way I understand it, there may be more of a police presence on campus.”

Along with providing an oncampus police force, James and Guerchon are frustrated in the manner the murder was handled.

Auburn Group Fitness and Auburn Outdoors are helping students set goals by offering a bike school this semester that will teach students fundamentals of biking.

“More people would be willing to try (cycling) if they just knew the basics,” said Dani Dean, group fitness graduate assistant.

The course will be a five-week program and will teach the importance of cross training, nutrition, periodization training, bike maintenance, turning and breaking.

Dean said she started brainstorming about the course last spring.

“We want to promote this to the begin-

DUKE » From 1

be on the team and produce and just play.

That’s what he loves at the end of the day.

Anybody could just be like, 'I don’t want to play no more.' All the things he been through in his life? He still going. He still pushing. People don’t know that, but today I seen it in his eyes: I’m ready to get it. It The Cleary Act of 1990 requires all colleges and universities to record and disclose a list of crimes reported on campus.

“Auburn had some serious issues that they didn’t take care of,” James said. “In the official record next to her name it says, ‘robbery,’ but then has an asterisk in really small print that says, ‘murdered off campus.’

So that is kind of a slap in the face.”

Guerchon and James know their efforts may not be achieved for years more to come, but they are not backing

ner and the ones that have put their foot in the water, and they just need more training,” Dean said.

Head instructer Bill Perry has competed in many races, including the Red Bull Defiance race in New Zealand. It’s an exclusive race, with 100 handpicked teams from around the world, according to Red Bull’s website.

According to Dean, Perry has recruited people to who have come to love the sport of cycling.

"One guy was about 300 pounds and was able to lose half his body weight," Dean said.

Perry said he wants students to succeed.

“We will talk to each individual about

their goals,” Perry said.

Perry said the MYZONE app is a big part of students reaching their goals.

Each biker is given a number, and the number is displayed on the screen along with other bikers’ numbers and their progress.

“They’re competing, but they don’t know who they’re competing against,” Perry said.

MYZONE allows them to set goals and watch their improvement, according to Perry.

Perry said he has his own goal too.

"If we can improve anybody's overall fitness and outlook on life, then that’s accomplishment enough,” Perry said.

was same thing at Combine.”

“I’m proud of him, man,” Ray said.

“Duke’s been my brother ever since he left.

You know, we talk all the time. He gave me a lot of encouraging words today. Just him being here and still working for his dream, I know he’s going to be good for somebody.”

Williams will have to hope his renewed determination will minimize the looming

shadow his off-the-field incidents — the dismissal in October, his suspension from the Outback Bowl in January 2015, and the spat at practice with a coach that prompted a six-day suspension in August — cast.

Because if it doesn’t, Williams will be right back to where he was for the past five months.

He’ll be waiting, wondering what went wrong.

down.

“I want to see them reinstate the on-campus police force so that what happened to Lauren will never happen again to another student,” Guerchon said.

The family has now sought federal help.

“We’ve had people come down from Washington to help,” James said. “The next move going forward is to get this implemented.”

Melvin Owens, executive director of the Department of Public Safety and Security at Auburn University, said campus security is re-evaluated and

elevated each year.

“The Lauren Burk incident was a tragic reminder that we must be ever vigilant,” Owens said. “Each campus review examines physical and personal safety and results in increased security measures in multiple areas.”

Recent improvements include the addition of safety courses and increased surveillance.

“In recent years, the University has installed more than 1,000 security cameras,” Owens said. “We continue to offer multiple safety education

classes, such as RAD, [Rape Aggression Defense] Active Shooter and Personal Safety.

We have increased the nighttime hours for the on-campus student transportation system, augmented regular police patrols and increased building safety with security officers in parking lots and residence hall areas.”

The Burk family will continue to fight for on campus police because they believe it is a necessity for a university.

“Auburn [University] needs to wake up, because I’m not giving up,” James said.

Campus

3

Thursday, March 10, 2016

ThePlainsman.com

Campus

student spotlight

Meet the Auburn Campus Story golf cart guy Kris Martins Copy Editor

If Jimmy Fallon worked as a golf cart attendant and filmed Snapchat videos, he might land a spot on the Auburn Campus Story.

That’s how Nathan Pass, also known to Snapchat users as the “golf cart guy,” describes his Snapchat persona.

Donning a Southern accent and a burnt orange Auburn University Club cap, Pass shoots 10-second videos while driving golf carts in the morning, cracking jokes and occasionally offering advice to viewers.

The senior in sociology started filming snaps while he ate breakfast before his boss came into work at the Auburn University Club, making goofy football game predictions and other jokes.

The early morning videos led to his first appearance on the Campus Story and the beginning of his Snapchat character.

“I guess I developed a little bit of my Snapchat personality, the extreme Southern accent, which I don’t talk like in real life,” Pass said. “I’m pretty goofy in general. That definitely comes out. I’m not faking the goofiness.”

Campus stories are collections of Live Stories from Snapchatters that are only available for select college campuses, according to Snapchat’s website.

Users can submit their snaps to the Campus Story, and a Snapchat coordinator managing the Campus Story selects which videos appear on the Story.

After appearing on the Campus Story continually, Pass realized submitting videos early in the

Dakota Sumpter / photo editor

Nathan Pass takes a Snapchat of himself while moving golf carts at the Auburn University Club.

morning increased his chances of being selected.

“That was like my spot was the morning spot,” Pass said. “Every morning at 7 a.m. exactly ... that’s how I realized I could get on there [the Campus Story] on a regular basis.”

Pass joined the cart staff in May 2015 and reports to work every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning.

His first task of the day is also his opportunity to be featured on the Campus Story.

Each morning he unplugs charged golf carts from a stash of 60 carts at the University Club and cruises along a semicircle of sidewalk to a stretch of space beside the clubhouse where he lines the navy blue carts, one by one, for members.

“Those Snapchats are like 10 or 12 different gold cart rides,” Pass said. “It’s basically a 10-second travel time — perfect for Snapchat.”

Split, a dog that lives down the street, often joins Pass in the passenger seat of the carts, becoming the interview subject for some of Pass’s videos.

“I’m not being unproductive because I’m still driving,” Pass said. “I can Snapchat and drive.”

Pass said he tries to stick with a random theme most days, which sometimes means drawing inspiration from fresh experiences. However, the videos are unscripted.

“Most of them are one take,” Pass said. “Most of them I start it and kind of hope it finds its way along.”

In several videos, Pass is delivering a Chickfil-A chicken biscuit to his boss, Brooks Moody, who he refers to as the “bossman” in his snaps.

“Some mornings, I’m a little groggy getting

here, and I get my biscuit and talk to Nate, and it kind of makes the day get started a little better,” Moody said.

Moody joked that he schedules Pass first thing in the morning for the breakfast.

“I’m scared not to [bring Chick-fil-A] now,” Pass said with a laugh.

Users on Yik Yak, an app that allows users to anonymously post and discover discussions within a 5-mile radius, don’t always enjoy Pass’ videos.

“Can we please ban golf cart guys from the campus story?” one user wrote.

But Pass said the comments don’t bother him.

Some users also think he manages the Auburn Campus Story, which Pass denies.

Madeline Bonifay, junior in chemical engineering, said she enjoys seeing Pass’ Snaps early in the morning.

“I think he’s funny, and it’s like a nice addition to the story every day,” Bonifay said. “I like when he gives advice. I know one day he talked about not letting other people push you around or something, and I thought that day was really funny.”

But Pass’ long-term goals don’t include film, though he occasionally helps The Auburn Plainsman multimedia staff with video productions.

After he graduates this December as a fourthgeneration Auburn student, he plans to join the police academy to serve the Birmingham area, though he’d like to become a federal agent one day.

“At the end of the day, I have a good time with (Snapchat), and if other people laugh, then that’s just a bonus,” Pass said.

events

Army Gen. Lloyd Austin to give New Horizons Lecture S taff Report

Army Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, commander of U.S. Central Command and an Auburn University graduate, will deliver the Graduate School’s New Horizons Lecture on Monday, March 21, at 3 p.m. in the Langdon Hall Auditorium, accord-

ing to a University press release.

The event is free and open to the public.

“We are always excited to follow the professional achievements of Graduate School alumni like Gen. Austin,” said Graduate School Dean George Flowers

in the release. “His military career speaks for itself, and we are thrilled he has agreed to come back to Auburn and share his experiences and insights with the next generation of leaders.”

After confirmation from the U.S. Senate in 2010, Austin became the

Army’s 200th four-star general and sixth African-American Army four-star general, the release states.

He was the first African American general officer to command a U.S. Army Division (10th Mountain Division/CJTF-180) and a Corps (18th Airborne Corps/Multi-National

Corps-Iraq) in combat. He was also the first African-American general officer to command an entire theater of war (United States ForcesIraq) and to serve as Vice Chief of Staff, Army. In 2013, he became the first African-American commander of U.S. Central Command.

outreach

KENNESAW STATE UNIVERSIT Y

kennesaw.edu/summer

Madison ogletree / photographer

On-campus food pantry helps students unable to afford food have regular access to food.

Food pantry available for students Rachel Sprouse Campus writer

The Auburn University’s Campus Food Pantry is available for students to use. The pantry, which began in the spring of 2012 by the Division of Student Affairs, provides assistance to students who face food insecurity.

Katherine Hettinger, coordinator of student advocacy and case management, said the pantry provides nonperishable foods and toiletries to the students it serves. Anyone who is currently enrolled in classes at Auburn University can use the food pantry, according to Hettinger.

For access to the food pantry, students can either contact Hettinger directly or email casemgr@auburn.edu, an anonymous email account, to request access to the food pantry, according to Hettinger. After filling out a one-page form and signing a waiver, they are able to get one bag of food each week, according to Hettinger.

“We make exceptions for students in situations where there might be more need, so we’re not stuck to the one bag of food a week,” Hettinger said. “If you’re married and

you have a child or you have multiple children, then obviously one bag of food a week is probably [not enough].”

The pantry’s location is hidden to protect the confidentiality of those who use it, according to Hettinger. The only people who know the location are the coordinators, the volunteers and the people who use it, according to Hettinger.

The food pantry is run by members of an Freshman Leadership Program group who volunteer and serve throughout the year, according to Hettinger.

Ryan Bynum, senior in biomedical sciences, said FLP found out about the on-campus food pantry last year and is continuing their partnership with them this year.

“There is a problem with food insecurity here on Auburn’s campus,” Bynum said.

Bynum, director of Serve, which is one of the nine programs in FLP, said his group helps by stocking inventory, doing food drives and raising awareness for the on-campus food pantry. This semester, the group will have their own food drive for the campus food pantry, about two weeks after spring break, according

to Bynum.

Harper Rentz, freshman in pharmacy, said she loves to volunteer at the food pantry.

Rentz said the volunteers help with inventory, from stocking the shelves to removing expired food, and they fill bags for students to pick up.

“It’s really nice to meet them and see how I impact their lives,” Rentz said.

Rentz said volunteering at the food pantry has made a positive impact on her life.

“It makes me more aware of what’s on on campus that I don’t [always] see,” Rentz said. “It impacts me to know that I can help students individually and give them food and help them maintain a healthy lifestyle.”

Bynum said working with the food pantry is a “wonderful way” to bring students together and attack food insecurity.

“Working with the oncampus food pantry kind of popped that Auburn bubble that we all get into and it opened my eyes,” Bynum said. “Food insecurity does exist here on Auburn’s campus for Auburn students.”

For more information, contact casemgr@auburn.edu.

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Campus 4

The Auburn Plainsman

Thursday, March 10, 2016

outreach

Engineering hope in Bolivia

Student constructs an irrigation system for small community Emily Esleck

managing editor

Casimiro grasped the handle of the pipe wrench, playing with it to see how the teeth and clamp worked. A village leader of Quesimpuco, Bolivia, a 200–300 family village located at 13,000 feet in the southern Andes Mountains, Casimiro gladly helped the team of Auburn University engineers in constructing a gravity-fed system of irrigation pipeline that would carry water to crop land even in the drought season when there’s enough dust to choke if the body isn’t used to the conditions.

Josh Passantino, senior and triple major at Auburn University, told of the humbling impact a small community made on his life, leading him to a revelation that he wanted to help others.

With no prior education, Casimiro realized how a commercial tool with silver teeth and an oblong-shaped handle would help the engineers complete one of the various tasks of the day.

“I had never seen it,” Passantino said. “I didn’t know what was going on, and somebody called over to Casimiro and said, ‘Hey, Casimiro, can you help us with this?’”

Communicating with him in Spanish, Passantino relayed his willingness to help the other engineers on the worksite.

“It was just something amazing to know that somebody with no formal training in engineering is able to do all the things that a whole bunch of engineers who are trained from Auburn University couldn’t do by themselves,” Passantino said.

According to Passantino, Casimiro fitted many pieces of the pipes together that day, aligning all the angles correctly, a feat which was difficult for the team.

For seven days, a group of approximately 15 students, one University engineer and one engineering alumna, hiked 45 minutes through the thin, arid air of the high-altitude atmosphere to the site where the team would be building the irrigation system, according to Bob Karcher, the University adviser of the trip.

Karcher said they wore layers of jackets and shirts upon starting their hike at sunrise. He said the morning air was cool and windy, and throughout the day temperatures would climb to 60 F. However, Karcher said since Quesimpuco lies close to the equator, the direct rays of sunlight broke a sweat on their foreheads as they worked.

Karcher traveled with Passantino in August 2013 and 2014.

Contributed by Josh Passantino

Passantino and his team gather for a picture in Bolivia, where they created an irrigation system.

Passantino said his first time going to Bolivia was his freshman year, a trip inspiring him to major in Spanish because he wanted to speak with the locals more.

Add biomedical and chemical engineering, and that makes three majors — a task some college students would consider impossible.

The last day Passantino and the team were there his first trip, he said they decided to test the irrigation system.

Standing 100 feet from the spout of the water tank, Passantino said after the team yelled, “Turn the water on,” and they waited. Next, the sound of rushing water filled the air confirming the system was working. However, Passantino said suddenly everything fell silent.

“So the pressure’s building up, and either the entire pipe system is going to explode, or else the sprinkler’s going to work,” Passantino said. “So we’re all sitting there for, I don’t know, maybe 10 or 20 seconds — just silence.

We’re all looking at each other, and then we see water coming out of the sprinkler head because it was working, and we were all so excited.”

Passantino said watching grown men fall to their knees crying from the realization of having crops for revenue and food during the dry months, where previously they had nothing, was the most impactful part of that trip.

“We didn’t just build the system and give it to them,” Passantino said. “We worked with

upc

Rae Sremmurd to headline Airwaves S taff R eport

The University Program Council announced last week that rap duo Rae Sremmurd will headline the 2016 Auburn Airwaves concert.

Original headliner Flo Rida canceled “due to conflicting international show commitments,” according to UPC’s social media accounts.

UPC announced Rae Sremmurd will perform after Natalie La Rose and Lil

Jon at Auburn Airwaves.

A statement from UPC: “We are excited to announce that Rae Sremmurd will be headlining Auburn Airwaves 2016,” said Director of Major Entertainment Sagar Leva in a statement to The Plainsman. “Rae Sremmurd is a hip hop duo of two brothers out of Tupelo, MS. They have had many recent hits on Billboard such as ‘No Type,’ ‘No Flex Zone,’ ‘Come Get Her,’ and ‘This

the community, and so this is also their work.

It’s not just that we gave them something. They were happy because it was something they did.

They built it with their own hands — this system that’s going to help their community.”

As president of Engineers Without Borders USA, Passantino wanted to go to Bolivia through the Auburn chapter, which required paperwork and organization. His first and second year he said they weren’t officially going with the chapter, but now the trip is linked to the organization. In December 2014, Engineers Without Borders became an official chapter at Auburn University, according to Passantino.

“We work with engineering projects, but we work with communities and with nonprofit organizations instead of just giving projects to people, which is a reason why a lot of aid in developing countries fails is because they just give them something, and they aren’t able to maintain it or learn how to fix it,” Passantino said.

His second year helping Quesimpuco, Passantino said he led a team designing a washing machine for the women of the village, who previously hiked 1,000 feet down a mountainside to wash their clothes in close to 32-degree water.

The washing machine had two buckets, one inside another, with holes that would drain the water after PVC pipe churned inside to wash the clothes, according to Passantino.

He said they showed the design to the high schoolers who decided to build their own designs of washing machines so other communities could wash their clothes.

“That was something we were all really excited to hear,” Passantino said. “That our design was already being accepted.”

Karcher said Passantino’s readiness to engage with the local community in Quesimpuco showed his passion for helping others.

Passantino even described himself as the haggler of the group, who would help fellow members speak with locals and negotiate prices in shops.

Karcher said this happened in La Paz, Bolivia, an industrialized city where the group spent one day of the total 10-day trip.

“He knows enough Spanish … and I was in a shop buying some alpaca bags,” Karcher said.

During Passantino’s time in Bolivia, Karcher said Passantino brought all of his knowledge and articulate nature of being a bright student to a focus and passion for helping others.

“I’ve watched him, and I’ve seen these all draw together to this focal point,” Karcher said.

Steve Duke, associate dean of the College of Engineering and former adviser of the Quesimpuco trip, said he noticed Passantino stand out among other students during the welcoming night on Passantino’s first visit to Bolivia.

Duke said the local villagers conducted a march holding sticks with kerosene lanterns mounted on top, flailing their arms around dancing to traditional Quechuan music.

The engineers were asked to march, but Passantino danced with the locals.

“I don’t know if any of our other students did as much as (Passantino),” Duke said.

The hardworking, proud villagers continuously thanked the engineers throughout the trips, according to Karcher, and he said the “artificial rain,” or water shooting off the terraces of the irrigation system, moved the people of Quesimpuco.

“Some were crying, grown men crying because their crops were being watered and cattle could be grazed for a longer period of time,” Karcher said, explaining the emotional impact and true purpose of the trip.

Passantino said he plans to continue working with Engineers Without Borders and wants to help reduce costs for renewable energy, so people like the Bolivians can have the same resources as people in the U.S. — taking his love for engineering and helping others to form a powerful career.

Campus photo of the week

Could Be Us.’ We are really excited for them to take the stage on March 31, 2016.

Natalie La Rose will open the show, followed by Lil Jon, and Rae Sremmurd will close the show. Ticketing information will be released next week on UPC’s social media accounts.”

The March 31 concert will be on the field by the Red Barn. Tickets are free for students, and public prices will be announced soon.

Dakota Sumpter / Photo editor

Aubie dances during the 2016 Yoga Rave at the Recreation and Wellness Center on Thursday, March 3, 2016.

student government

Every day is Hey Day for SGA Claire Tully Campus Writer

YOUTUBE

Rae Sremmurd will perform March 31, 2016.

Hey Day, the SGA sponsored event, is widely known across Auburn’s campus as a day when every student wears a name tag and is encouraged to introduce themselves to students they wouldn’t normally get to meet.

SGA’s Hey Day Committee has brought this campaign to Tiger Dining as a way to further develop campus relationships.

Emma Grace Laird, SGA chief of staff, said this is the

second year Hey Day will be brought to different dining locations on campus.

“The Say Hey campaign is a way to promote relationships between students and on-campus dining workers by handing out Hey Day name tags,” Laird said.

Laird said the tradition is beginning to spread across campus even more.

“The Say Hey campaign began as a way to continue Hey Day throughout the year and specifically incorporate on-campus dining workers,”

Laird said.

The chance of further expanding Hey Day is a definite possibility, according to Laird.

“As of right now, they do not have plans for that yet, but we are about to get our new cabinet members and will begin the process of planning and expanding our programs,” Laird said.

The Say Hey campaign is set to come to the Student Center at Go Greek on April 4 and Papa John’s on April 18, both between 11 a.m.–1:30 p.m.

Opinion

5

Thursday, March 10, 2016

ThePlainsman.com

Opinion

our view

State judges should be appointed

SOCIAL MEDIA ON THE PLAINS

Spring 2016 Editorial Board

On March 7, the Supreme Court of the United States overruled Alabama’s Supreme Court, adding another example of federally appointed judges striking down the opinion of our elected state justices.

The case focused on a valence issue for Alabama politicians: the rights of same-sex couples. Alabama’s Supreme Court held that a lesbian parent could not have visiting rights to her adopted children.

Naturally, the vast majority of Alabama Supreme Court justices were compelled to deny the mother her right, with seven justices supporting the ruling and two dissenting. Justice Tom Parker wrote in a concurring opinion statement, “The State has a legitimate interest in encouraging that children be adopted into the optimal family structure, i.e., one with both a father and a mother.”

Time and time again, the Alabama’s highest court has made Alabama look like a national disgrace.

In 2003, Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore was removed from office by Alabama’s judicial ethics panel for disobeying a federal court order to remove a Ten Commandments monument from the state Supreme Court building.

Despite the First Amendment that Moore is supposed to acknowledge and protect, he decided his personal religion should weigh heaviest in his decision calculus. Less than a decade later, Alabama voted Moore back into office as chief justice of Alabama.

In January 2016, Moore issued a statement reminding state probate judges that his directive to prohibit judges from issuing same-sex marriage licenses had not been lifted.

Therefore, he argued, judges are not allowed to follow the federal ruling that samesex marriage bans were unconstitutional.

This sort of dissonance could cause federal litigation, which the federal government would ultimately win, wasting Alabama taxpayers’ money.

From its collective actions to the actions of its chief justice, Alabama’s history dictates something must change fundamental-

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ly on the high court. Instead of having what is essentially a nine-person legislature, Alabama should amend its constitution and change judicial elections to judicial appointments.

That way, judges won’t be so apt to please the masses by throwing out the Constitution in the name of religion. Judges would feel secure enough in their jobs to make decisions based purely off good judicial philosophy.

By doing this, politics will be less of a

factor when it comes to making sound judicial decisions. Politics and justice do not always mesh well together.

To further ensure that judges’ positions are safe enough to make conscionable, and sometimes unpopular, decisions, term limits should be increased from six to 15 years.

If these changes were made, it is our hope that pandering, anti-constitutional men and women will be less likely to assume Alabama’s most powerful and influential judicial positions.

her view

Spring breaks can ruin lives ­— be careful Claire Tully Campus Writer

It’s commonly believed college is a time to let loose and disregard all of the mistakes you make.

At least until they come back to haunt you. Probably the most typical time college students make said mistakes is on spring break.

It should be a good time, right? Drinking all day on the beach with your best friends.

But in reality, it’s not as glamorous as you’ve made it out to be.

There are massive crowds of people on the beach, there’s probably nowhere to go to the bathroom, police officers are everywhere, and that friend you

lost earlier is probably somewhere passed out on a lawn chair wearing a sombrero with a bottle of tequila in their hand.

Your time to relax and unwind has suddenly turned into a scene straight out of a “National Lampoon” film.

It seems like everyone I know who goes on a wild spring break trip comes back with more worries than they left with, and, quite frankly, college is stressful enough without creating more problems for yourself.

Sure, there’s no better time in your life to go to Panama City Beach or Cancún, but there are definitely some things to consider when you’re making your plans.

First, and the most obvious, is please don’t get arrested.

Intoxicated or not, nine out of 10 times you probably know when you’re doing something il-

legal. So do us all a favor and try not to pee on the sidewalk when a cop is parked across the street.

Second, use discretion when making the invitation list. I’m going to go ahead and say, it’s not wise to invite that one friend who always disappears or models their life after the movie “Animal House.” Odds are, you’re going to be busy enough taking care of yourself that you won’t have the time or patience to deal with that friend’s shenanigans.

Third, I know you’re going to end up doing whatever you want, all advice aside, which is fine.

Just please, don’t post pictures of all the dumb things you or your friends did.Your spring break activities are none of my business, and trust me when I say you don’t want it to be the business of potential employers.

You may have a great professional headshot on your LinkedIn page, but it doesn’t exactly distract from the picture on your Facebook profile of you crushing a few beers out of a lawn flamingo turned homemade funnel.

True story courtesy of my professor Dr. Milford: A high school junior got an internship over college juniors because of the spring break photos the college students posted.

You may not be able to control your actions when you’re intoxicated, but you have full control over what you post online.

You can take all of this advice with a grain of salt, but in the end, you have to be the one to decide if one week is worth an entire career.

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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.

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Community Thursday, March 10, 2016

6 ThePlainsman.com

Community

local spotlight

Lifelong Auburn fan celebrates 103rd birthday

Maria McIlwain community editor

Edna Fellows Christmas has had a lot of experiences in her 103 years. Many of them involve her love of all things Auburn.

A group of family and friends came to celebrate Edna Fellows’ 103rd birthday, which was Saturday, March 5. Edna Earl Christmas, Edna Fellows’ older daughter, said there were several parties to commemorate the event.

Edna Fellows has been an Auburn fan for decades, but she doesn’t remember how she became one. She didn’t attend Auburn because her father wouldn’t let her, so she went to Montevallo instead. She remembers her high school classmates and her younger brothers attending Auburn.

Because it is hard to maneuver a wheelchair in large crowds, Edna Fellows and her daughters have their own game day traditions.

“Edna Earl and I, usually on Friday night, we ride around and see all the tailgaters,” Edna Fellows said. “They do such interesting things.”

On Saturday mornings of home football games, they go to McDonald’s for breakfast and watch all of the orange-and-blue-clad Auburn fans walk toward campus, which is her favorite part of game day, besides winning.

“A good many of them carry dogs,” Edna Fellows said. “I don’t know what they do with them when they get there.”

Then they go home and watch the game on television — the “best of both worlds,” according to Edna Earl.

Merry Christmas Terrer, Edna Fellows’ youngest daughter, lives next door. She said Edna Earl helps make sure their mother attends as many Auburn events as possible.

“Edna Earl really does a good job of seeing about Mother, and they go to just about everything that’s going on,” Terrer said.

Edna Earl said a group of Auburn students

once gave her mother a special experience at Momma Goldberg’s. “(The students) all came and gathered around Mother, and they did the War Eagle yell, and I think they sang a song or so,” Edna Earl said.

“She was just so excited about getting to be with the students.”

Auburn football coach Gus Malzahn once signed a football for Edna Fellows after a radio appearance at Bob’s Victory Grille.

“I like Malzahn,” Edna Fellows said. “He’s a good coach.”

Most recently, Edna Fellows got to throw out the first pitch at an Auburn baseball game against Alabama A&M on Tuesday, March 1.

“Each (player) came by and touched Mother’s hand and said, ‘Happy birthday,’” Terrer said.

She also received an autographed ball from the team.

“I think my favorite part was them giving me the ball,” Edna Fellows said. “And being hugged

by Aubie.”

Edna Fellows practiced throwing the ball with some neighborhood children beforehand to get used to the ball.

“I had coached girls basketball in high school, but I never had anything to do with baseball,” Edna Fellows said.

Not all of her Auburn memories are so happy, though. The Christmases were there to see the original Toomer’s Oaks be cut down.

“It was like a funeral, watching them take (the trees),” Terrer said.

Edna Fellows wears Auburn gear no matter the season.

“People expect her to show up in Auburn stuff,” Edna Earl said.

Edna Fellows has seen Auburn become more diverse over the years. She has also seen the city grow, and she is concerned about too many highrises, but there hasn’t been too much change yet.

art

madison ogletree / photographer

Edna Fellows Christmas poses in her home Monday, March 7, 2016.

community photo of the week

contributed by Andrew Henley

Drake Middle School students learn about art Drake Middle School students paint at the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art.

Liz Maddux

community writer

Seventh-grade students from Auburn City Schools got to be Pablo Piscassos for the day during the Auburn Studio Project.

The Auburn Studio Project is an annual community-based art education program for seventh-grade students in Auburn City Schools. This year’s program focused on the artwork featured in the 2016 Auburn Department of Art and Art History Studio Faculty Exhibition at the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art. While at the museum, students toured the faculty exhibition and participated in several workshops The students had the opportunity to create three hands-on art projects.

The first, saddle stitching, allowed the students to create and bind their own sketch-

books that they continued to use throughout the rest of the day.

The second project, encaustic art, was a wax-based project where the students collaged an envelope and later painted the envelope with wax.

The third project allowed students to paint paneled pieces, which will all be put together and displayed at Drake Middle School.

Duriel Barlow, principal of Drake Middle School, said the school is excited to have their students’ art displayed there.

“Anytime we have the opportunity to showcase our kids’ talents, it is great,” Barlow said. “This display is one way of doing just that. The display will be placed in the seventh-grade building. The seventh-grade students actually created this art themselves, so this will be something they can be proud of for years to come.”

Cari Cleckler, art education specialist with Auburn Parks and Recreation, said her favorite part about the Auburn Studio Project is how hands-on it is.

“The kids get so excited about this event,” Cleckler said. “Some of them have never been to a museum before, so just getting to go and see what all a museum has to offer is so amazing for them. With this event, the students really get to see the art and understand how it’s made because they are making it themselves.”

Cleckler said she hopes the project helps the students better appreciate art museums.

“Hopefully, since this project was so hands-on, the students will have a positive experience to associate with museums and the art they display, and they will be excited to visit others in the future,” Cleckler said.

contributed by auburn athletics

Edna Fellows Christmas throws out the first pitch at the baseball game against Alabama A&M on Tuesday, March 1, 2016.

Thursday, March 10, 2016

The Auburn Plainsman

Community 7

Councilwoman continues tradition of service local government

Chip Brownlee

community reporter

Auburn is a transient college town for many, but Councilwoman Lynda Tremaine’s family has lived in Auburn for more than 150 years. Her great-grandfather John F. Heard moved to the small railroad town from Georgia during the Civil War era.

In the 1860s, Heard bought a small 20-yearold farmhouse on the “big road,” Moores Mill Road. Tremaine, 69, along with her high-school sweetheart and husband, still lives in the white, one-story home with her three cats, and according to her, even a couple of friendly ghosts.

“My mother was raised here, my grandmother was raised here, and I grew up here,” Tremaine said. “We’re deeply embedded with Auburn. It’s home, and I feel really passionate about it. We’re so lucky to live here.”

Along with the farmhouse, Heard bought more than 400 acres stretching from near Samford Avenue all the way to Interstate 85. Most of that land has since been sold as the City of Auburn has grown. Tucked away to prevent fading in a dark closet of Tremaine’s home is the original deed to the land. A signee of the agreement with the area’s Creek Indian tribe was President Martin van Buren.

“Not only was (Heard) a farmer, but he had a dry-goods store downtown too,” Tremaine said.

“The more I read about him, he was really a jack of all trades.”

Heard was a farmer, a family man, a shop owner and a true Auburnite, but he was also a skilled workman. In 1889, when Auburn University was still the Alabama Polytechnic Institute, Heard installed the first bell in Samford Hall’s clocktower.

“I told people during my campaign that my one claim to fame was that he installed the first bell in Samford Tower with his steam hoist,” Tremaine said. “He went down to the old railroad station, picked it up, got a wagon and got a helper, and they got it up there. So Samford Hall means a lot to me. I can still hear those bells chiming and know that it had to make him proud.”

More than 120 years later, Tremaine continues her family’s Auburn legacy. In August 2014, she was elected to represent Auburn’s 5th Ward on the City Council, a position in which she continues to serve. According to Tremaine, her family’s history was one of the driving forces that led her to run.

As Auburn continues to grow at one of the fastest rates in its history, many in Auburn are concerned the city might lose its Southern, small-

town charm. Tremaine is one of those people.

Tremaine said she decided to run for City Council after having a personal encounter with national real estate developers who were buying up land near lots owned by her family for years.

Those developers then built parking lots and fastfood franchises.

“I had gotten involved with going to some of the Planning Commission meetings over some things that I didn’t like that I was seeing that were being allowed on Gay Street where we owned property,” Tremaine said.

After the city voted in Tremaine’s favor to prevent some variances close to her property line, which would have allowed the neighboring property owners to deviate from zoning requirements, she was encouraged to run a grassroots campaign for City Council.

“People read about it in the paper and said, ‘See, you can make a difference. We need hometown people who really care about this town,’” Tremaine said. “I went up to City Hall, and it was about an hour before they were closing down qualifications, and nobody had put their name in [to run against the incumbent], so I told them to give me the paperwork.”

Tremaine’s grassroots efforts did not end during her campaign. She now holds monthly ward meetings at St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church at Auburn University on the first Monday of every month. During the ward meetings, citizens are encouraged to chat with Tremaine and share their thoughts on city issues.

“I was told by some people that I was wasting my time, that people wouldn’t come, but people come,” Tremaine said.

According to Tremaine, a major concern among the citizens in her ward is the unregulated growth and development downtown, which they feel threatens Auburn’s soul.

“You talk about how people love Auburn and the atmosphere and the small-town charm,” Tremaine said. “I’m just so afraid with what’s going on right now with the building of so many student apartments, which I call high-rises, about what it’s going to do to the whole atmosphere of downtown.”

Several new apartment developments are coming to downtown Auburn soon, including The Parker and The Standard, among others. The new developments, many of which will rise to the city’s limit of 75 feet, will add hundreds of student beds to downtown.

“I feel like a lot of people are going to be surprised when they see what’s happening,” Tre-

chip brownlee / community reporter

Councilwoman Lynda Tremaine reads a 1980s issue of The Auburn Plainsman in her home on Friday, March 4, 2016.

maine said. “It’s been reported in the newspapers, but until they start seeing what the height is actually going to look like, they don’t know.”

Keep Auburn Lovely, a group Tremaine supports, has been advocating for months to prevent large student-housing developments downtown.

Tremaine said she and Keep Auburn Lovely are not antigrowth.

“I am not antigrowth,” Tremaine said forcefully. “A lot of people think that if you don’t want those [developments] that you just want Auburn to stagnate. Nothing could be further from the truth. Our downtown has got to continue to be a vibrant area to support local businesses. I am not

against new buildings.”

Tremaine said downtown needs an upgrade, but that she is worried that the view of Samford Hall — the famous landmark in which her greatgrandfather helped install the first clock bell — will soon be obstructed by student-housing developments.

“Someone argued with me that coming over the railroad track you would still be able to see Samford Tower,” Tremaine said. “No. You can now, over the Papa John’s sign, but once that tall corner apartment building goes up, you won’t. The skyline will be changed, and once it’s changed, it’s changed forever.”

Sports

8

Thursday, March 10, 2016

SCOREBOARD Men’s Basketball (11-19, 5-13)

ThePlainsman.com

Sports

Women’s bAsketball

Keeping up with the Joneses C.J. Holmes

Sports Reporter

FILE PHOTO

Last Week at Mississippi State (L, 79-66) THIS WEEK March 9 vs. Tennessee (7 p.m.)

SEC Tournament in Nashville, Tennessee

Women’s Basketball (19-12, 8-8)

Auburn athletics

LAST WEEK vs.Missouri (W, 47-45) vs. South Carolina (L, 57-48) SEC Tournament in Jacksonville, Florida

BASEBALL (6-6)

Everyone goes through that awkward stage. It’s unavoidable, unconventional and it usually happens, for most, somewhere between those middle school and high school years.

Auburn women’s basketball players Jazmine and Jessica Jones are nearing the end of their sophomore season as student-athletes on The Plains, but the twins still vividly remember a time long before college basketball — an all but graceful period in their early lives that involved horseback riding and a growth spurt.

The lookalikes from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, started playing basketball in sixth grade after being encouraged by their father, Jeff, who played both collegiately and professionally, but basketball wasn’t their first love.

That place in their hearts actually belonged to equestrianism, and that’s where their journey to the SEC began — on top of a saddle.

“We took it pretty seriously,” Jazmine said. “We traveled all over, did competitions and we also used to own a horse named M&M.” Jeff and DeAnna Jones climbed out of bed every morning to take their daughters on an hourlong car ride from Winston-Salem to Wilkesboro to care for the horses.

The time they spent cleaning the stalls taught them the value of hard work and the importance of working together at an early age, values that would serve them well down the road.

“If you wanted to keep the horse, that’s what you had to do,” Jessica said.

Five years later, the Jones twins suddenly found themselves too tall to compete, so once they enrolled at West Forsyth High School, they shifted all of their attention to basketball — completely unaware of the true talent they possessed.

“We didn’t take (basketball) seriously until about our sophomore year,” Jessica said. “Then we started AAU, and it kind of exploded for us there.

That’s when we got out of our awkward stage and got our first offer.”

By the end of their senior season, both sisters were top-rated recruits.

However, they had no intentions of playing at different schools at the next level. They were a package deal.

Jazmine and Jessica didn’t always receive the same scholarship offers, but were committed to finding a program that was the right fit and would allow them to play together.

With those standards in mind, they narrowed down their choices and committed to play for coach Terri Williams-Flournoy and the Tigers.

“We really liked coach Flo, and we liked her style of play,” Jazmine said. “The other coaches, coach Walters and coach Ty, we just liked the vi-

Matthew Bishop / Photographer

Jessica and Jazmine Jones wanted to be equestrian riders, but basketball was where their true talent lay.

sion they had for the program and the emphasis they put on defense. On our AAU team, we pressed a lot too, and we were just drawn to the Auburn Family. We came with our mom and dad, and they felt that we could really grow up here.”

Jessica considers herself the shy one, and Jazmine, more outgoing.

That, combined with their distinct playing styles, made it easier for their Auburn teammates and coaches to tell them apart during their first few weeks of practice.

“We have two different personalities,” Jessica said. “The team knows that, and the coaches know obviously I’m more of a forward and (Jazmine’s) more of a guard on the court. We’ll never have our hair the same, and that usually helps, but sometimes people still get us mixed up.”

Through their first two seasons at Auburn, the twins have grown up along with the rest of the roster. Auburn women’s basketball finished with a 1318 record in 2014. This year, the Tigers are 18-11 and pushing for their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2009.

Jazmine and Jessica’s stats might not reflect it, but their maturity — both physically and mental-

ly — has paid dividends for the Tigers both on and off the court this season.

College basketball has its ups and downs, and the sisters tackle those challenges together every day.

“We know each other’s strengths and weaknesses,” Jessica said. “If I see (Jazmine) out there on the court, it’s kind of weird because I already know what she’s thinking. If she comes off the bench and she’s mad, I already know why she’s mad and maybe the team doesn’t, so I talk to her. Or if she doesn’t see something I see, I’ll tell her. We help each other.”

Six hours away from home, the twins don’t have a lot of family near by.

But at the end of those long practice days, through both wins and loses, they’re just thankful to have each other.

“We’re always together,” Jazmine said. “If we have a hard practice or something is wrong, we can talk about it because we room together too. It’s just nice having someone there always with you. If [our] family can’t come [to the game], me and Jessica are still together on the court. We play for each other, and I think that’s priceless.”

FILE PHOTO

LAST WEEK vs. Troy (L, 4-3 (11 innings)) vs. Michigan State (L, 3-0) vs. Southern Mississippi (L, 3-1) THIS WEEK March 8 vs. Georgia Tech (4:30 p.m.)

March 11-13 vs. Oral Roberts (3 p.m., 2 p.m., 1 p.m.)

SOFTBALL (20-1)

FILE PHOTO

LAST WEEK vs. Indiana (W, 8-7) vs. Murray State (W, 10-0) vs. Bryant (W, 10-0) vs. Georgia State (W, 7-0; W, 9-0) THIS WEEK March 9 vs. Tennessee State (4 p.m./6:30 p.m.)

March 12-14 vs. Florida (7:30 p.m., 4 p.m., 6 p.m.)

GYMNASTICS

Gymnastics rebounds after pair of season-ending injuries Andrew Monson Sports Wrtier

Though they have yet to drop out of the top 10 this season, the Auburn gymnastics team admittedly struggled to gel in the first few weeks of the season.

Through the first five weeks, the Tigers failed to score higher than a 196.275.

But with a young team, the earlyseason stumbles were expected.

What wasn't expected was the injury bug shaking up the lineup. In the fifth meet of the season at Arkansas, two of Auburn's regulars went down with season-ending injuries.

First, freshman A'Miracal Phillips dislocated her foot during her vault routine.

Then, minutes later, freshman Emma Engler tore a knee ligament during her beam routine.

Rather than rattling the team, senior Caitlin Atkinson said the injuries only brought them closer.

"That was one thing going into that meet that we wanted to work on, our team chemistry," Atkinson said. "It’s not been awful, but it’s been a little bit rocky, so we were really focusing on being together, being a unit and just gelling together. After they went down,

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we got together and were like, ‘Let’s keep pushing. Let’s do this for them.’

So we tried to finish strong and do the best we could for both of them, and then focus on them afterwards.”

Since that meet, Auburn has taken the next step in its quest for a secondstraight NCAA Super Six berth.

The Tigers have posted their four highest scores of the season, including three straight 197s and the first win against Alabama in 117 meets.

"We responded really well [after the injuries]," said junior MJ Rott. "I was a little bit worried about how we would gel together as a team after everything that happened. I’m just really proud of us.”

Even with the evident improvement, coach Jeff Graba still sees an area where his team can progress. “(The injuries) at the Arkansas meet basically changed a third of our lineup on vault, and I think we still haven’t settled down with how to compete with the people we have in the vault lineup," Graba said. "We have good vaulters, it’s just that we haven’t done a good job of building off the scores like we’ve been able to start doing on the other events.

That’s one of the main things we’re working on.”

Megan Endt and Madison Ogletree / photographers

LEFT:A’Miracal Phillips (left), celebrating with MJ Rott (right), is one of two Tigers who suffered injuries against Arkansas. RIGHT: Freshman Emma Engler is the other, and the team has rebounded well despite the losses, as Auburn is still in the top 10 and has toppled several ranked teams as well as snapping a 117-meet losing streak to Alabama.

With the postseason approaching, Graba said it's a good sign his team can still perform better while posting record scores.

“I like the fact that we can score 197 and we’re still not overly satisfied

with it," Graba said. "We feel like we still have a little room left to grow, but I think only eight teams in the country have scored more than one 197, and we’re one of them, so I think that puts us in some rare company.”

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Thursday, March 10, 2016

Sports 9

The Auburn Plainsman

football

Countess, Jones turning heads before NFL Draft Sam Butler Sports Editor

Two former Auburn defensive backs were present at the Tigers’ Pro Day on Monday, but only one participated in activities besides the usual position-specific drills.

That’s because Jonathan Jones was invited to the NFL Draft Combine, while Blake Countess was left without an invite.

Jones ran the fastest 40-yard dash of any defensive back at the Combine with a 4.33, so it’s understandable why he would choose to let that time sit.

Countess, however, only had Monday to prove his worth to the 55 NFL scouts and coaches in attendance, and prove it he did.

Countess’ 21 reps on the 225-pound bench press would’ve been the most out of any defensive back at the Combine, and his 36.5-inch vertical would’ve tied him for 10th best. His 40 time of 4.49 would’ve pegged him in the top half of his position.

When that Combine invite didn’t come, Countess could’ve taken that as a sign he wasn’t destined for the NFL. But he did the exact opposite.

“As a competitor, you want to be in those places; you want to be able to compete with the best,” Countess said. “To not get an invite is definitely a motivator. You have to control what you can control and just keep moving forward.”

The Michigan transfer came to Auburn for his senior season and was one of the most versatile players on the defense.

He played cornerback, nickel corner, slot corner and safety, doing whatever his coaches asked.

“Blake is a football player,” said Auburn coach Gus Malzahn. “He is a football player from the word go. From what he did for us, he played safety, corner, nickel. He was one of our best special teams players. He’ll be somebody that is a very good football player at the next level.”

Countess racked up 71 tackles and a pair of interceptions in his lone season on The Plains, providing a steady presence in a secondary that suffered several injuries throughout the year.

His partner at cornerback, Jones, had been hampered by injuries for a large part of the season but played through them.

But once the season had ended and Jones was able to recover, he proved why he was the only Auburn player named to the Coaches’ All-SEC First Team in August.

He turned heads with his performance at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, and his performance at the Combine only made those heads turn fur-

Madison Ogletree / photographer

Blake Countess runs the L-Drill at Auburn’s Pro Day. He finished tops out of all Auburn players with 21 bench press reps and a 36.5-inch vertical.

ther.

In addition to his 4.33 40, Jones put up 19 reps on the bench press, tied for second at his position.

"I think people are excited to see what I can do," Jones said. "They’re excited about what I’ve shown so far, so hopefully whatever team I go to, I can compete to play and get on the field … I think a lot of people said I'm trending in the right direction from the Senior Bowl. I kind of opened up some eyes there. Then going into the Combine, having a good workout, and showing people the things I can do.”

Following the Combine, ESPN Draft Analyst Todd McShay sang Jones’ praises.

“You can’t get over the height, but I do think

as a nickel corner, he’s got a chance to be a pretty good player,” McShay said in a teleconference with reporters March 1. “He certainly helped himself, but I’m wondering now if we’re looking at late Day 2 or early Day 3. If you run that kind of time, history kind of tells you you’re not going to get out of the first four rounds of the draft.”

Jones, who stands at 5-foot-9 ¼, and Countess, who comes in at 5-foot-9 ¾, don’t possess they prototypical size NFL teams have come to expect from cornerbacks.

But with the chatter they’ve sparked based on their performances in the last two weeks, Jones and Countess haven’t seen the end of their playing days quite yet.

Jones will likely hear his name called in the middle rounds of the draft, while Countess’ destination is still up in the air.

Countess came to Auburn for just one year, and he could’ve looked back at the disappointing 7-6 season with regret, but he expressed nothing but gratitude for his one year with the Tigers.

“Auburn has been great to me,” Countess said. “Before I got here, we had a plan about what I wanted to do, and we executed that plan, from special teams to playing multiple positions on defense and playing at a high level.

I was definitely pleased with the way Auburn handled things, and I think I definitely helped myself this year.”

Auburn Pro Day 2016 Do-it-all back Barber ready for his chance at the NFL Evan McCullers

Assistant Sports Editor

Peyton Barber was thrust into the national spotlight at the NFL Combine on Feb. 24, but the reason had nothing to do with his 40-yard dash time, vertical leap or broad jump.

Instead, the attention he garnered was because of a statement he made during a press conference — that he had entered the NFL Draft after just one season as the feature running back at Auburn because his mom is homeless.

The story was immediately picked up by national news, and Barber became the talk of the Combine for a day.

“I knew if I ever accomplished my goals, it would come to light someday, but I didn't think it would come to the light like how it is now,” Barber said after his workouts at Auburn’s Pro Day on Monday. “Family is family. I'm going to do anything and everything for them.”

While he received more attention off the field than he was expecting, Barber failed to draw much consideration on it. Pro Day gave him another opportunity to show the 55 NFL personnel in attendance what he could do.

Though the stout tailback used the chance to lower his 40-yard dash time slightly, he did not improve in

other drills.

His broad jump, which was nextto-last among running backs at the Combine, did not exceed the 111 inches he jumped in Indianapolis.

Barber also competed in the vertical jump, but he fell short of his mark at the Combine.

Though they were not the measurements he was hoping for, Barber hopes his film speaks for itself.

In his one season as the No. 1 running back at Auburn, the Alpharetta, Georgia, native became known as a bruising back who could pick up yards between the tackles despite his lack of elite speed.

“I think he's got a good upside,”

said Auburn coach Gus Malzahn.

“The thing about Peyton is he'll protect, he'll block. He runs with great pad level; he's a tough guy. He was banged up a lot of the year too. So he's a tough guy, and he's the kind of guy teams are looking for.”

Though he has yet to wow pro teams with his measurable attributes, Barber has drawn attention from most NFL front offices. Every team spoke with Barber before or at the Combine beside the New England Patriots and San Diego Chargers, according to AL.com, and Patriots coach Bill Belichick attended Auburn’s Pro Day. Barber is expected to be drafted

Madison ogletree / photographer

Peyton Barber runs a drill at Auburn’s Pro Day as dozens of NFL scouts and coaches look on.

in the late rounds, but it’s possible he will be forced to sign with a team as an undrafted free agent. However, if the opportunity comes about, Barber is determined to take full advantage of it.

“All I need is a chance,” he said.

After rushing for over 1,000 yards in the SEC as a former three-star running back recruit, it wouldn’t be the first time he’s overcome long odds and proved his doubters wrong.

“I feel as if I'm an every-down back,” Barber said. “I can run the ball, catch the ball, block. Anything you need me to do, I feel as if I can do.”

Sports 10

The Auburn Plainsman

Thursday, March 10, 2016

Contributed by Auburn Athletics

Jordan Ebert throws to first base during Auburn’s win over Alabama A&M on March 2.

Madison Ogletree / photographer

Horace Spencer expresses his frustration in Auburn’s loss to Texas A&M.

This Week in Auburn Sports ard, Kasey Cooper and Wallace. Wallace’s single was the final run scored in the game.

In the second game, Rachael Walters earned a win in her first start of the season, allowing one hit in four innings. Kaylee Carlson relieved Walters and pitched the final two innings, also allowing just one hit.

Auburn, playing as the road team in the final game of the tournament, went up early on a two-RBI single by Jade Rhodes. A groundout increased the first-inning lead to 3-0.

The score remained 3-0 until the fifth inning, when Auburn started the inning with four consecutive hits by Emily Carosone, Cooper, Wallace and Rhodes. Georgia State then made numerous mistakes to fall out of the game. With the bases loaded, Madi Gispon was hit by a pitch. A pair of Panthers errors then brought in two more runs, increasing Auburn’s lead to 6-0.

Auburn ended the game with a three-run sixth inning, giving it its 12th run-rule win of the season and 11th shutout. Howard led off the inning by becoming the school’s all-time career leader in triples with her ninth. Doubles

by Cooper and Wallace put the game away.

Men’s Basketball

March 5 at Mississippi State L, 79-66 With a first-round bye in the SEC Tournament on the line on Saturday in Starkville, Mississippi, Auburn was unable to close its regular season on a high note.

The Tigers fell to Mississippi State, 79-66, despite a career-high 13 points from Horace Spencer, his third personal best in the last four games.

TJ Lang paced four Tigers in double-digit scoring with 16 points, but it was not enough to overcome Mississippi State’s balanced offensive attack.

Auburn jumped to an 8-0 lead to begin the game, but the Bulldogs closed the half on a 3912 run to take a big advantage into the locker room. The Tigers shot just 27.6 percent from the field and made only two of their 11 3-point attempts in the first half.

“We were prepared to play, and we got off to a good start," said Auburn coach Bruce Pearl. "I thought we got disrupted in the first half. Offensively, we got stagnant and weren’t sharing the ball really well."

Though the offense heated up in the second half — Auburn scored 46 points on 56.7 percent shooting after the break — the first-half deficit was too big to overcome.

A T.J. Dunans bucket cut the State lead to 10 with 7:31 remaining in the game, but the Bulldogs responded with a 14-0 run to put the game out of reach.

Four Bulldogs scored in double figures on Mississippi State’s Senior Day, but it was two freshmen that carried the team to victory, as Quinndary Weathersoon and Malik Newman combined for 33 points.

The loss knocked Auburn back to last place in the league among SEC Tournament-qualifying teams, meaning it will be forced to play in the first round on Wednesday against the No. 12 seed, Tennessee.

That game will tip off at 7 p.m. on Wednesday night at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.

Women’s Basketball

March 4 vs South Carolina L, 57-48 Brandy Montgomery’s 14 fourth-quarter points weren’t enough as women’s basketball fell to No. 2 South Carolina, 57-48, in the SEC Tournament quarterfinal.

Montgomery finished with a game-high 18 points and led a late rally for the Tigers, who fell behind by 20 after missing her first seven shots from the field. Tra’Cee Tanner and freshman Janiah McKay each added 10 points.

Alaina Coates paced South Carolina with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Bianca Cuevas contributed 10 points off the bench.

After trailing 32-16 at halftime, Auburn out-

Adam sparks / photographer

Carlee Wallace (00) runs into a crowd of her teammates at home plate after hitting a two-run home run.

scored the Gamecocks 32-25 in the second half.

The Tigers held South Carolina to their lowest shooting percentage in two years at 31.7 percent.

Auburn was called for 24 fouls while South Carolina was only whistled for 12. The Gamecocks converted 22 of their 29 free-throw attempts, which proved to be the difference in the game. The Tigers finished 5-of-9.

Auburn’s postseason fate will be decided Monday, March 14, during the NCAA Tournament selection show.

Baseball

March 6 vs. Southern Miss.

L, 3-1 Auburn fell 3-1 to Southern Mississippi Sunday in the final game at the Cox Invitational in Pensacola, Florida. Auburn (6-6) lost to Troy on Friday and Michigan State on Saturday.

Despite the loss, junior right-handed pitcher Cole Lipscomb had a strong outing. Lipscomb (1-1) allowed just two hits and two earned runs in his 6.2 innings pitched. He struck out a season-high eight batters.

“It was good to see Cole perform today,” said Auburn coach Butch Thompson. “He stayed in there a little longer than maybe we wanted, but he really wanted the baseball. They only had two hits for the entire game, and that is something to build off of.”

Thompson said the team’s pitching “really showed us something this weekend.”

Senior Jordan Ebert also had a solid game for the Tigers, and he led the team with three hits.

“Jordan is leading us in every way,” Thompson said. “He had the three hits and made a couple nice plays defensively.”

One of Ebert’s hits was an RBI single that drove in Anfernee Grier to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead in the third inning. With his single in the third, Grier extended his hitting streak to 13 games, dating back to the 2015 season.

A pair of walks and an error helped Southern Mississippi score its first run in the fourth.

Nick Dawson had a sac fly to right field that scored Daniel Keating in the seventh, extending the Golden Eagles’ lead to 2-1. Storme Cooper walked with the bases loaded in the eighth, scoring Tim Lynch and extending the lead to the final score of 3-1.

Softball

March 6 vs. Georgia State W, 7-0 & 9-0 No. 3 Auburn rode dominant defensive performances to two shutout wins against Georgia State on Sunday. The Tigers (20-1) won the first game 7-0 and the second game 9-0 in six innings. Auburn went 5-0 in the Wilson/DeMarini Classic.

In the first game, freshman Makayla Martin pitched a complete game to improve her record to 5-0. She allowed just four hits and struck out five Panthers.

The Tigers were in a scoreless deadlock until the third inning, when Carlee Wallace hit a two-run homer. Auburn ultimately pulled away in the sixth inning, when four runs came on singles by Victoria Draper, Tiffany How-

Women’s Tennis March 5 vs. LSU W, 4-1

The Auburn women’s tennis team came out strong Saturday to pick up another win against a top 15 team, this time defeating No. 9 LSU in Auburn, 4-1.

Auburn battled from behind to snag the doubles point, with Pleun Burgmans and Alizee Michaud taking a 6-4 win over Joana Vale Costa and Ryann Foster. Paula de Man and Andie Dikosavljevic clinched the point for the Tigers after a thrilling 7-5 win.

“Pleun and Andie are playing so well right now,” said Auburn coach Lauren Spencer. “It was good to see them get two wins against ranked opponents.”

In singles, No. 32 Dikosavljevic defeated No. 20 Vale Costa 6-1, 6-4, to advance to 10-2 in the dual match season. Burgmans improved to 12-0 in the dual match season after defeating No. 46 Jessica Golovin 6-2, 6-3.

Burgmans’s 174 career wins has her 11 wins out from holding the title of Auburn’s all-time leader in combined singles and doubles victories.

Spencer was “especially proud” of freshman Caroline Turner, who clinched the match for the Tigers with her first SEC victory, besting Ella Taylor 6-3, 6-2.

“I think we came out strong from the very beginning with our doubles,” Spencer said.

“LSU is a really good team and we came out swinging from the very beginning. The last two weeks have given us a lot of confidence.”

Compiled by Evan McCullers, C.J. Holmes, Sam Butler and Emily Shoffit

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Thursday, March 10, 2016

11 ThePlainsman.com

Intrigue

Award

Alumni inducted into Engineering Hall of Fame

Ben Ruffin

Intrigue Writer

The Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame welcomed five new members in its 2016 induction ceremony.

Out of the five inductees, four were in love with the same entity: their alma mater, Auburn University.

Charles E. Gavin III, Robert “Bobby” Keith, Authur Frazier Christy and Nelda Lee joined the likes of Samuel Ginn, for which the College of Engineering is named after, when they were accepted into the Hall of Fame on Feb. 22.

Gavin graduated in 1959 with a degree in textile management and quickly began work as a dyer trainee for Cabin Crafts, where he developed recognition within the industry for his technical expertise and innovation, according to the Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame website.

After returning home to Columbus, Georgia, and creating the first successful acid dyed filament carpets, Gavin formed MFG Chemical Inc. to develop chemical auxiliaries for carpet dyeing. Today, MFG serves a broad section of the chemical industry’s top Fortune 100 companies.

Recently, Gavin made an $8 million gift to the College of Engineering.

According to Austin Phillips, communications specialist with the College of Engineering, the gift will allow an update and renovation to the college’s textile building, renamed the Carol Ann and Charles E. Gavin III Engineering Research Laboratory.

“It’s going to let us build on a long tradition that we have in the textile industry that served our country and specifically the Southeastern region for decades,” Phillips said. “What the Gavins’ generous gift has allowed us to do is build on this history of the program and vault into the 21st century to make it one of the premier polymer and composite programs in the nation.”

Keith graduated in 1963 with a degree in

mechanical engineering and, upon joining Northrop Space Laboratories in Huntsville, was named team leader in the development of the guidance program for the Saturn V rocket system used during the Project Apollo lunar landing program, according to the College of Engineering’s website.

However, in 1970, Keith returned to Hoar Construction, which specializes in commercial markets.

Starting as a summer worker during college, Keith climbed the ranks to chief executive officer, where he had the company ranking among Alabama’s largest construction companies.

Christy graduated in 1968 with a degree in civil engineering before joining the U.S. Navy, where he excelled at the top of his class in the Mine Warfare School.

Frazier was assigned as the engineer officer to the USS Jacana, but after it was decommissioned, he joined Paragon Engineering, according to the website.

Upon joining Paragon, where he worked on projects involving massive grading operations, highways, stormwater handling, sewage collection and treatment, along with surveying, mapping and control.

Frazier eventually became president with direct responsibility for projects with construction costs over $500 million.

In 2007, Paragon was acquired by Hatch Mott MacDonald, where Frazier continued to serve the company as a division manager until his retirement in 2012.

Lee followed her father’s legacy and earned a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from Auburn in 1969, becoming the second woman to graduate from Auburn with such a degree, according to the engineering website.

While some would buckle under adversity, Lee said she never considered the statistics but merely set out to accomplish her goals as she was taught to do.

“I didn’t pay attention to the statistics,” Lee

contributed by the college of engineering

College of Enginnering Dean Christian Roberts (left) stands next to Robert Keith, Charles Gavin III, Nelda Lee and Authur Frazier Christy. They were inducted into the Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame on Feb. 22, 2016.

said. “I grew up in a family where if you wanted to be a truck driver, you could be a truck driver and do whatever you wanted. Therefore, I wanted to be an engineer, so I went to Auburn to be an engineer.”

After graduation, she began a career with McDonnell Douglas, now part of Boeing.

She joined the company as an associate engineer at a time when few women worked in the aviation industry.

After nearly 45 years of working with Boeing, Lee retired in 2014.

travel

The benefits of traveling as a student Amanda Myles Intrigue Writer

Traveling offers many benefits, which are difficult to find in other experiences.

Taking the opportunity to travel is valuable and impactful for many reasons.

Traveling allows for reflection, personal growth and the broadening of perspectives as well as the creation of lifelong friendships and memories.

The advantages of traveling can be gained from any type of trip, whether that be a last-minute adventure to a local site or a yearlong planned vacation to another country.

In either case, you are learning things not only about yourself but also the world outside of Auburn or wherever you call home.

When it comes to traveling and expanding our borders, many people think you should wait until you’re older.

However, there is no point in waiting. Start now.

Julia Dickenson, sophomore in undeclared sciences and mathematics, has traveled to Mexico, Haiti and Peru and said that college is the prime time to travel.

“We’re in a time when we can travel and it won’t put our lives on hold, whereas if you get a job, it starts to get harder and harder to take off,” Dickenson said.

Traveling can help in becoming more open-minded, according to Dickenson. “[Traveling] makes you more well-educated and less prone to being prejudiced,” Dickenson said.

Angelique Moore, nutrition and dietetics graduate student in programming, will be traveling to Italy this summer.

Traveling is worth the price, Moore said.

“You can use your student loans,” Moore said. “Use them on something that you can actually look back on in life and

say, ‘That was cool, and I hope my kid does that.’”

Traveling will allow you to discover just how little you know about the world.

You will see wonders, hear sounds and taste cuisine you can only experience in other parts of the world through travel.

Rosetta Giuliani-Caponetto, associate professor of foreign language; Anna Chiafele, assistant professor in foreign language; and Rachel Perry, lecturer in foreign language, alternate in leading study abroad trips to Italy.

Giuliani-Caponetto said after the students arrive in Italy and they drive to the top of the mountain where there is a clear view, they are in astonishment by the beauty.

“When they open their eyes, they are in awe,” Giuliani-Caponetto said. “It’s just amazing because everything — the historical aspect, the nature, the landscape, the sea, the colors, the smell — everything comes together.”

Traveling makes people extremely marketable because employers know that they can handle difficult situations, Giuliani-Caponetto said.

“When you come back, you feel invincible,” Giuliani-Caponetto said.

Chiafele said she notices that her students who study abroad become more confident.

Perry said people gain more independence when they study abroad.

“That independence in a place that makes you sort of fight a little bit is what I think is really important,” Perry said. “It’s asserting yourself in a place that you would not normally.”

In addition to helping you understand the world around you, travel can also help you understand yourself.

Traveling offers so many experiences that it can help define your purpose.

You will meet so many new people, cultures and lifestyles that you will be viewing other people’s lives from a differ-

With a list of accomplishments, such as being the first woman to fly an F-15, earning the Boeing Pride Award 13 times and being inducted into the Women in Aviation International Pioneer Hall of Fame in 2004, Lee said the induction is an opportunity for her to give back to the state of Alabama.

“It means a lot [that] something I did in engineering and started a long time ago has made a difference,” Lee said. “ I didn’t do all of that just to be in the Hall of Fame, but I am very honored, pleased and humbled to be in the Hall of Fame.”

Instagram of the week

adam sparks / senior photographer

Auburn softball player Courtney Shea (93) is greeted at home plate by her teammates after hitting a home run against Indiana State on Sunday, February 28, 2016.

Come in to Quiet Comfort

Sterling waits / graphic designer

Traveling as a student can have many benefits.

ent perspective, which can help in clearing up your own goals and dreams in how you want to make your mark on the world.

When you travel, you will begin to see the world as a beautiful place, which needs to be protected and taken care of.

You will see that humans around the world are more similar than you think, and you will see life as a gift that should be cherished.

Dickenson said traveling has made her realize that

she shares a lot more in common with people of different cultures than she originally thought.

Having worked closely in Peru with translators, Dickenson said it was cool to talk to them about their differences, and how they grew up.

“We always found out that we’re a lot more similar than we thought,” Dickenson said.

Amanda can be reached at intrigue@ThePlainsman.com.

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Intrigue 12

The Auburn Plainsman

Thursday, March 10, 2016

Lifestyle

Can we use our athletic gear for good?

Rachel Williams Intrigue Writer

I may just be a highly observant person, but I can’t help but notice that every fall, Auburn’s student-athletes are decked out in all new, topnotch gear.

I’ve witnessed the athletes cycle through three different backpacks and sneakers and countless Auburn clothes in my time here.

I think deep down the student body loves the gear — our athletes look super cool, and we get to see our favorite family logo all year long — but I see some core issues with it.

As a society and an institution, we create and consume a lot of waste by driving a linear product cycle instead of a loop. When new stuff arrives, the old set of uniforms or casual clothes is often banished to the bottom of a closet or drawer, despite still being in usable condition.

Athletes I’ve talked to express a passion and recognition that their old clothes and bags could be put to a better use and are united in wishing donation was an option.

As I have dug deeper into the topic, I’ve found barriers that lock the system into operating the way it does, but there are still open paths to share

the gear. Donating seems like it would be the simplest way to share the blessings of the athletic programs with those in need in the community and world around us.

The NCAA bylaws outline rules for equipment donation to bona fide programs such as the YMCA, Boy Scouts and rec leagues, within a 30mile radius. Additionally, nonprofit organizations are allowed to reach out to a university to collect old equipment and uniforms for high schools.

However, the university cannot donate on its own initiative to a school because of recruiting biases.

Auburn does not currently run a program for the student-athletes to donate their school-provided gear, and sharing is discouraged because of the risk of rule violation.

Yes, the NCAA’s rules may be discouraging, but they don’t block all the options to do good with the excess gear.

A step beyond donating could stem from the corporate level of our contracted apparel provider, Under Armour.

Many big-name athletic companies including Nike, Adidas and Puma have product take-back programs that allow for recycling of old shoes and clothes. The products can be disposed of in a sustainable manner or can be repurposed into playing surfaces or courts.

Under Armour doesn’t have a collection program like this, but if one were instituted, I would feel more comfortable justifying the frequent

Madison Ogletree / Photographer

A group of football players sports a wide range of Under Armour apparel, shoes and accessories.

clothing bundles the athletes receive. Athletes could give back their shoes and gear each year, allowing them to be transformed into the ground that the next generation of kids and athletes can train on.

I hope Auburn Athletics can express interest in or suggest a corporate or donation program, en-

couraging a step in this direction. Auburn’s core focus on sustainability and positivity gives us an ideal playing field on which to initiate a better athletic sharing system.

Rachel can be reached at intrigue@ThePlainsman.com.

Inexpensive food delivery app comes to Auburn Grayson Temple Intrigue Writer

Imagine studying for a test at a table on the third floor of the library. Imagine being so hungry yet torn between studying and nourishment.

Imagine having your food not just delivered to the library but delivered to the table you are sitting at on the third floor.

That is the case with EnvoyNow, a new food delivery service in Auburn.

“EnvoyNow is a food delivery service by students and for students,” said Emma Mudd, sophomore in human development and family studies. “We have a radius about a mile and a half

around campus that we deliver to.”

Mudd is one of the marketing managers for EnvoyNow, so she deals with social media, advertisement and making connections around campus for the company.

Chase Dannenbaum, sophomore in business, is the strategic partnership manager for EnvoyNow. He met the owner of the company, a student at the University of Southern California, on a study abroad trip.

The delivery charge for EnvoyNow is $2.99, but there is no minimum for what needs to be purchased. For example, a student could order just a milkshake and still have it delivered to

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where he or she is studying. This is unlike some other food delivery services in the area.

According to Mudd, the convenience that EnvoyNow wants to offer lies in the fact that it delivers on campus. All the customer has to do is tell the Envoy [delivery person] what floor they are on in a specific building, and the food can be delivered straight to the customer’s table in the library, for example.

“I’m really excited for it because we have only been operating for two weeks, and we’ve offered jobs to 38 Auburn students, not including our marketing team,” Dannenbaum said.

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Even though EnvoyNow is an app and is run exclusively by college students, the CEO of the company created a section just for analytics.

“It varies for sure, but right now there are 24 schools that are doing this too, and for the most part, the colder schools are doing better,” Dannenbaum said. “We’re ranked eight out of 24 schools right now.”

Tevyn Stevens, freshman in mechanical engineering, is an Envoy for EnvoyNow. He collects orders from the app and orders the food at the designated restaurants.

Not having to stand in line is a benefit of using EnvoyNow because the

Envoys do that for the customer.

Stevens usually works eight to 10 hours per week and has even used the app himself.

“It’s whenever I pick up a shift,” Stevens said.

According to Dannenbaum, the weather and “The Bachelor” are the two greatest causes in spikes for orders.

“The funniest thing was during Bachelor Mondays, we would have huge spikes,” Dannenbaum said. “The first week we were open, we were not ready because we had 45 orders in the two hours it rained during ‘The Bachelor.’”

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