The Auburn Plainsman A Spirit That Is Not Afraid
Thursday, January 21, 2016 Vol. 123, Issue 16, 12 Pages
First copy is free. Additional copies 50 cents per issue.
Sports
Bringing basketball back
dakota sumpter / photo editor
Auburn’s victory over Kentucky could mark turning point for the program Auburn fans storm the court after Auburn’s win over the Kentucky Wildcats in Auburn Arena on Jan. 16.
Sam Butler Sports editor
While Auburn Arena exploded with all the sound and fury of a celebration-deprived fanbase desperate for a marquee win on Saturday, Jan.16, Bruce Pearl, the passionate and spirited leader of the Tigers, stood unusually still on the side of the court, silently savoring the scene in front of him. “I wanted to see that special celebration,” Pearl said. “I didn’t want to be in the middle of it ‘cause I’d get killed, but I wanted to watch it, and I wanted to see those guys enjoy themselves.” His team had just knocked off Kentucky, the perennial national powerhouse that hadn’t lost to Auburn since Jan. 11, 2000. The Tigers came
into the game having lost three games in a row by especially ugly margins, and only the bravest would’ve chosen Auburn to pull the upset against the Wildcats. But somehow, Auburn — down three rotation players and on the tail end of a nasty losing streak, as well as being a 12-point underdog — was able to right the ship and flip the script on Kentucky. As impressive as the win is, what might be more notable is how Pearl’s been able to take a cold, lifeless program and defibrillate it back to life. When Pearl was hired less than two years ago, the Auburn basketball program was in a state of
flux. Tony Barbee, the previous coach, had been underwhelming in his tenure, limping to a 49-75 record in his four years at the helm. The Tigers had finished with a winning record just four times since the turn of the century. During the Barbee era, the average attendance at Auburn Arena never reached more than just over 6,500, and that came in 2011 when Auburn went 14-3 at home en route to a 15-16 season. But when the news broke that Pearl was hired, a jolt of energy was sent coursing through the veins of the program, stirring to life the aspirations and excitement that were long-gone. From the moment Pearl stepped on campus,
his exuberant personality resonated profoundly. As soon as he got off his plane at the Auburn University Regional Airport, he jumped into a waiting throng of fans on the tarmac, whipping them into a frenzy. His personality alone had enough power to reel in recruits, but a stellar résumé from his time at Tennessee and Wisconsin-Milwaukee only helped. But it would take time to bring Auburn back. The talent still wasn’t there. The attention to basketball still wasn’t there, and it wouldn’t be for a while. After all, Auburn, in the heart of the SEC, is primarily a football town.
» See Victory, 9
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The Auburn Plainsman
Thursday, January 21, 2016
Law Enforcement
DUI reports The following were arrested and charged with driving under the influence by the Auburn Police Division from Jan. 12-18: Jan. 12 - Carolyn Marie Woodling, 19 Terrace Acres at South Dean Road at 2:30 a.m. Jan. 14 - Clifton Patrick Martin, 26 West Magnolia Avenue at 2:57 a.m. Jan. 17 - Corey Angelo Bianchi, 20 Wire Road at Lem Morrison Drive at 1:16 a.m. - Kyle James Gossett, 22 Webster Road at Bellwood Place at 2:32 a.m. 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
Lee County District Attorney
Video of police shooting released A screen shot of Opelika Police officer Jared Greer’s dashboard camera footage.
Maria McIlwain Community editor
(334) 329-7777 2059 S College St, Auburn Sports
Auburn University fined $100,000 for storming court Evan McCullers
Assistant SPorts Editor
The SEC fined Auburn University $100,000 on Monday, Jan. 18, for storming the court at the Auburn Arena after Saturday’s 75-70 upset of No. 14 Kentucky. The SEC began fining schools for rushing the playing surface in 2004, and the fines have been upgraded twice since then, most recently last May. The first time a field or court is rushed costs $25,000, the
second offense costs a school $100,000, and the fine will be $250,000 for any instance after that. Auburn’s first offense came when fans rushed onto Pat Dye Field following Auburn’s upset of top-ranked Alabama in 2013. Saturday was the first time fans have stormed the basketball court since 2000, before the fines were implemented. Any subsequent offenses, regardless of sport, will cost Auburn $250,000.
Jay Jaccobs outlines goals for 2016 Sam Butler Sports Editor
Auburn Athletics Director Jay Jacobs unveiled the goals of the Athletic Department for 2016, dubbed “16 for ‘16”. The 16 items include four goals and 12 “action items” for Auburn Athletics. The four goals encompassed academics, student-athlete experience, facilities and winning. Jacobs also detailed the action items for Auburn, including a feasibility study on a potential renovation to JordanHare Stadium’s north end zone. According to Jacobs, the study is currently in the process of being completed, and there will be a detailed estimate of the potential cost of such a renovation by the end of the first quarter of 2016. “Our goal is to have the feasibility study complete, so we’ll probably know that in
the first quarter,” Jacobs said. “We’re working on that right now to get a solid number.” Other improvements to Auburn facilities would include a renovation to Auburn Arena so as to give the volleyball team a permanent home and a plan to improve the equestrian team’s facilities, as well as improving Jane B. Moore Field with various amenities, including a plan for a new support facility pending funding. Along with facilities upgrades, Jacobs mentioned the goal to hire a chief inclusion officer to “further advance our diversity initiative already underway.” “What went into that is just looking across the nation and the sensitivity of it,” Jacobs said. “We’ve always been very open to it. The Athletics Department, we want to be a place that’s healthy for everyone, and so my thought was. “
The dash cam footage of the officer-involved shooting late Halloween night was released Wednesday, Jan. 20, by the district attorney’s office. The footage captures Opelika police officer Jared Greer, a three-year veteran of OPD, follow Bennie Lee Tignor, 56, in a low-speed car chase. Tignor was driving in a red Ford Explorer, swerving into the other lane multiple times. Tignor led Greer to a trailer on the 400 block of Comanchee Drive, later identfited as his residence. Tignor got out of the car and ignored Greer’s orders to stop. Tignor stumbled up the stairs, but Greer pulled him back down. A woman inside the trailer asked what was happening, and Greer said he was attempting to arrest to place Tignor under arrest for driving under the influence and attempting to elude police. He repeatedly told Tignor to put his hands behind his back, but Tignor resisted. Much of the altercation took place behind Tignor’s red Ford Explorer, out of sight of the dash cam. “This m----- f----- trying to fight me baby,” Tignor said to the woman in the trailer. Betty Ligon, Tignor’s girlfriend, and her daughter Shikeria Ligon, witnessed the shooting. He then came around the car, brandishing a small silver pistol. Greer shouted for Tignor to drop it twice, then fired his weapon nine times. The alter-
cation lasted approximately 1 minute and 10 seconds. A woman can be heard screaming and crying for several minutes after the shooting. While they are waiting for an ambulance to arrive, Greer spoke to Tignor, who was on the ground. “Listen here buddy, can you hear me, can you hear me?” Greer said. “Stay with me now, bud, we’ve got help coming, OK?” The microphone Greer is wearing cuts off shortly afterward. Other police arrived on scene, and a woman is told to stay inside the tailer. Paramedics treat Tignor for approximately 13 minutes on the scene before transporting him. Tignor later died at East Alabama Medical Center. Greer was cleared by a Lee County grand jury on Friday, Jan. 15, in the shooting death of Tignor, according to a press release issued by the district attorney’s office. The evidence examined by the grand jury was gathered during an independent investigation by the State Bureau of Investigation in Montgomery, according to the release. “I would first like to thank the State Bureau of Investigation for their handling of this investigation,” McEachern said in a statement. “I also want to thank them for the expeditious manner in completing the investigation. Due process has been followed, and we stand by the findings of the Lee County Grand Jury.”
John Harris, Lee County Commissioner for District 5 and family friend of the Tignors, called for more police training and a stronger connection with the community. He said he does not have a problem with the district attorney or police because of mutual respect, something he wishes for everyone in the community. District Attorney Robbie Treese privately met with concerned community leaders to address their concerns about the shooting, and plans to release the entire dash cam footage later this week, according to the release. Harris said Treese has done a good job communicating with him and other community members. “[Treese is] really trying to reach out to us in the community,” Harris said. Harris said he has seen the dash cam footage, and believes Greer should have called for backup and fired too many times. “There’s too many questions,” Harris said. “I think [the grand jury] should have looked at it more closely.” McEachern said the shooting was justified at press conference on Nov. 1. Family members of Tignor told the press that they had cellphone footage of the shooting but later said no footage existed. Walter Tignor, Tignor’s brother told The Auburn Plainsman Tignor was unarmed and was trying to enter his house when he was shot. “All we saw was something in the hand, we didn’t know if it was a gun or keys,” Harris said.
local
Keep Auburn Lovely calls for task force Lily Jackson
Community Writer
Chip Brownlee
Community Reporter
Despite the current moratorium on construction, some of Auburn’s long-term residents are still unsure of whether expansion is the best decision for the community. Keep Auburn Lovely welcomed students and community members to a citizens forum Monday, Jan. 18 at The Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center to discuss the future of Auburn’s infrastructure and housing. Ray Huff, the moderator of the meeting, encouraged the guests to stay involved in conversation and to ask questions. Huff introduced the keynote speaker, Bill Wright, chairman of Tuscaloosa’s Student Housing Task Force, to speak about personal experiences with battling issues that come with rapid growth in college towns. According to Wright, the Student Housing Task Force of Tuscaloosa was formed by 19 members in 2013 to preserve their city’s land. Stone Ray, freshman in architecture, spoke to the attendees from a student’s point of view about why housing close to campus was vital. “In a village, it should be a right to be able to walk to daily needs, instead of being forced to get a car and travel to a suburban supermarket,” Ray said. According to Huff, the most important piece to the puzzle is to ensure the city government is on the same page as the University leaders. “There has to be connection between the city and the college,” Huff said. “That’s just
Ellen Jackson / Staff photographer
Realtor Marlene Bowman offers her advice to help the Keep Auburn Lovely Citizen’s forum on Monday, Jan. 18.
not happening at the moment.” Multiple city leaders were present at the meeting to listen to those who spoke up about the state of the city. Marlene Bowman, a local real estate agent, spoke on the importance of conserving Auburn’s quaint atmosphere. “We read about how Auburn is the greatest place to live and retire, which is exactly why we are having this problem,” Bowman said. “But our city is not going to be recognizable if we don’t control it.” Susan Hunnicutt, public relations organizer for Keep Auburn Lovely, went before the Auburn City Council on Tuesday, Jan. 19, to thank the council members who attended the forum. But Hunnicutt also had another idea to introduce. During the citizens’ communications portion at the
meeting, Hunnicutt proposed the idea of an external citizens’ task force on growth with as many as 12-19 members. “Over this four-and-a-halfmonth moratorium, I would like to see a task force made up of citizens,” Hunnicutt said. “If you could find someone who could be more objective, or at least everyone check their hidden agendas at the door, something valuable could be gained.” Auburn Mayor Bill Ham Jr. highlighted key differences between Tuscaloosa and Auburn, including the distances between campus and downtown. The soul of Auburn’s campus, Samford Hall, sits directly across the street from the heart of downtown. “Our situation is much different in the fact that we’ve already gone through a comprehensive planning program,
two downtown task forces in two different years that were three years apart and also extensive citizen involvement in the Downtown Master Plan that’s gone on for over year,” Ham said. In Tuscaloosa, downtown is close to 1.5 miles from Denny Chimes and the quad, the center of Alabama’s campus. According to members of the City Council, issues of development sprawl in Tuscaloosa are different from the issues Auburn faces with downtown area student housing development. “We have to have economic growth,” Hunnicutt said. “We have to have an increasing tax base, but I don’t want to do it at the expense of the soul of Auburn — why we all come back. If you were to decide to appoint a citizen-led task force, I wouldn’t object.”
Thursday, January 21, 2016
Campus 3
The Auburn Plainsman
ELECTIONS
FILE
From left to right:Taylor Wesley, Miss Homecoming 2015, Susanna Bagwell, Miss AU 2015, Caroline Pettey, Miss Panhellenic 2015 and Lauren Jones, Miss Auburn 2015.
So many titles, so little time
The differences among Miss Homecoming, Miss AU, Miss Panhellenic and Miss Auburn Claire Tully CAMPUS WRITER
There are several different titles an Auburn woman can claim as a student. Miss Auburn, Miss Auburn University and Miss Homecoming are programs run through SGA. Miss Panhellenic crowns a woman from Auburn Greek Life. Miss Auburn is a time-honored tradition starting at Auburn in 1934, which selects a female student to be the official Auburn University hostess, according to SGA’s website. “She serves alongside the SGA President and the executive team,” stated SGA’s website. “She is an honorary member of the War Eagle Girls and Plainsmen. And she works directly with a Freshmen Leadership Program, whose mission seeks to turn her platform into action.” Anna Shepherd, assistant director of Miss
Auburn University, said the scholarship program is a preliminary to Miss Alabama. “Miss Auburn University is a scholarship program where the girls compete in swimsuit, evening gown, talent, interview and on-stage question,” Shepherd said. Miss AU competes through the Miss America system, according to Shepherd. “The winner will represent Auburn throughout the year and will compete for the title of Miss Alabama in the summer,” Shepherd said. “She is available for appearances throughout the city and is considered the female equivalent of Aubie.” Miss Homecoming candidates can be nominated from student organizations and clubs and, according to SGA chief of staff Olivia Tofani, “SGA has the opportunity to nominate a Miss Homecoming representative.”
The top five candidates then choose a platform, and the student body votes on a winner, who is then announced during halftime at the homecoming football game in the fall. Taylor Wesley, Miss Homecoming 2015, said her favorite part of winning Miss Homecoming was receiving support from her fellow students. “I looked up at the stadium, and I couldn’t help but cry of happiness because I realized how much support I had received from everyone in those stands,” Wesley said. Jill Moore, director of Greek Life, said the Miss Panhellenic pageant is a competition for women in sororities involving an interview, campus wear and formal wear portions, as well as a composite score based on academics, campus involvement and sorority involvement. “The Miss Panhellenic pageant is about rep-
resenting Auburn’s Panhellenic community,” Moore said. Rather than receive a cash prize or scholarship, the winner wins a plaque and crown so proceeds can go to charity, according to Moore. “We want to ensure that our Miss Panhellenic winner is well-rounded,” Moore said. “All proceeds from the evening go to benefit a philanthropic cause.” Miss Panhellenic contestants do not sign themselves up for the competition, according to Moore. “Each chapter nominates its own representative, and each contestant wears a sash made by her sorority sisters,” Moore said. “This way we get to recognize that each of Auburn’s sororities have awesome women who can represent themselves and their sororities.”
TEXTBOOKS
eBill payment option canceled S taff
report
The Auburn University Bookstore announced in November students would soon be able to charge their textbooks and certain class materials to their eBills. Students were notified through email last month the option was being discontinued. “Operational concerns” prevented the bookstore from moving forward with the plan, said Russell Weldon, AU Bookstore assistant director, in an email to The
Auburn Plainsman. “To our great disappointment, there were some lastsecond operational concerns that came up with getting the eBill option for Auburn families off the ground for spring semester,” Weldon said. “The goal of this initiative has always been greater affordability and accessibility to course materials for Auburn students. This mirrors Auburn’s primary strategic goals as laid out by Dr. Gogue.” However, the option could
become available at some point in the future, according to Weldon. “Students understand they have a strong advocate in the AU Bookstore in helping them find course material options that are affordable and cutting edge at the same time,” Weldon said. “With support from all over campus, we hope momentum will soon bring this to the Auburn Family. We have heard how much our students want this, and we will find a way to deliver it.”
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
1/31/16
1/31/16
1/31/16
ELLEN JACKSON / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
After jumping into the freezing cold pool, participants of the Polar Plunge warmed up in the Auburn Recreation and Wellness Center hot tub.
Campus 4
The Auburn Plainsman
Thursday, January 21, 2016
organizations
AUDM ‘power couple’ to tie the knot
Dance Marathon presidents from rival schools got engaged over winter break Corey Williams Campus Editor
John McNiell met Allison Peters in seventh grade, but he didn’t ask her out until their senior year of high school. They dated for less than a year before graduation separated the couple. McNiell, senior in aerospace engineering, landed at Auburn while Peters decided to study biology at the University of Alabama. They resolved to make their relationship work despite the distance. McNiell and Peters quickly became busy with their different schools and different classes. But their college experiences began to overlap in a unique way: they both found their niche with Dance Marathon, a nationwide movement involving college and high school students that supports Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. The organization raises awareness and money throughout the year, building up to a 12-40-hour event where students stay on their feet through dancing, games, entertainment and interaction with children’s hospital patients and families in support of children served by their local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital. Peters was introduced to the organization by a friend and McNiell randomly signed up during Organization Days on the concourse.
Contributed by John McNiell
John McNiell proposes to Allison Peters on his childhood front porch in Nashville,Tennessee.
At first, McNiell said, they thought Dance Marathon was a competition between universities. “That’s not what it is, though,” McNiell said. “We learned it was way more about helping each other grow and building each other’s programs.” Throughout their four years in college, McN-
A day in the life
iell and Peters’ relationship grew stronger, along with their passion for Dance Marathon. Peters became president of Alabama’s chapter during her junior year, and McNiell was appointed president of Auburn’s chapter during his senior year. They often give each other guidance about
how to run their programs, McNiell said. “Sometimes she probably has better advice since she’s been president for two years,” McNiell said. “She lets me learn.” Their relationship has helped Dance Marathon members from Auburn and Alabama bond, Peters said. “It opened up communication between staff members,” Peters said. “It’s not a competition, but a chance to grow. Four years after they made their relationship official, surrounded by Christmas lights and flowers, McNiell proposed to Peters on his front porch, where the two spent many summer nights together in high school. “I got a little suspicious when we got dressed up and went to a nice restaurant,” Peters said. “But we had such a fantastic night together. By the time he actually proposed, I was so shocked and so giddy.” The couple plans to wed in August, but the date is still up in the air, Peters said. They intend to stay involved with Dance Marathon after they graduate from college, through donations and alumni programs. “People call us a ‘power couple,’ but really we just love what we do,” McNiell said. “We’re so thankful for the opportunity we’ve been given to lead these great programs.”
parking services
Bike share to start soon Staff report
Ellen Jackson / staff photographer
Alex Little plays with 4-year-old Olivia at the Auburn University Early Learning Center.
The ‘best job in the world’ Andria Moore Campus Reporter
Patience. An absolute necessity when working with children, especially children under the age of 4. Alex Little, senior in interdisciplinary studies, spends her Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in the Auburn University Early Learning Center. She said patience is key. “Kids respond better to positive feedback, so we learn to phrase things like, ‘Thank you for washing your hands,’” Little said. “But somedays it’s hard to not want to yell, ‘Stop pulling my hair.’” Sharon Wilbanks, director of the Auburn University Early Learning Center, said there is no such thing as a normal day when working with children. “I get here between 7:45 and 8 a.m.,” Wilbanks said. “Some days I take care of emails in the morning and then check the observation booth, and then maybe meet with parents or teachers.” The observation booth is a room where the children play
that is set up so they cannot see out of it, but observers can see inside. Wilbanks said it is nice for her to observe the student teachers applying what they learned in their classes to the children. “The kinesiology students sometimes come and apply what they’ve learned, human development and family studies as well, and the education students can teach math or literature classes,” Wilbanks said. Little said each day the children are allowed to first pick what “stations” they would like to play with, while she follows them around to see where she can interact. “I get to build relationships with the kids,” Little said. “I want to be a teacher, and this is helping me learn how to deal with difficult situations. One of the biggest things I’ve learned is that children respond better to choices. So instead of saying, ‘Don’t run inside,’ I would tell them inside is for walking, but they can run outside.” Margaret Vollenweider, lead teacher in the 4-year-old
class, has short, but slightly chaotic days ending at noon. “‘Have an open mind’ would be our mantra,” Vollenweider said. “In the mornings, we play at stations, then we have group time, then read stories, play games, and then if it isn’t raining we go outside before snack.” Vollenweider believes she has the “best job in the world,” and it is rewarding to watch both the children and students grow. “Working here really solidifies what the students learn in the classrooms,” Vollenweider said. “The different guidance principles — you have to practice those in a real world environment because the responses from children are different. Everyone thinks they’re a parent until they are one.” Little said she rarely has bad days, but the ones that are tough make the good days all the better. “There was this one kid who couldn’t remember my name for months, and then one day she walked in and said, ‘Hey, Ms. Alex,’” Little said. “That was a good day.”
The University announced in a press release that bicycles from its bike share program should be available for use Jan. 31. The program was intended to launch during the fall 2015 semester, but paperwork complications delayed the start date. “We’re enhancing the sustainability of transportation by reducing students’ need to bring vehicles to campus,” said Don Andrae, Parking Services manager, in the release. “If the bicycles placed on campus breed a successful bike share program, we hope to place more War Eagle Bike Share bikes at nearcampus apartment complexes so students can ride the bike to and from campus.” The first two hours of use are free each day, according to the release. Users are then charged $5 per hour with a maximum usage charge of $25 per day. The bicycles must be picked up and returned to one of the designated locations to avoid a $50 fee. To check out a bike, users
Last semester, the SGA senate passed a resolution recommending the availability of a course catalog to accompany registration so students can make a decision based on assignments, attendance policies, required materials and more. Jacqueline Keck, Academic Affairs committee chair, said she and her committee are working closely with administration to make this possible so it benefits students and is feasible for professors. “When students register, they have information from the
syllabus, and so what we’ve done is we kind of gone down the road of we want grading policy, attendance policy and all of these things listed that we wanted, but it turns out it’d be easier to use the old syllabus,” Keck said. After taking a survey last semester about what students wanted out of a course catalog, the committee began working with administration, according to Keck. “We’re figuring out the logistics of what that’s going to look like for every college, so we’re hoping to make a system that’s easy so every college can
implement that system there,” Keck said. Keck said her committee is hoping that by having a course catalog available, based on the previous semester’s syllabus, students can prepare for classes and know if they have the means to obtain all necessary materials. “If you need an iPad or something like that, you can see that on your syllabus, so on the first day of class it’s not like, ‘Oh hey, by the way you’re going to need an iPad,’” Keck said. “It helps you be better prepared for your classes.” There are several areas to
is not in a designated station and is not currently being held by another user, they can receive credit for returning it to a proper location by signing into the app and moving it.
• Feb. 3-9 — Campaign Week • Feb. 8 — SGA Election Debate, 5 p.m. in the Student Center Ballroom • Feb. 9 — Voting Day • Feb. 9 — Callouts, 10 p.m. on Cater Lawn Follow @TheAUPlainsman and check ThePlainsman.com for election coverage.
Committee pushes for course catalog Campus Writer
should download the Social Bicycles mobile app, enter their information and search for an available bicycle to reserve, according to the release. If a student comes across a bicycle that
Dates to remember: SGA eLECTION
sga
Claire Tully
Auburn University
Auburn University student Caitlin Miley tries one of the new War Eagle Bike Share bicycles.
cover to make this a reality, according to Keck. “Rollout for this is going to look different for each college, so for smaller colleges it will be easier, and for colleges that are little more broad it’ll be difficult because you have a lot more classes and majors to cover,” Keck said. Keck said making this system a reality will help reinforce the Academic Affairs Committee vision statement. “Academic Affairs will be engaged and approachable not only to the students within our academic fields, but to all Auburn students,” Keck said.
Opinion
5
Thursday, January 21, 2016
ThePlainsman.com
Opinion
our view
Auburn should embrace change
SOCIAL MEDIA ON THE PLAINS
Response to “Cougars moving east, sightings in Alabama” Paul Owens “Who else got to the end of the article and then realized it wasn’t about older women?.”
Response to “SGA committee chairs make plans for the spring semester”
Dakota Sumpter / photo editor and the City of AUburn
What do you think would be more lovely?
On Jan. 26, there will be a City of Auburn public forum to discuss the city’s growth, specifically new developments in the downtown area. Many oppose new developments because of worries that Auburn could be transformed from the Loveliest Village on the Plains to just another college town with developer sprawl. Some people prefer the quaint look of Auburn’s current downtown to the bustling atmosphere of a college city such as Athens, Georgia. While it’s understandable that some residents would be disappointed to see any significant changes to downtown Auburn, we believe we must allow Auburn to grow and evolve
as its population grows and evolves. Significant expansion in what city officials call the Urban Core, if done strategically, can both protect and improve Auburn’s village feel. With Auburn attracting more and more students, it’s important to consider the effects of the expansion in terms of how it would affect a student population that makes up about 47 percent of the city’s total population. It’s still possible to keep Auburn beautiful while also adding new amenities, improving infrastructure and increasing convenience for those living downtown. The new parking deck would
vastly improve the struggle of finding a parking spot by adding 400 parking spots to the downtown area. Auburn’s downtown is already dotted with gas stations and fast-food restaurants that are, and should be, slated for redevelopment. The redevelopment of those lots could improve Auburn’s village aesthetic. Often times, when a consumer believes they can find better deals at retail locations outside of their local community, they will take their business to those places. If there were an urban grocery in downtown Auburn, jobs would be created and local consumption would increase. Student housing complex-
es would provide students with a great place to live in closer proximity to campus. With so many amenities nearby, students without cars would be in much better shape than they are now. Instead of having to find a way to trek all the way out to Walmart or Kroger, downtown residents could walk a block down the road and find all of their needs there. This higher student concentration would help main street businesses, decrease traffic and further prevent retail leakage to suburban supermarkets. If Auburn allows itself to embrace the changes that are being deliberated, we are confident our village will remain lovely.
letter to the editor
The students I cannot wait to meet Alex Jay
I still can’t believe that my four years at Auburn are coming to an end. In just a few short months, I’ll be walking across that stage (fingers crossed) and moving out of the town that has been my home sweet home. I was born and raised in Birmingham, and Alabama has given me the most amazing life so far. One thing that has always remained constant in my life is my passion for education. I have been working with individuals with special needs since I was a little girl. My students are my life. When I got accepted to Auburn, I knew that I would major in special education and live out my dream of being a teacher. But I wasn’t so sure if I’d be able to achieve my second dream of joining Teach For
America. Junior year rolled around, and I was so excited to finally meet with someone to talk about this organization that I was so interested in. After meeting with two of TFA’s staff members, I was more excited than ever to get my application submitted for its early decision deadline. I was so nervous. I had no idea if I was what Teach For America was looking for. The only thing I did know was that I wanted to be a part of this nationwide movement to end educational inequity. I wanted to pour my heart into my students and fight for their right to access the education they deserved. I wanted to be the change I wanted to see in the world. I applied, interviewed, and then I waited. The morning finally came where I would find out if I was going to be
joining TFA. I sat on the website all morning constantly refreshing my application until noon rolled around and I saw it: “Congratulations.” I’d been accepted. I found out that I was going to teach elementary school in Orlando, Florida, come 2016. Tears of joy rolled down my face as I realized that all of my hard work paid off. It’s weird — I don’t even know my students yet, but I already love them so much. I can already tell that this organization is really a family, just like Auburn. That’s exactly what I was looking for in a profession. The Auburn Family and Auburn’s creed has shaped me into the woman I am today. My parents, my very own Auburn family, have provided me with a life full of love. When I leave Auburn, I
know I’ll be stepping into a phase of my life that will allow me to learn, grow, love, laugh, inspire and be inspired by the incredible students I’ll get to work with every day. I encourage anyone and everyone who is looking for a job that will allow them to change the world and change themselves after graduation to consider joining me at TFA. I promise you won’t regret it. To my future students — I can’t wait to meet you and invest everything I have into you. I hope I can teach you as much as you are all going to teach me. Together we will be the change, and I couldn’t be more excited about it. Auburn, I’ll see you again soon. Thank you for everything. Florida, here I come.
Emily Esleck Managing Editor Kris Martins Copy Weston Sims OpinioN
Corey Williams campus Maria McIlwain community Sam Butler Sports
Policy
The Auburn Plainsman welcomes letters from students, as well as faculty, administrators, alumni and those not affiliated with the University.
The opinions of The Auburn Plainsman staff are restricted to these pages.
Letters must be submitted before 4:30 p.m. on Monday for publication. Letters must include the author’s name, address and phone number for verification, though the name of the author may be withheld upon request. Submission may be edited for grammar and/or length. Please submit no more than 400 words.
This editorial is the majority opinion of the Editorial Board and is the official opinion of the newspaper. The opinions expressed in columns and letters represent the views and opinions of their individual authors. These opinions do not necessarily reflect the Auburn University student body, faculty, administration or Board of Trustees.
@pcarp01 “OK double communist post! Unfollow.” @Gusgolden47 “Unfollow screw Bernie.” @connellguy “It’s still news guys, even if he’s not the candidate you care for. The Plainsman also reported when Carson, Trump, and Rubio came through last year.”
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POLITICS
Feeling the ‘Bern’ in Alabama
Presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders visits Birmingham on Monday Alex Wilkerson COMMUNITY WRITER
Bernie Sanders discussed government-sponsored college, single-payer health care and climate change at his first presidential rally in Alabama. He took the stage at Boutwell Auditorium in Birmingham on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Jan. 18. The crowds there to see the Democratic Vermont senator stretched down the block and far around the corner of the Birmingham Museum of Art. Student supporters from across the state were bussed in from their respective universities. Auburn University and the University of Alabama were both represented. The students had been given a free lunch and T-shirts on the ride to Birmingham. One could spot the “Bernie Bus” riders from Auburn and Alabama by their “War Damn Bernie” or “Roll Tide Bernie” T-shirts. A video comparable to an Auburn football hype video played, touting Bernie’s values and celebrating his battle against big business. Johnathan Austin of the Birmingham City Council was the first speaker to take the stage. He encouraged the audience to realize they were the face of the campaign, and they were needed to make sure Sanders is elected. “Look at each other,” Austin said. “This is a future we can believe in.” Dr. Cornel West, a philosopher and academic who is regularly featured on MSNBC, was the next speaker at the rally. He spoke on the celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. and how Bernie Sanders’ campaign was based on many of his same ideals. Nina Turner, a Democratic senator representing Ohio, was the last to speak before Sanders took the podium. She said other politicians cared too much about getting re-elected. “(Other politicians) care more about the next election than the next generation,” Turner said. Turner said unlike other politicians, Sanders “doesn’t give a speech to one group and a different kind of speech to another group.” Boutwell Auditorium usually opens its doors to accommodate the city’s homeless on cold winter nights. With weather in the mid-20s Monday night, the warmth shelter was closed for the rally. The Sanders campaign has stated that they were not aware of the closing of the warmth shelter, according to an article by AL.com. Sanders took the stage to thunderous applause at approximately 7:30 p.m. Sanders opened his speech with a joke about Alabama’s political ideology.
JORDAN HAYS / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Bernie Sanders addresses the crowd in Birmingham on Monday, Jan. 18.
“There must have been a mistake,” Sanders said. “I was told Alabama was a conservative state.” Sanders began by discussing his rise to prominence, describing initial reports that his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton would win the Democratic nomination by a landslide. He discussed how his campaign had closed the gap to Clinton’s without any funds from billionaires. The senator said his average campaign contribution was $27, and he was proud of this fact. “This is a campaign of the people, by the people and for the people … I’ll take my contributions from the working class of America,” Sanders said. The senator went on to mention King and the reason he came to Alabama on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. He spoke about the the March on Washington he attended and why Americans
can’t think of the civil rights movement as history, but as something they must still support today. “To truly honor the life of Dr. King, we must fight to carryout his vision for America,” Sanders said. He then talked about what King was doing when he was assassinated. He said King not only cared about race relations but also income inequality, seeing as when King was shot in Memphis he was working with trash collectors on strike there. He then quoted King directly, who said there was little point in integrating lunch counters if the people couldn’t afford lunch. Sanders compared this to college and health care. “What does it mean if you can go to university but you can’t afford university?” Sanders said. “What does it mean if you can get in the hospital but you come out bankrupt?” Sanders then discussed racism and called out
AWARDS
Local whiskey wins competition
some Alabamians who play a role. “We have broken down many of the segregational barriers that used to exist,” Sanders said. “We should be proud of that, and I know that not everyone in Alabama is proud, but I am proud that we have elected a president based not on the color of skin but by his ideas.” Sanders discussed what he said was a “wild and crazy idea,” that corporations such as Walmart are responsible for abusing welfare and not individuals because the corporations do not pay a livable wage. Sanders spoke out for abortion and his plan to institute a guaranteed three-month paid medical leave for all workers in the United States. Sanders also said students should not be penalized for wanting to receive a higher education, and student loans being as high as they are is fundamentally wrong. He proposed tuition-free college that would be paid for by taxing Wall Street speculation. About an hour into his speech, a woman in the crowd fainted. The senator stopped his speech to make sure the woman was OK, which was appreciated by the crowd. Sanders stopped the speech for approximately 10 minutes as he waited on EMTs to arrive. When EMTs arrived and took the woman to the hospital, Sanders took the opportunity to introduce his opinions on health care. Sanders, who played a part in writing the Affordable Care Act, said he believes the country should switch to a single-payer system. He said the United States is the only developed country that doesn’t have health care as a right. He then tackled climate change, arguing that it was real and he said the only reason Republicans don’t believe in it is because they are funded by big oil companies. One of Sanders’ last points was on the prison system, saying marijuana should be decriminalized and inmates should be properly conditioned to return to society so they don’t end up going back to prison later. The senator then addressed police brutality, arguing that though most police officers are just, those who break the law should face consequences. Sanders said he knows it is harder for Democrats in Alabama, encouraging his supporters to help their friends in the middle class to stop voting against their best interests. “If we work together, if we don’t let the Trumps of the world divide us up, there is nothing we cannot accomplish,” Sanders said. “That is what this campaign is about.”
CONSTRUCTION
Alex Wilkerson COMMUNITY WRITER
Jimmy Sharp and his father John Sharp, owners of John Emerald Distilling Company, have plenty to be excited about this year. The Opelika-based distillery, which began releasing its John Emerald single malt whiskey last June, just won two bronze medals at the New York International Spirits Awards in New York City. The bronze medals were awarded for their John Emerald whiskey as well as their Hugh Wesley’s Gin. “We were competing in that particular competition with over 500 spirits from 53 different countries, so we felt pretty good about it,” John said. The spirits were submitted in October and were blind-tested by judges with experience in the industry. Winners were announced in November. “We placed right alongside a 25-, a 23- and a 20-year-old whiskey with our less than 1-year-old whiskey, which we thought was pretty cool,” Jimmy said. While whiskey is usually aged for several years before it is considered drinkable, Jimmy and his father have taken on a new rapid maturation technique to speed up their process. The whiskey is aged by allowing the barrels to sit in rooms that mimic the changing weather of the seasons, which speeds the process from a matter of years to a matter of days. This method has be looked down on by some whiskey connoisseurs, according to Jimmy. “Some people are really skeptical about it,” Jimmy said. “It’s different than what they’ve kind of believed about whiskey forever, so they don’t want to accept that it could be a possibility. That’s why blind tasting is so great.” Jimmy and his father operate their dis-
MADISON OGLETREE / PHOTOGRAPHER
The Kroger on Dean Road is expected to be finished by summer 2016.
Kroger renovation moving along Liz Maddux
COMMUNITY WRITER
FILE PHOTO
John Emerald Distillery Company is located in Opelika.
tillery in downtown Opelika, which includes a bar that serves cocktails made exclusively with John Emerald products. Southern Living will soon feature the John Emerald bar on its list of the 100 greatest bars in the South. “It’s exciting to be getting some kudos for your efforts,” Jimmy said. The company produces whiskey, gin, vodka, spiced rum and aged rum. All of the John Emerald spirits are distributed by ABC stores across the state except
the aged rum, which they intend to release later this year. The company also sells its spirits in the Atlanta-Columbus area. The father-son duo behind the spirits plans to grow in selling their spirits in more places in Alabama and Georgia, as well as in other state markets. “We’re looking at New York, which is kind of a jump for us, but we have family up there,” Jimmy said. “My siblings both own bars in the New York City area, so we have a few places with built-in accounts.”
Lately, getting lost in the Kroger on Dean Road has become everyone’s new routine while going grocery shopping. The longevity of the construction process has left many people wondering when the renovations will be completed. “I am actually very excited for the Kroger on Dean Road to be finished with construction,” said Hannah Sessoms, sophomore in media studies. “I live closer to the Dean location, but I have been driving all the way out to the Tiger Town location just because it isn’t changing around all the time like the one on Dean.” Construction on the Dean Road location has been underway since summer 2014 and is to be completed by summer 2016. “The multimillion-dollar investment will include new décor, upscale elements in service departments, expanded grocery
department, Murray’s Cheese, Starbucks, expanded bakery and deli, new service meat and service seafood, sushi island and an expanded natural foods department,” said Glynn Jenkins, public relations director of Kroger’s Atlanta division. The expansion will add 29,000 square feet, making the store 78,456 square feet, according to Jenkins. Jenkins said renovations are occurring in several phases to minimize inconvenience to Kroger customers. “During phases of construction, customers are shopping in temporary locations, while the remodel and expansion occurs simultaneously in other areas of the facility,” Jenkins said. “The frozen food, dairy and pharmacy areas are complete. The next phase of renovations will include produce, front end, natural foods and deli in 2016.” The renovated Kroger is expected to bring 80-100 jobs to the Auburn community.
Thursday, January 21, 2016
Community 7
The Auburn Plainsman
CONSTRUCTION
Sidewalks coming to Moores Mill Road
EVENTS
Chip Brownlee
COMMUNITY REPORTER
The Auburn City Public Works Department will soon be submitting a grant to the Alabama Department of Transportation for more than a mile of new sidewalk along Moores Mill Road. The project is part of a greater effort on the city’s part to improve walkability. The new sidewalk would stretch along the west side of Moores Mill Road from the intersection of East University Drive north to Samford Avenue. The new sidewalk will connect existing sidewalks in the Grove Hill area with the downtown area. “We’ll have sidewalks, when we get through, basically all the way from Ogletree Road back to Samford,” said Jeffery Ramsey, director of public works. “We feel like it’s a good project that the city needs. We’ve gotten a petition from the area to put in a sidewalk.” Ward 5 Councilwoman Lynda Tremaine said constituents, who have been contacting her since the project was announced, have been mostly positive. “One of my constituents emailed me and told me that she had been wanting this project for years,” Tremaine said. “She said she walks on Moores Mill Road every day. Walking that area without a sidewalk is dangerous.” According to Ramsey and Tremaine, the main concern from those opposing the new sidewalk relates to construction inconvenience. “I’ve heard from others who don’t want it,” Tremaine said. “The main question I’ve gotten is how much of the property will be taken up off of the right of way into people’s yards — how close it will be to people’s porches.” Plans for the construction of the new sidewalk are not yet final. Financing the project is dependent on the support of an ALDOT grant. The total cost of the project is more than $650,000, according to Ramsey. The city is applying for a grant that will support 80 percent of the cost of a new sidewalk for the community — the city will pay the remaining 20 percent of the cost out of its general fund. The grant has a cap of $400,000.
FILE PHOTO
A participants jumps in the water and attempts to swim across the pool.
Auburn invited to take a plunge
Maria McIlwain COMMUNITY EDITOR
DAKOTA SUMPTER / PHOTO EDITOR
Sidewalks may be installed in the future from Samford Avenue to East University Drive along Moores Mill Road.
Students walking to Auburn Junior High School and Dean Road Elementary School along Moores Mill Road were one of the main reasons the city decided to pursue the project, according to Ramsey. “We think it certainly is a quality of life issue,” Ramsey said. “This is something the city has been doing over the last 10 years. We’ve built a lot of sidewalks in the community. People enjoy getting out and walking, and providing them a safe place to do that is a goal for the city.”
One of the main tenants of the Auburn Downtown Master Plan is walkability. The plan seeks to create a “walkable, attractive and safe” city center. According to Tremaine, connecting the Grove Hill and Moores Mill neighborhoods with downtown is important. “We’re trying to provide opportunities [for people to walk or bike], whether that’s through more sidewalks, bike lanes, bike paths, and we’re looking into a greenway along Sougahatchee Creek,” Ramsey said.
Anyone craving a dip in the pool can get their fix Jan. 30. The fourth annual Polar Plunge benefitting the Lee County Special Olympics will take place from 9-11 a.m. at Samford Pool. Dana Stewart, director of Lee County Special Olympics, said the water was approximately 36 degrees last year, but that didn’t stop a sizable crowd. “It’s been fun to watch it grow,” Stewart said. The event started four years ago in event organizer Ryan Molt’s backyard pool. He said his co-worker at Auburn’s parks and recreation department, Alison Hall, suggested it. “We decided to have some fun with it, and it’s kind of grown from there,” Molt said. Though polar plunges are common fundraisers for special olympics teams across the country, Molt added a new portion last year: incorporating the high dives. This year, he is trying to organize a fundraising competition between businesses where representatives from the losing business have to do the plunge
and Arctic Dive. So far, he said Loco’s Grill and Pub has challenged the Draft House. “That water is pretty hard when you hit it,” Molt said. This year, Stewart said she hopes to have three groups of jumpers. People don’t have to take the plunge to participate. Stewart said jumpers raise money for Special Olympics through sponsorships. “We take anything,” Stewart said. “We don’t even refuse a penny.” Stewart said funds go toward uniforms, equipment and fees to go to state, national and world tournaments. “We’re a nonprofit organization ... we depend on the funds from this event,” Stewart said. Special Olympics athletes and their families will also be there cheering on the crowd, and Aubie and the Chick-filA cow will make a special appearance. Stewart said a feature of the Polar Plunge is the costume contest. Local restaurants and businesses donated gift cards for the winners. “Come out with a warm heart, even though it’s going to be cold,” Stewart said.
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Sports
8
Thursday, January 21, 2016
SCOREBOARD MEN’S BASKETBALL (9-8, 3-3)
ThePlainsman.com
Sports
CROSS COUNTRY
Brenda Kigen finds a home at Auburn Evan McCullers
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
FILE PHOTO
LAST WEEK at Vanderbilt (L, 75-57) vs. Kentucky (W, 75-70) vs. Alabama (W, 83-77) THIS WEEK Jan. 23 at Florida (7 p.m.) UPCOMING Jan. 27 at Ole Miss (6 p.m.)
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL (12-6, 2-3)
FILE PHOTO
LAST WEEK vs. Alabama (W, 72-59) at Kentucky (L, 54-47) THIS WEEK Jan. 21 vs. South Carolina (6 p.m.) Jan. 24 vs. Arkansas (3 p.m.)
GYMNASTICS
In early June 2015, Brenda Kigen left her hometown of Eldoret, Kenya, bound for a new life in the United States. Four flights and over 24 hours later, she arrived at the Atlanta airport, where Auburn cross country coach Mark Carroll was waiting for his new runner. The two found each other, somewhat miraculously, without the help of cellphones, and Carroll drove Kigen back to Auburn, a place which she had never visited but planned to spend the next four years of her life. Kigen was exhausted from her travel and, partly due to the fatigue, got sick shortly after her arrival. Even after she returned to full health, she was overwhelmed with life on a new continent. She struggled to find her way around Auburn’s large campus and adapt to her running schedule, especially in Alabama’s grueling heat. “When she came in in the summer, she was very overwhelmed," said Kigen’s teammate, Veronica Eder. "You could definitely tell. Coach told her that she was going to be one of our best runners, and she thought he was kidding.” If anyone could have understood Kigen’s struggles in the transition, it was Carroll, who moved from Ireland to Providence College in Rhode Island to run in 1991. Carroll and his assistant coaches helped Kigen as much as possible, as did her teammates. But for her first few weeks on campus, the freshman felt as far away from home as she was. After a difficult start to her time on The Plains, Kigen found her footing, both on and off the crosscountry course. Not only did she adjust, she began to thrive. Just five months after her arrival and initial struggles, Kigen capped off her cross country season with a trip to the NCAA Championships. “She’s come a long way,” Eder said. “She’s really worked hard and done really well.” While qualifying for the NCAA Championships was Kigen’s crowning achievement — and one that had not been accomplished by a female from Auburn since 2010 — it was hardly the only highlight of her first few months in America. Kigen turned in one of the best freshman seasons in Auburn history, finishing below sixth place in a race only once. Eder bested her by three seconds at the opening meet of the season, but Kigen led the way for Auburn for the remainder of the year.
RUSSELL JAMES / RI SPORTS IMAGERY
From the moment she left her home in Kenya to come to Auburn, Brenda Kigen has hit the ground running.
At the SEC Championships and the NCAA South Regional, she finished fourth overall and second among freshmen. “When Brenda raced, she seemed to have a very different approach or mindset from what she had in training … Once she put her spikes on and went on the cross-country course, she was just ready to roll,” Carroll said. “It just seemed like from one race to the next, we were just going, ‘Wow, wow, wow.’ It just got better and better every time she raced.” Though Kigen finished 10th among freshmen at the NCAA Championships, she was disappointed with her 54th-place finish overall. However, she is hopeful the experience will help her achieve her goal for next season — a top-10 fin-
ish at nationals. “It’s really fast [at nationals], and it gave me an experience to run with fast people,” Kigen said. “So now next year, because I’m believing in myself that I can go to cross-country nationals, I can make it to be top 10, because I know now what I’m going to do.” Regardless of her performance in the upcoming track and field season, Kigen’s first year in Auburn has been one to remember, for the ups and the downs. “I just did great," she said. "That wasn’t my expectation, because when I came here, training was hard, especially during the summer in the climate. Running was hard. Everything was hard.” Kigen’s come a long way — in more ways than one.
OPINION
An open letter to whoever writes the next open letter to Cam Newton Emily Shoffit SPORTS REPORTER
FILE PHOTO
LAST WEEK vs. Kentucky (W, 196.275-195.175) vs. Alabama (L, 196.875-196.075) THIS WEEK Jan. 22 vs. Florida (7:30 p.m.)
MEN’S/WOMEN’S TENNIS
FILE PHOTO
LAST WEEK W: vs. UAB (W, 7-0) M: vs. The Citadel (W, 7-0, 7-0) THIS WEEK M: Jan. 23 at Wake Forest (3 p.m.) W: Jan. 22 at Michigan St.
This week, a second open letter lecturing quarterback Cam Newton surfaced, educating the former Tiger on the topics of class and winning. The first offender was a mother from Tennessee, who took offense to Newton’s end zone celebrations. Now, a Seattle Seahawks fan has taken it upon herself to continue the saga of “Don’t do that, Cam” letters. The following letter is a response to not only Sarah the Seahawk and Rosemary the Titan, but to the next anti-Newton scribe who can’t seem to find the fun in football anymore. Hey friend! Sorry for your loss. I’m sure you and your fellow bleacher-quarterback comrades are upset that Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers just beat the brakes off your defense and are now celebrating as a result. It's hard to watch. Look at those godawful winners, celebrating and such. You see, the thing about football that most fans forget is that it's a game. But it's more than a game, Emily. I know, I know. It's a giant part of your life. Believe me, I love sports too. But have you seen fans nowadays? They're anti-fun. "Act like you've done it before," they say. Why? In an industry that pays millions of dollars just to have the strategy, energy and talent these athletes have, why should they have to do anything "like they've done it before?" In the National Football League, where players are constantly arrested for domestic violence, DUIs and sexual assault, Cam Newton gets the butt end of it all. Why? Because he wins. What
does he do when he wins? He celebrates, God forbid. Before you pour angry heart out over a keyboard and share it for the world to see, take a second to think before you act. For example, take Sarah, the disgruntled Seattle Seahawks fan who was upset that Cam threw one of the Hawks' "symbolic" 12th Man flags after it was handed to him by a Panthers fan. You mean she really got upset over something they stole from Texas A&M? Yes, Sarah was not happy about it. "You see, the one that people don't realize is, Seahawks fans aren't just fans," she noted. One thing that Sarah didn't realize was her typo. Another would be that every fanbase considers themselves "not just fans," even though that's exactly what they are. Just fans. Friend, don't be like Sarah. Don't criticize the winning team for doing harmless things, because your team has definitely taunted, cursed or made some sort of "classless" act on the field. Don't blame the winning team for your loss when it most definitely falls on the fault of your players and coaches. Don't even begin to call Cam Newton — the man who spends time with kids on and off the field, the man who gives a game ball to a child in the stands after every touchdown, the man who started a foundation to better the lives of children physically and emotionally, both education wise and socioeconomically, across the country — classless. Think about it. Are you really about to pen a letter to the NFL MVP for not only celebrating a win, but because you can't grasp how sports work? Because you take the actions of someone who doesn't even know your name, has no way of targeting you personally, seriously? I'm sorry you get offended so easily. I'm sorry
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FILE PHOTO
Cam Newton looks on during the Iron Bowl.
that you've become a fan that has fallen into the idea that games aren't fun. Because that's what they are. Most importantly, I'm sorry that out of all the issues surrounding the NFL itself, Cam Newton is the one thing that offends you. If you still feel the need to pen your "classy but informative" letter after all that, don't forget to congratulate Cam and the Panthers because they were the better team that day, even though "that's not what you're upset about," just like all the others. Emily can be reached at sports@ThePlainsman.com
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Thursday, January 21, 2016
Sports 9
The Auburn Plainsman
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Two Auburn guards out for an extended period of time Evan McCullers
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
DAKOTA SUMPTER / PHOTO EDITOR
Tahj Shamsid-Deen will miss the rest of the season after dislocating his shoulder for the third time this season.
VICTORY » From 1
Then, the first domino fell. Danjel Purifoy, a four-star small forward, committed to the Tigers on Aug. 22, 2014. A couple of minutes after Pearl’s show-cause penalty lifted on Aug. 25, Horace Spencer, a four-star power forward, did the same. When the smoke cleared on the 2015 signing class, Auburn ended up with the No. 17 class in the nation — in basketball. Pearl’s first season captaining the ship went about as smoothly as expected. Auburn had trouble working out the kinks, and finished 13th in the SEC. But in the conference tournament, something clicked. An opening-round win against Mississippi State gave the Tigers some much-needed momentum. A second win against Texas A&M opened some eyes. But the third game against fourth-seeded LSU is where the Tigers turned the corner. K.T. Harrell’s game-tying 3-pointer with a handful of seconds left sent the game into overtime, where an adrenaline-infused Auburn team dispatched LSU and gave them a date with undefeated No. 1 Kentucky. Understandably, a well-rested Wildcat team stocked with
NBA talent routed the Tigers, who were playing their fourth game in four days, ending an incredible run and a mesmerizing finish to Pearl’s first season. Now, midway through conference play in Pearl’s second go-round, the pieces are beginning to come together. Kareem Canty, who is leading the Tigers in scoring with 19 points per game, has settled into the playmaker role left vacant by Harrell. He led all players in the game with 26 points, keying the furious comeback from 12 points down in the second half to snap the 16-year losing streak to Kentucky. Another key cog in the wheel this season has been Tyler Harris, a graduate transfer from Providence University in New York. He chose Auburn because of Pearl, who coached Tyler’s brother Tobias — now a forward for the Orlando Magic — at the University of Tennessee. Tyler, whose 21 points and 11 rebounds were instrumental in topping Kentucky, wanted to lay the foundation for greater things to come. “That’s one of the main reasons I wanted to come here, to have upsets like this,” Tyler said. “I always wanted to go to a place where we could win big, and I could help the program change around. I just
look at this as a stepping stone for where we’re trying to get to and what’s to come.” That stepping stone has already begun to pay dividends. Another highly ranked recruiting class waits in the wings for Pearl, and a pair of 2017 recruits are also on board, one of which is five-star center Austin Wiley, the son of former Auburn basketball players Aubrey Wiley and Vicki Orr Wiley. Canty will have two years of eligibility remaining following the conclusion of this season. If he chooses to stay at Auburn and not enter the NBA Draft, he will have a bevy of talent surrounding him. To think one win could alter the direction of a program is difficult to believe. But when that win is as significant as the one Auburn secured on Saturday — one that marked the end of 18 consecutive losses to the same opponent, and one that also indicated the first win over a ranked opponent since 2012 — it might not be so farfetched after all. And then on Tuesday, Auburn topped Alabama, 83-77, snapping a three-game losing streak to the Crimson Tide and giving notching Pearl’s first win over the Tigers’ in-state rival since becoming head coach at Auburn. Canty showcased his heroics once again, draining 7 of his 11
shots en route to a team-high 25 points, while Bowers turned in a career night with 20 points and 18 rebounds. “This is a great rivalry. It’s a rivalry game,” Pearl said after the game. “It matters to the Auburn Family that we are able to be competitive in this rivalry. We did what we had to do.” The success has rubbed off on the fans as well. After the win over Alabama, Pearl praised the environment Auburn Arena presents to opponents. “I thought that we had great effort and energy again,” Pearl said. “The building was incredible. This was as good of an environment as there is in college basketball. Who wouldn’t want to play in that game in front of that intensity? From what I understand, we might have had close to 3,000 students in the building tonight, thousands of students upstairs because everything was full downstairs. It elevated our play.” Two momentum-shifting wins—one over a national powerhouse and the other in a heated rivalry game—have greased the wheels on Auburn’s season, and the Tigers now sit above .500 on the year. In two years, Pearl has brought Auburn basketball back from the dead. Now, he’ll see what it looks like when the Tigers are really living.
DAKOTA SUMPTER / PHOTO EDITOR
Cinmeon Bowers has exploded since being reinserted into the starting lineup, scoring 28 points and hauling in 28 rebounds in the last two games.
Auburn will be without two of its best guards for an extended period of time, according to head coach Bruce Pearl. Pearl said Tahj ShamsidDeen is out for the year because of his third shoulder dislocation of the season, and T.J. Dunans will not return until the end of the season, if at all, because of a knee injury. Shamsid-Deen, whose career has been riddled with shoulder injuries, suffered his latest shoulder dislocation Dec. 19 at Xavier. He has not played since, and Pearl said Shamsid-Deen’s latest injury could be careerending, depending on his recovery. “As difficult as [missing] last year was, this has to be even more difficult for him,” Pearl said. “He is genetically predisposed to having, for lack of a better explanation, some loose shoulders. How much Dr. (James) Andrews is going to be able to tighten it up will determine whether or not he even plays again. Because we’ve got to make sure that he is not only healthy to return to play, but also healthy to continue with the rest of his life.” Shamsid-Deen will under-
go surgery next week, according to Pearl. "Mentally he has a good mind right now," said senior forward Cinmeon Bowers. "He’s just staying positive, you know. I’m staying positive with him, encouraging him. He’s staying focused." Dunans injured his knee during Auburn’s game against Harvard in the Diamond Head Classic when teammate Kareem Canty landed on it while chasing a loose ball. While Dunans was originally scheduled to rest and rehab the knee, he was forced to have his knee scoped to “do some cleaning up.” All of the major ligaments in his knee are safe, but the scoping revealed further damage to his tissues and arteries than was expected, which will cause Dunans to miss more time than the original prognosis of three to five weeks. “They had to go in and fix some leaks, and now he’s able to progress with his rehab,” Pearl said. “But it pushes his return date out to very late in the season, with a possibility of not being able to return.” Shamsid-Deen played in five games this season, averaging 2.6 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. Dunans averaged 12.4 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 10 games.
MATTHEW BISHOP / PHOTOGRAPHER
Kareem Canty led the Tigers in scoring in their two recent wins.
Sports 10
The Auburn Plainsman
Thursday, January 21, 2016
DAKOTA SUMPTER / PHOTO EDITOR
LEFT: Horace Spencer throws down a dunk during Auburn’s 75-70 win over No. 14 Kentucky on Saturday. RIGHT: Lexus Demers walks the beam during her routine in Auburn’s win over No. 7 Kentucky on Friday.
This Week in Auburn Sports Men’s Basketball Jan. 16
An extremely rare announcement rang out over the PA system as the final few seconds ticked off of the game clock, one unfamiliar to the ears of the Auburn faithful. "Fans, for your safety, please stay off the court following the game," echoed off the walls of a silent Auburn Arena. Cinmeon Bowers' free throw passing through the net was the only sound in the building — for a fraction of a second. And then, Auburn Arena erupted. Fans poured onto the court, sprinting past futile efforts by security personnel to deter them, as a mass formed at center court to celebrate Auburn's 75-70 win over No. 14 Kentucky. The Tigers used a furious second-half rally to erase a 12-point deficit and knock off the Wildcats for the first time in 19 tries, and the second in 34. "We competed," said Auburn coach Bruce Pearl. "We weren't intimidated by the moment." Auburn (8-8, 2-3) held Kentucky to just 34.7 percent shooting for the game and to 33.3 percent from beyond the arc. While the Tigers shot marginally better at 38.2 percent, they connected on twice as many 3-pointers as Kentucky, five of which came from Kareem Canty. Canty led everyone with 26 points and Tyler Harris collected his seventh double-double of the season with 21 points and 11 rebounds. And Canty, Auburn's leading scorer and biggest playmaker, laid his body on the line for his team and for this win. With Auburn trailing 67-65, Canty streaked down the court and contorted his body to roll in a layup. When he landed, his ankle turned, and Canty went down to the floor in excruciating pain. But after a timeout, Canty shook it off and drained a free throw to give Auburn the lead for good. The win snaps a three-game losing streak for the Tigers, who were without Tahj Shamsid-Deen and T.J. Dunans, and will be without them for an extended period of time. Down a pair of rotation players, Auburn needed every ounce of energy it could muster to knock off the Wildcats. Kentucky guard Jamal Murray led the Wildcats with 20 points on 8-22 shooting, and Tyler Ulis was two assists away from a triple double, finishing with 17 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. The pair constantly hounded Canty in the backcourt, forcing him to make plays in the middle of a swarming defense. Canty had the eyes of his neighborhood back home in Harlem watching him, and as a result he played the first half unusually anxiously. But once his teammates talked to him in the locker room at halftime, Canty found his groove. In the second half, Canty shot 5-11 and 4-6 from the 3-point line to key the Tigers to a season—and program—changing win. When the Wildcats jumped out to that 12-point lead, Canty said the motivation to keep fighting was simple. "We told each other, 'Be right here,'" Canty said. "It's easy to quit when you're down...We was down, what, 12? And we started inching away at it slowly, and before you know it we've got the lead." And with that lead in hand, and Harris headed to the line, Bowers roared into the crowd, letting out all the emotions of an Auburn program that hadn't beaten a ranked opponent since 2012. "It's crazy, man," Bowers said. "We just beat Kentucky. We just made history." And Canty, when told Kentucky wasn't "vintage" Kentucky, that this wasn't the same Kentucky of old, offered up a summary of the future of this Auburn program. "We're not the vintage Auburn team," Canty said.
Women’s Basketball Jan. 17
The Auburn Tigers (12-6) fell Sunday to the No. 9 Kentucky Wildcats (14-2) in Lexington, 54-47. Both teams were afflicted with shooting woes and turnovers, as Auburn shot just 35.2 percent from the field and turned the ball
over 21 times. Kentucky shot 36.2 percent from the field, and had 19 turnovers. Kentucky, however, was extremely successful from the freethrow line, going 17 of 25, which proved crucial in the closing minutes of the contest. Kentucky led late in the game, 47-37, when Auburn made an 8-0 run to put the Tigers within 2 points with just 1:54 remaining. Then, freshman Taylor Murray hit a 3-pointer with 1:40 left, and Auburn wasn’t able to play catch-up due to the Wildcats’ freethrow shooting. Brandy Montgomery led the Tigers in scoring with 15 points, while Katie Frerking and Janiah McKay added eight apiece. Murray led Kentucky with 14 points, while JUCO transfer Evelyn Akhator pulled down 10 rebounds. Auburn had previously beaten the Wildcats in Auburn in a game with a similar, sloppy theme; a game in which Kentucky turned the ball over 26 times. The Tigers will face the South Carolina Gamecocks Thursday, Jan. 21 in Auburn Arena. Tip off is set for 6 p.m. Central time.
Gymnastics Jan. 15
The seventh-ranked Auburn gymnastics team overcame a stumble to the finish to defeat No. 21 Kentucky 196.275-195.175 in its home opener. The Tigers posted season-highs on vault, bars and beam, but also posted the lowest score in any event this season on floor. Though his team wasn’t quite at its sharpest, head coach Jeff Graba was proud of the toughness of his team. “We left a lot out there,” Graba said. “It just was not a very good night. If you want to talk about a sharp night, that wasn’t tonight on any event for us. But I do think we did a good job muscling through. When it’s not a great night you still have to muscle through, and I thought the girls did a good job with that.” But in the end, the young Tigers were able to secure a victory against a ranked Wildcats team to open their home schedule, something that Graba said shouldn’t be overlooked. “I think the first time in front of our fans is tough on the girls because it’s a lot of energy,” Graba said. “They’re struggling with how to manage that, even the people that have been there before. It’s just a lot of excitement in front of your fans.” The Tigers began the night on vault, scoring a 49.200. Senior Lexus Demers led Auburn with a 9.900. On bars, the Tigers posted a 49.250, led by senior Caitlin Atkinson’s 9.900. Auburn then moved to beam, where the Tigers scored a 49.075. Demers, Atkinson and sophomore Abby Milliet each scored a 9.85 to lead Auburn. The Tigers finished on floor, scoring a 48.750, led by junior MJ Rott’s 9.800. Milliet said the disappointing performance in that event will only help the team moving forward. “We were pretty good learning from mistakes, and tonight I thought we had a lot of energy going out and may have spent it too fast, Milliet said. “For a podium, it’s a different world, it helps you a little bit more, and I think we’ll right some of the wrongs we may have.”
Jan. 17 The No. 7 Auburn gymnastics team once again fell short against No. 6 Alabama, 196.875-196.075, extending the Crimson Tide’s winning streak over the Tigers to 117 straight meets. At the midpoint, the Tigers only trailed Alabama by 0.050, but struggles on the final two events doomed Auburn’s chances. Auburn began on vault, scoring a 49.100, where senior Lexus Demers led the Tigers with a 9.875. Bars were next for the Tigers, where they scored a 49.250, led by senior Caitlin Atkinson’s 9.875. After the first two rotations, the Tigers trailed Alabama 98.40098.350. On beam, Auburn scored a 48.825 and were led by sophomore
Abby Milliet’s 9.850. The Tigers finished on floor, scoring a 48.900, led by Atkinson’s 9.825. Auburn falls to 2-1 overall and 1-1 in the SEC. The Tigers will face Florida in Auburn Arena on Friday, Jan. 22 at 7:30 p.m. CT.
Men’s/Women’s Tennis Jan. 16
The Auburn men’s and women’s tennis teams kicked off their spring season at the Yarbrough Tennis Center this weekend, taking two wins over The Citadel and sweeping UAB, respectively. The men dominated the first set in all of their singles matches. Conner Huertas del Pino was the first to taste victory, defeating Matthew Henson 6-1, 6-1. Redshirt freshman Olle Thestrup followed with his first singles match victory at Auburn, topping Michael Anzalone 6-2, 6-3. Freshman Brandon Laubser snagged his first win as a Tiger, defeating Rob Hobson 7-5, 6-2 to clinch the match. He went on to finish the day with a 7-5, 6-1 win over Matthew Henson. Marko Krickovic, Joseph Van Dooren, Huertas del Pino, Thestrup, Lauber and Max Hinnisdaels all went home victors by finishing strong against the Bulldogs in doubles, sweeping the morning and evening matches. Three newcomers lead the women to their first victory of the 2016 dual match season with a 7-0 victory over UAB. Victories from the dynamic duos of Pleun Burgmans and Paula de Man (6-3), Reka Muller and Alizee Michaud (6-0) gave Auburn the 1-0 lead over the Blazers. Singles helped extend the lead, with Caroline Turner (6-1) picking up an extra point, and Andie Dikosavljevic (6-4, 6-1) followed. Michaud finished her first day for the Tigers with a comeback 7-5, 6-3 win. Alannah Griffin and de Man won in straight sets to set the Auburn lead at 6-0. Burgmans gave the Tigers their lucky No. 7 after winning in a tie-breaker 7-6, 6-2. The men and women will kick off ITA action away from home next weekend when the men travel to face Wake Forest on their home court and the women face Michigan State in Miami. Compiled by Sam Butler, Jonathan Hefner, Andrew Monson and Emily Shoffit
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Intrigue
Thursday, January 21, 2016
11 ThePlainsman.com
Intrigue
Lifestyle
Opelika teen invents million-dollar company
Ben Ruffin
Intrigue Writer
While many teenagers look forward to leaving baseball practice to go home, one Opelika teenager looks forward to going to work. Still in his baseball practice attire, Taylor Rosenthal, freshman at Opelika High School, enters the doors at the Round House in Opelika ready to work on bettering his business. As an eighth-grader at Opelika Middle School, Taylor devised the idea for first-aid vending machines in his Young Entrepreneurs Academy class sponsored by the Opelika Chamber of Commerce. Fast-forward a few months, and Taylor serves as founder and CEO of RecMed, a first-aid vending machine company that was officially granted its patent in October. “RecMed is a company I created where we make computerized and robotic vending machines that dispense first-aid supplies,” Taylor said. “It functions similarly to a Redbox machine, but instead of dispensing DVDs, it dispenses first-aid supplies.” Taylor, who has been around sports his whole life, began his business with the help of his parents, who work in the medical field. However, it wasn’t until he had a realization that the idea for the vending machines came about. “I started out sitting out at sporting events selling first-aid kits,” Taylor said. “Then I noticed how much it would cost to pay someone minimum wage to sit out at a tournament for six hours, so I had to find a way around that but still have the first-aid supplies there. So that’s how I came up with the vending machine.” Since the invention of the RecMed vending machines, Taylor has spent countless hours bettering his idea behind the doors of the Round House, an incubator for startup businesses. Since receiving his patent, Taylor has turned down an offer to buy the company for $30 million, instead choosing to close with a number of
partners and investors who helped him raise the funds for the prototype. Taylor, who won the opportunity to work with the Round House through a class competition, credits the incubator for kick starting his idea and bettering his business. “To graduate from the class, you had to go to a pitch day, and there were four judges that you pitched in front of,” Taylor said. “They picked one person to compete in the regionals, and I won that. Round House said that whoever won the class they would take in, get them what they needed like business cards, brochures and anything they needed to go to Boca Raton. They helped me get ready for it and get all of the things I needed. They helped a lot.” However, the Round House founder and Taylor’s business mentor Kyle Sandler said Taylor’s success stems from his drive, which Sandler said is exceptional. “We had to kick him out of here on Christmas Eve to spend time with his family, and every minute of fall break he was here at the Round House,” Sandler said. “When he’s not in school or playing baseball, he’s here working on anything from customer discovery to lead generation to where he can put his product.” Taylor’s hard work recently landed him an invitation to Las Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show, a global consumer electronics and consumer technology trade show that took place at the start of January. There, he had the opportunity to pitch his product to the producers of Shark Tank. The results from that pitch will be released in two months and will determine if Taylor gets an audition for the show. If Taylor makes it on the show Shark Tank, there is one shark in general that he said he would like to strike a deal with and who he recently saw in Las Vegas. “Mark Cuban, because he is a big sports guy,” Taylor said. “He walked by my booth in Las Ve-
Dakota Sumpter / Photo editor
Taylor Rosenthal, 14, CEO of RecMed, stands in front of Round House.
gas, but he was walking so fast and he couldn’t stop or else he would have gotten mobbed.” While Taylor described his experience in Las Vegas as “awesome,” he is already planning a trip of equal importance to New York City where he will try and promote his vending machines. “It’s not a done deal yet, but we are working on that,” Taylor said. “We are looking at a variety of different shows out there, and we’ve been talking to some of the shows about going on, so were just going to see where it goes.” While Taylor runs his business for the most part, his father helps out with the business and accompanies his son to the trade shows and promotion trips. While not many parents have the
opportunity to talk business with their children, Terry Rosenthal has welcomed the business and chance to work with and for his son. “It’s definitely something a lot of people don’t get to do, and actually I worked for him last week,” Terry said. “He had me at the booth all week talking to people. He was there most of the time, but he did get to go around the show and see some stuff. But it’s been amazing.” As for the future of the business, the 14-yearold founder and CEO said he does not have any immediate plans. “We really want to grow it for maybe six to 12 months and then just see where it’s at then, see what it’s worth and how it’s going,” Taylor said.
New year, new diet: How to combat some of the most addictive foods
Sterling waits / Graphic Designer
These include some of the most addicting foods for students.
Emily Esleck
Managing editor
With the onset of a new year comes celebration, a new start and for some, it’s the time to start new resolutions. Losing weight hit No. 1 on the top 10 New Year’s resolutions for 2015 list, according to Statistic Brain Institute. Dieting and health are two main concerns most people have, and with the new year they try to get on track, but there are some foods that make it seem impossible to succeed. Onikia Brown, assistant professor of nutrition and extension specialist, said people who diet this time of year are looking for a fresh start. “They’re looking to change, looking to improve themselves,” Brown said. “So it’s not always a diet to lose weight, but it’s just a better diet to be healthier.” In 2015 the University of Michigan conducted two studies. Results from both studies varied, but pizza, choco-
late, cookies and ice cream were in the top five of each study. The study concluded highly processed foods were most associated with addictive eating behavior. Michael Greene, assistant professor of nutrition and dietetics, said salt, sugar and fat are three key ingredients in processed foods. “There’s an abundance of them [processed foods],” Greene said. “You go to the grocery store, you go anywhere, and they’re just all over the place. So we’re bombarded by them.” Food companies can change the amount of sugar, salt and fat in processed foods to get the right balance, according to Greene. Sugar and fat are the driving ingredients of the three, and by reducing either one, more salt is added, Greene said. Salt acts as a balancer when trying to eliminate sugar and fat, according to Greene.
Greene said most addictive foods will have high fructose corn syrup or another simple sugar such as glucose and fat. Pizza hits all three addictive ingredients, according to Greene. He said pizza is made to be more salty in the U.S., with the cheese having the fat and the sauce containing the sugar. When eating pizza, Greene said he treats it like dessert. “So I would never have like a piece of cake or something after having pizza, because I’ve already had my dessert — it was for dinner,” Greene said. Greene said companies that make fat-free items are putting more salt and sugar in the product to overcompensate for the reduced fat. “That’s how [food companies] get away with it,” Greene said. “And I think that’s why people have a hard time stopping when they eat those types of foods because the brain real-
ly does like it.” Consuming these addictive foods activates opioid receptors in the brain, according to Greene. These receptors are also triggered when abusing drugs such as heroin. Greene said to combat these addictive foods, people should strive to be healthy by eating a variety of fruits and vegetables, balancing nutrition such as carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and minerals and moderating the types and amounts of food consumed. Moderation is where people tend to fail the most, according to Greene. Brown said meal planning is important when trying to avoid addictive foods and maintain a healthy diet. Getting enough sleep, exercising and choosing a diet low in fat and sugars and high in fiber can contribute to a healthier lifestyle, according to Brown. “If every meal every day is a high fat, high sugar, low fiber food then you
should probably rethink your diet and your meals,” Brown said. Dorothy Dickmann, senior in accounting, said people don’t normally maintain their New Year’s resolutions, especially when losing weight. “The first couple of weeks in the rec center, like right after Christmas break everybody’s there, and a few weeks after that, everybody’s gone,” Dickmann said. Dickmann said people don’t necessarily have to make a healthier lifestyle change at the New Year, but instead re-asses their eating habits during the year. Although Dickmann said she personally doesn’t have cravings for addictive foods, she said she understands how one can be addicted to those specific foods. “Say you have a package of Oreos, and you just end up eating a whole side of it without even thinking about it,” Dickmann said.
featured app
Meet Peach, the new combined social media app taking students by storm Amanda Myles intrigue Writer
Peach, an app created by the cofounder of Vine, Dom Hofmann, was released on Jan. 8 and already seems to be taking mobile users by storm. Talked about by numerous bloggers, websites and eager users, Peach was able to get its name out there and have increasing numbers of downloads. Acclaimed for encompassing a variety of methods for users to connect and update each other, Peach allows users to be more efficient and creative in their sharing. Peach is an engaging and innovative app in terms of creating and sharing content and can be seen as a combination of Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. Peach has the layout of a text-messaging app, so when the friends of a user post something, it appears chron-
ologically on the user’s feed, and the user has to go to each friend’s profile to see what is posted. Also, users only share content to people they approve, which makes Peach a more private app. One of the main aspects of the app is “magic words,” which allows users to create many features by typing in phrases that act as commands. For example, by typing “GIF,” a search bar will appear for GIFs. Other features let users message one another, share pictures and videos, loop videos, sketch and post drawings, rate anything with a one to five star rating, send messages in large sizes, share their iPhone battery, current weather and events from their calendar, share a song that is playing, identify a song that is playing, tag the name of a television show or book, share the number of steps walked that day and more. Logan Huerta and Leanna Flowers,
freshmen in music education, said they would definitely get the app. “It’s a really good combination of a lot of social media sites, especially with like Shazam, and I like the way you can rate a post,” Huerta said. Flowers said she likes the idea of just using the one app instead of having to use multiple social media apps at once. “It seems like it would save a lot of Internet data, and it would also be great because it would save text messaging minutes,” Flowers said. “And you can interact with your peers and possibly use it for school purposes or getting in contact with people around you and bring them closer together.” However, to John David Phillips, freshman in music education, Peach just seems like another similar app trying to gain popularity. “I already have stuff that does everything it sounds like this app does. It
Peach -- a space for friends
The new app peach makes communication easier.
sounds like a good idea, but if it came out years earlier, then it would probably [have] taken off better than it would now.” Phillips said. For the moment, the app seems like
a new and fun way to update friends, but only time will tell whether Peach will grow to have a major impact in social media. Peach is available for iOS devices.
Thursday, January 21, 2016
The Auburn Plainsman
Intrigue 12
Column
Should an emoji be the Word of the Year? Marissa Luckie Intrigue Writer
The 2015 Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year was not a word at all but rather an emoji, specifically the little smiley face that is crying out of joy. For anyone who understands the English language in any capacity, the fact that an emoji snagged the Word of the Year title has some inherent problems, namely because an emoji is not a word. According to the Oxford Dictionary itself, an emoji is defined as “a small digital image or icon used to express an idea, emotion, etc., in electronic communication.” By its own definition of the word, an emoji should have been out of the question for Word of the Year. Choosing the word “emoji” to be the Word of the Year would have made far more sense when considering the very title of the contest. However, barring the fact that a digital picture of a smiley face crying tears of joy is not an actual word, it is not actually that nonsensical to pick an emoji as the Word of the Year.
Madison Pooley, sophomore in English, said she has mixed emotions about an emoji being crowned Word of the Year. “I can understand why, because emojis are so popular now, but I feel like there could have been better words to pick for Word of the Year,” Pooley said. Emojis are certainly a relevant part of today’s culture. With nonverbal communication being a common fixture in everyday life, emojis have an important job. In many ways, it is up to them to fill in the conversational gray area that arises when voice intonation, facial expressions and hand gestures are taken out of the picture. Texts, emails, tweets or other nonverbal posts in which emotion or tone may be ambiguous can be easily clarified by adding on an emoji. For example, a bright red emoji with a frown and angled down eyebrows dropped into a text probably signal the sender is angry. During a face-to-face conversation, anger could have been conveyed by body language, actual facial expression or tone of voice. Talking on the phone would have more limitations, but tone of voice would still suffice at getting the anger across. When voices and actual human faces are taken out of the equation, things get trickier. That is where emojis come in.
They add a human element to a method of communication that can sometimes feel lacking in the human touch department. None of this is groundbreaking news to anyone of this century, but that is the point. Emojis have become so ingrained in the way we communicate, they are second nature. Just like words, they allow us to connect with others by representing our internal thoughts and feelings. Of course, emojis can not compete with the full scope or complexity that words allow us in communication, but that does not mean that they are sometimes not just as useful. At times, they do things words can’t do, such as bridge language barriers. With a few exceptions, representation of emotions is pretty universal across languages and cultures, something emojis can take advantage of. A Google search on emojis as a means of communication will show that some people believe that emojis could signal a regression back to the times when people used hieroglyphs to communicate. In my opinion, this seems a little melodramatic. To go back to solely relying on pictures instead of words presents obvious problems — such as how do you convey any serious, nuanced idea with only smiley faces and dancing girls dressed
as bunnies — and would frankly be idiotic, which is an opinion I’m sure I share with the majority of the world. To say that incorporating some cute little icons, which happen to also be useful in clarifying meaning at times, into our text messages signals the end of the written word seems silly and a little bit demeaning to the newer generations who will one day determine the nature of language and culture. Have a little faith in your fellow humans. As the world progresses into a digital age, I find it comforting there are still efforts to add faces, even if only depictions, to conversations that are strictly words. So yes, it would have made more sense if Oxford Dictionaries would have made the Word of the Year an actual word. And yes, maybe it should change the name of the title if it wants to include symbols and icons from now on. And yes, the whole thing was probably just a ploy for publicity. But emojis are a part of the way we communicate now in a very real way, and I don’t see them going anywhere anytime soon. So maybe it is time to start taking them more seriously as a part of our language. Marissa can be reached at intrigue@theplainsman.com.
commons.wikimedia.org
Some other popular emojis include the tongue emoji, the sunglasses emoji and the blushing emoji.
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