The Auburn Plainsman 02.08.2018

up-to-date election coverage online at THEPLAINSMAN.COM

The Auburn Plainsman THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2018

A SPIRIT THAT IS NOT AFRAID • NEWS SINCE 1893

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ADAM BRASHER / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

IT’S A RUNOFF

Patrick Starr (left) and Dane Block (right) celebrate after moving on to the SGA election runoff. Results were announced Tuesday on the back steps of Cater Hall.

DANE BLOCK, PATRICK STARR ADVANCE TO RUNOFF FOR SGA PRESIDENT IN NUMBERS

» The Plainsman will carry up-to-date election

coverage online Thursday at ThePlainsman.com

» Runoff results are expected Thursday night

By CHIP BROWNLEE

Election rules require that one candidate receive at least 40 percent of the vote. Since no candidate received 40 percent in the first election, Dane Block and Patrick Starr move to a runoff.

Editor-in-chief

D

BLOCK 3,504 votes STARR 3,063 votes

editor@theplainsman.com

uring freshman biology lab classes in the fall of 2015, they were partners, but on Thursday, the two will be facing off in a hotly contested runoff election that will decide Auburn’s next SGA president.

BRI THOMAS Dane Block, junior in finance, and Pat14.94% rick Starr, junior in poultry science pre-vet, received the most votes in the 2018 SGA election on Tuesady.

MIKE O’KEY “It’s been an incredible week and to extend that for two 9.65% days, it’s even better,” Block said. “To have so many students to turn out and vote is the most important thing. We have PORTER KENNEDY 6.87% two extra days to share our vision and our platform.”

Students choose new loyalty, credit-hour based ticket system

By ELIZABETH HURLEY Campus Reporter campus@theplainsman.com

PATRICK STARR 31.97%

DANE BLOCK 36.57%

Auburn student ticketing has been reformed again with the results of the post-season ticket referendum held Feb. 6.

All postseason tickets will now be distributed using a credithour and loyalty-based priority system.

The credit-hour and loyalty-based priority system came away from the election with 47.51 percent of the vote, or 4282 votes.

“SGA is extremely excited to work with the football and athletic complex with this new program,” said SGA Director of Election Niki Ozburn.

» See RUNOFF, 2

» See REFERENDUM, 2

ELECTIONS

Kathryn Kennedy voted Miss Auburn

By LILY JACKSON Managing Editor

managing.editor@theplainsman.com

Surrounded by all members of her family, friends and now constituents, Kathryn Kennedy, junior in biomedical sciences, celebrated a Miss Auburn win.

Her message of embodying the

Creed in every way possible resonated with the student body and gave her the role of Miss Auburn late Tuesday night.

“I am still in shock a little bit, and it’s all settling in, but honestly, I feel so blessed and humbled,” Kennedy said. “I am thankful for the student body and that they chose me.”

Like the other candidates, Kenne-

UP-TO-DATE ELECTION COVERAGE ONLINE @TheAUPlainsman

dy ran on a line of the Creed that resonated with her: “I believe in the human touch, which cultivates sympathy with my fellow men and mutual helpfulness and brings happiness for all.”

Running with the slogan, “Kathryn Kennedy Can,” she stressed the student body’s responsibility to live by the Creed and focus on making

Auburn home for many more students in the future.

“I was kind of nervous going in and didn’t know how campaigning would go, but it was honestly so much fun,” Kennedy said. “It was very tiring and exhausting but definitely worth it. The people I got to work with made it so worth it.”

Kennedy said the most memora-

ble part of the process was seeing all of the people she loves campaigning for her and dedicating hours to her aspirations.

She said she is thoroughly looking forward to representing the University and working with the the War Eagle Girls and Plainsmen as an hon-

» See MISS AUBURN, 2

OTHER RACES

SCAN ME!

VICE PRESIDENT Schyler Burney

TREASURER Dixon Simmons

MINOR CANDIDATES Senate, schools council

Junior Schyler Burney, who ran unopposed, will be the next SGA vice president

Junior Dixon Simmons, who ran unopposed, will be the next SGA treasurer

A complete list of all those elected to minor SGA offices is available online

@TheAuburnPlainsman

@TheAuburnPlainsman

news

2

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2018

RUNOFF » From 1

Even though they’re now campaign rivals, during their first semester of college, they helped each other through labs every week, Starr said.

“I love Dane Block,” Starr said.

“It’s honestly so strange. But he sat next to me, and we worked every week together.”

The race moves to a runoff scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 8, after no candidate received more than 40 percent of the vote from the Tuesday election.

Block finished first with 3,504 votes at 36.57 percent, and Starr finished second with 3,063 votes at 31.97 percent — less than 500 votes separating the two. According to SGA election law, the two candidates with the most votes move to a runoff.

Block said he felt honored to be in the runoff with Starr.

“He’s an incredible leader,” Block said. “I couldn’t be more blessed to be with him for a few extra days.”

The pair will relish in their success tonight but will begin campaigning early Wednesday with only one full day to make their case and win over new voters.

Starr, who ran on his platform “Go Far with Patrick Starr,” said he was encouraged that the student body believed enough in him to send him to the runoff.

“I encourage the students to think about over the next two days exactly what they want the vision for the University to be, who they want on their side, standing up for what they believe in, who would advocate best for them and who has the most heart,” Starr said.

Starr and Block were first appointed to SGA during the same year — both of them serving in cabinet positions, with Starr assisting in the first ever Creed Week and Block working on the organization block seating program.

This year, Block served as a College of Business senator and Starr worked as assistant vice president of programs in SGA cabinet.

The other three candidates for president — junior Bri Thomas, senior Mike O’Key and junior Porter Kennedy — received fewer votes than Block and Starr and were eliminated from the runoff.

Thomas finished with 1,432 votes at 14.94 percent, O’Key with 925 votes at 9.65 percent and Kennedy with 658 votes at 6.87 percent. In total, 10,359 students voted in this year’s election at a turnout rate of 37.05 percent of eligible student voters.

Block ran on his campaign platform “Build With Block,” promising to focus on safety, access and affordability, unity, dining and transportation.

“I sat in the debate last night, looked around and realized I was with some incredible leaders,” Block said of the other candidates.

“It’s so great to work with them and see their heart through their work.”

Starr chose his platform name with his priorities in mind, choosing Go Far as an acronym for the game day experience, an opendoor policy, Family Fridays, Auburn city relations and research and development.

“I want people to remember my passion, my drive and my sincerity and that I’m a real person,” Starr said.

Starr said he has the “highest respect” for the others who ran for SGA president this year.

“I text the other candidates tonight that this week we’ve learned a lot, that each candidate brought something different to the table,” Starr said.” Whoever is student body president is going to act on the other concerns that were brought up during this election.”

Block said he wants to embrace his role as a servant and advocate for students.

“I just want them to know that I love Auburn,” Block said. “I’m not doing this because I love SGA, but I’m doing it because I love the students and the University as a whole. The success I want to see for Auburn is the passion and drive behind this.”

THEPLAINSMAN.COM

NEWS

ELECTIONS

Burney takes vice president

By ALEX HOSEY Lifestyle Editor

Schyler Burney, junior in economics, was elected as the new vice president for Auburn University’s Student Government Association, elections officials announced at callouts on Tuesday night.

Burney, who was formerly a student senator representing the students of the College of Liberal Arts, ran for the position of SGA vice president unopposed this year.

Burney said that her first goal as SGA’s new vice president will be to help educate the newly elected senators on their roles and how best to listen to and represent the student body.

“After tonight, not only am I in office, but we have 30 or 40 senators, and so one of my main goals this year is to successfully train them to take on the role that they’ve been elected to do,”

Burney said. “[We’ll] hit the ground running with getting that training kind of organized and set up and ready for them to get into office and get them equipped to understand what Senate is, what their new role is and kind of how parliamentary procedure works and how they’re going to work to represent their students’ voices.”

Burney said that the first obstacle between her and her goal of strengthening the level of communication between the Senate and the student body will be getting some of the new senators prepared for their roles.

“Some people may not have been to a Senate meeting and know what they’re run like, what they look like or fully understand what their role is,” Burney said. “I think kind of stepping over that hurdle for sure will be one of the biggest challenges in the next couple of weeks.”

With the announcement of a runoff elec-

tion that will decide the next SGA president, Burney said she is confident in her ability to work effectively with the new president no matter who it will be.

“Everbody that’s running [for SGA president] I have BURNEY worked with in some capacity for the most part,” Burney said.

“I believe this weekend we start exec interviews for the rest of our executive cabinet, and so [I’m] looking forward to working with whoever it is, and I know they’re going to be great in the role that they’re taking on, and I’m excited that I’m going to be working with them.”

MISS AUBURN » From 1

ADAM BRASHER / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

The War Eagle Girls and Plainsmen sing to Kathryn Kennedy after she is elected Miss Auburn on Tuesday night, Feb. 6, 2018, in Auburn, Ala.

MISS AUBURN » From 1

orary War Eagle Girl.

Kennedy’s family drove down from Birmingham to Callouts, and she plans on spending her celebration time with them and her friends. She is looking forward to settling down for a nap before the transition begins.

A bittersweet current Miss Auburn Ashley Moates expressed her excitement for Kennedy and

said she was looking forward to getting down to business with the new official University hostess.

“Kathryn Kennedy is going to be a wonderful ambassador and hostess for the University, and I am so, so proud of her,” Moates said.

Moates said she was pleased with all of the campaigns and felt that Auburn couldn’t vote wrong because all of the candidates would have been wonderful for the job.

Moates said the women had a challenge thrown at them with the campaign changes and all of them took the changes with grace.

KENNEDY

28.09%

RANDAL

27.21%

VEAZEY FOSTER

18.39% 13.46%

SULLIVAN 12.85%

ELECTIONS

Dixon Simmons elected SGA treasurer

By ALEX HOSEY Lifestyle Editor

Moments after the announcement of Miss Auburn 2018, Dixon Simmons heard his name called on the steps of Cater Lawn officially naming him the new SGA treasurer as he welcomed a barrage of hugs and cheers from friends and family members.

Simmons, junior in accounting, who ran unopposed, previously served as budget and finance chair in

SGA and will continue to help make SGA financially sound in his new role.

“First we have to get our exec team together – that will be this weekend," Simmons said. "I am really excited about that, excited to work with Schyler and whoever wins the runoff between Dane and Patrick. Honestly, I am just so honored to have this opportunity to serve the student body in this capacity. I am so excited, it's going to be an awesome year ahead.”

Simmons said that his biggest goal

REFERENDUM » From 1

Starting in the 2018 season, all postseason tickets will be distributed based first on the number of penalty points and then the number of Auburn credit hours.

Students with the least number of penalty points and the highest number of Auburn credit hours will now take top priority in ticket distribution.

Penalty points were implemented in the 2017 football season. Students receive penalty points per season based on their attendance at football games they have a ticket for.

In the recently implemented credit-hour and loyalty-based priority system, tickets will be distributed to students in order of decreasing credit hour. This means students with the most credit hours will be given the opportunity to purchase a ticket first.

If a certain credit hour level is reached and there are more students at that level than available tickets, then those students will be entered in a random lottery.

“I think that is really fair for the student body from freshman all the way up to seniors and ob-

as treasurer will be to try to make SGA more transparent with all of Auburn's student body both financially and generally.

"I think as SGA we can do a lot better job of just reaching out to students and being a student and not just being in our SGA bubble," Simmons said. "I think we’ll just do a lot better job of really engaging and being the student voice because that’s what our mission is, and that’s why I ran for this position, and that’s what we want to do.”

viously students who voted for it thought that as well, it got almost 50 percent of the vote out of four choices,” SGA Vice President Justin Smith said. “We’re excited; next steps are to bring that result to the Athletic Department, and we’ll work with them and see what we can do going forward and see what that looks like in the future.”

Ozburn and Executive Director of Elections Catherine Milling read the results of the student ticketing referendum along with the election winners’ names to the crowd gathered at the back steps of Cater Hall.

The referendum included four options for postseason student ticket distribution, a random lottery system, credit hour priority system, loyalty-based priority system and credit-hour and loyalty-based priority system.

A lottery system would have provided students the opportunity to enter the lottery and then would have been chosen at random to receive the option to purchase a ticket to a postseason game.

A credit-hour priority system would have provided students with the highest number of Auburn credit hours the ability to purchase a postseason ticket.

A loyalty-based priority system would have

After the Elections Council announced that the role of SGA's new president will be decided in a runoff election between Dane Block and Patrick Starr, Simmons said that, regardless of who is chosen, he will still look forward to working with them.

“I am good friends with Dane and Patrick, I think they are both incredible candidates, either of them would do a good job," Simmons said. "I’m interested to see what will happen.

Honestly, either way Auburn is going to be in good hands.”

provided priority ticket distribution to students that have the least number of penalty points for that football season.

“I think that’s probably the best option, that’s what I voted for at least,” said Austin Cain, senior in finance. “Just because I think that it’s better to give credit on who has been in college the longest, who has the most credit hours and then who is the most loyal, who’s been to the most games in the past. I think it’s most fair.”

The system that is voted on will be used for distributing postseason student tickets beginning with the 2018 season. This new system replaced a random lottery system that has been in place until now.

“I voted for that, the loyalty and credit based,” said Jeffrey Saunders, junior in finance. “Just because it did seem most fair. The people that just put in the most time throughout the years going to the football games. I feel like as a senior you kind of deserve them. An opportunity to see your last football season or even as a junior, your second to last football postseason.”

The new system will be used to distribute student tickets for all postseason games, which include SEC Championships, bowl games and National Championships.

opinion

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2018

THEPLAINSMAN.COM

OPINION

OUR VIEW

SGA STILL HAS WORK TO DO

By EDITORIAL BOARD Spring 2018

Soon, a new SGA will take the reigns over our student body.

Jacqueline Keck, our outgoing president, and the rest of 2017’s student government has done a great job improving the transparency and outreach of SGA and fighting for different initiatives.

However, no one president can achieve everything.

Alarming issues remain present at Auburn, and we believe our new SGA needs to concern themselves with addressing diversity at the University, along with the dining and the dorms system.

Foremost is diversity. Though a public school in a state that’s population is 26 percent black, only 6.6 percent of Auburn’s population is black, and only 3.2 percent is Hispanic.

Auburn’s student body should reflect Alabama.

More diversity not only brings opportunities to students regardless of their background but also brings more perspectives to campus.

It’s important students spend their college years interacting with people who don’t look like them, who may not think like them, and who bring different experiences with them to campus.

Auburn is not absent organizations that make students from different backgrounds feel welcome.

The Black Student Union works to represent the interests of black students at Auburn, and the Latino Student Association serves Auburn by educating the campus about the values of La-

tino heritage. The Muslim Students’ Association and Auburn Hillel provide a space for those of minority faiths and shares their traditions with Auburn’s.

SGA needs to push Auburn University to increase diversity by reaching out to minority communities and initiating scholarships based on diversity. These are effective ways to change the landscape of the Auburn student body.

Dining at Auburn also needs reform.

SGA should push to have more options available to those with dietary restrictions. Our campus could benefit from having healthier and vegetarian options available. They should be conscious of those who follow halal or kosher diets.

The dining dollars system also bears revisiting.

For freshman living on campus, $995 is rarely enough to last throughout a semester without eating Chick-Fil-A for every meal. That’s not to say that students should pay more — in fact, quite the opposite. There should be more inexpensive options available.

And for those living off campus, paying a mandatory $300 for on-campus food you’re not reliant on can come to be a burdensome cost.

Reforms are needed to make dining dollars a more efficient system, and that should be a focus of SGA. Lastly, the dilapidated shape of Auburn’s dorms needs to be addressed. Conditions living in newer dorms such as the Village or in South Donahue can be less than ideal, with bug infestations and mold growth being reported, but the older dorms are even worse. The Hill needs major renovations and it wouldn’t hurt to touch up The Quad, either.

GARRETT JOHNSON / CARTOONIST

A new SGA takes over the reigns of Auburn.

All that aside, there is not enough on-campus housing for those who may want to live in dorms.

SGA should spend the year focusing on improving on-campus living conditions. They should reach out to maintenance to find ways to provide safer and more comfortable dorms — we definitely pay enough for them.

We congratulate and wish good luck to the new SGA officials taking office this week. We also call on them to spend 2018 addressing issues of diversity, dining, and dorms on Auburn’s campus.

Changes in these areas will strengthen the campus community.

HER VIEW

HIS VIEW

PASSION PAYDAY

By CHRISTIE SHIOVITZ Contributing Columnist

For most people, choosing a college major is a stressful process.

There are so many options that it becomes overwhelming. You could start out thinking you want to be a doctor and end up in journalism. Or maybe, you truly have a passion for something, but it isn’t a “main stream” career. What are you supposed to do then? Do you major in what you love or in what will give you more job security after graduation? We have all heard both sides of the argument; some say you need to find a job in what you love so that work is never dreadful, but others recommend to major in something that will make the big bucks later on. Is there really a right or wrong?

Take me, for example. I had a career in ballet before I even went to college. My entire life revolved around becoming the next prima ballerina. Ballet was truly my passion, but there was always a part of me that wondered if I should let it go in hopes of a more financially stable future.

The time finally came when I decided it was time to retire the pink tights and tutus and trade them in for football jerseys and textbooks. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do for the rest of my life and finding that new passion was still in the process.

I started out as a double major in food science and nutrition, but after one too many science classes I did a complete 180 and transferred to the business school.

Making this switch took a

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We could learn from Washington’s final address

By COLE DAVIS Contributing Columnist

He was “first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen.” George Washington, the planter from Virginia and hero of the War for Independence, is the Cincinnatus of the American imagination. Like the Roman, Washington served his country when he was called to do so, and he returned to his home after having given up a remarkable amount of power. Washington’s life offers modern Americans lessons on virtue, humility and servant leadership.

Valuable lessons regarding American politics can be found in his farewell address.There is no doubt that many of us had to read Washington’s farewell address at one point or another during middle or high school.

Nonetheless, I think that revisiting it today would not be out of turn.

In the address itself, I would like to present just two major warnings that are given for the sake of brevity. The first is a plea to be cautious about entangling ourselves, as a nation, in foreign affairs. If we are aggressive abroad, there is no doubt we may grow to be despotic at home.

Trump is often labelled as someone who supports “isolationism.”

This is nothing short of an alarmist accusation, however.

Removing the US from foreign entanglements like the Trans Pacific Partnership is something that is desperately needed after the Bush and Obama years. Remaking the rest

of the world in our image is no longer something to which we should be devoted. When Trump exclaimed in 2016 that “we will no longer surrender this country or its people to the false song of globalism” or when he said in a speech “the nation-state remains the true foundation for happiness and harmony. I am skeptical of international unions that tie us up and bring America down” he was speaking right out of Washington’s playbook.

The second is a warning concerning the divisiveness of “factions” or political parties. During Washington’s tenure, the nation was utterly divided between Jefferson’s Republicans and Hamilton’s Federalists. This condition would eventually lead to civil war, and Washington knew that factionalism could ultimately result in something as awful as that. This is an important message for us today, when unity is strongly needed.

Trump’s calls for unity and his offer to compromise on immigration signifies his willingness to work with both parties. It sometimes seems that many Democrats wouldn’t mind seeing the country/economy fail if it means seeing him fail. Make no mistake, getting over polarization and factionalism will involve both parties but that does not mean it cannot be done if the state of our union is actually solid.

Early Americans had the honest fear that any executive put in charge of the nation as a whole would become a despot, thus turning the presidency into a sort of “elected king.”

After all, they had just spent eight years fighting a bloody war against a strong executive. Washington, being the Cincinnatus-like statesman that he was, appeased these fears by leaving office after only two terms.

Lord Acton once said that “power corrupts”, and quite honestly this is true. However, in giving up power Washington ultimately let virtue be his guide.

Conservatives have to keep this in mind, and not let their desire for Trump to accomplish his goals override the principles of limited government. On the upside, it does seem like his populist appeal will give conservatives hope as it relates to restoring power back to the states and the people.

From 1776 to 2018 our country has made a gradual shift from union to empire where the executive yields an extreme amount of power. Cincinnatus has become Caesar in many ways. While it is true that some hope may be placed in our current president (who still has at least three years to reverse the tide of governmental bloating), we must realize that the presidency should not be aspect of government we are most concerned about. Instead, we should be concerned with the just execution of federalism and the protections of checks and balances so that it really wouldn’t matter as much if a president you love or hate is in power.

The views expressed in columns do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Auburn Plainsman

OPINION PAGE POLICIES COLUMNS AND EDITORIALS

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.

lot of time and self-reflection.

I kept thinking maybe I should stick with my double major because of the praise STEM majors get, both in and out of college.

I was always told ballet could only be a hobby and that making a career out of it was nearly impossible. Sometimes I can’t help but wonder if I did the right thing. Now here I am, preparing for a world full of business suits and meetings, instead of my aforementioned lab coat and goggles.

Ultimately, don’t settle for something that will make you unhappy and in 40 years have you wishing you had stuck to your plan to nail down your dream job. Finish out your major in theater, I can’t wait to see your opening night on Broadway. At least keep your passion alive in some way. Whether it be joining a club and making a hobby out of it or teaching it to others, do not let it go. If the opportunity isn’t already there, make your own.

Whatever major you choose doesn’t mean you can’t decide later to do something else.

Conan O’Brien majored in English and history, but that didn’t hinder him.

This all goes to say, work as hard as you can in whatever major you choose. But don’t stop there; paint something new every week, learn how to play guitar, write a journal. Do anything you can to keep the fire ignited on your passions. It will keep life a lot more interesting.

The views expressed in columns do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Auburn Plainsman

THE EDITORIAL BOARD CHIP BROWNLEE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

LOREN KIMMEL CAMPUS EDITOR

ALEX HOSEY LIFESTYLE EDITOR

LILY JACKSON MANAGING EDITOR

SAM WILLOUGHBY COMMUNITY EDITOR

JEREMY NEWMAN OPINION EDITOR

JESSICA BALLARD STANDARDS EDITOR

WILL SAHLIE SPORTS EDITOR

INGRID SCHNADER PHOTO EDITOR

ANNE DAWSON ONLINE EDITOR

NATHAN KING ASSISTANT SPORTS

GANNON PADGETT VIDEO EDITOR

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2018

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ADMINISTRATION

Pizza Club disbands after four years

By PAUL BROCK Campus Writer

The Pizza Club was officially disbanded in fall 2017 during its fourth year as an official club.

Gurden Smith, who was the first and last president of the Pizza Club, said he decided to end the club because many of the members were graduating.

Clubs are an effective way to bring students together through a common cause, and for the Pizza Club, that common cause was pizza.

“The idea was essentially kind of a comedic tone to a social club, the idea is that we get together and eat something that everyone likes” Smith said. “[We] try to build campus friendships through that.”

Smith is a senior studying graphic design. Smith and a few friends founded the Pizza Club during their freshman year after he first heard the idea from a podcast. “[The podcast] just threw out the words “pizza club,” and I thought that that was such an interesting concept to take something so informal and make it formal,” Smith said.

The club became official in its second semester and was up to 80 members by the end of that quarter.

“In was a club where you could meet anybody, like you didn’t have to be a specific major or specific age or anything like that,” Mary Butgereit said. “It was just, ‘If you like pizza, come eat pizza with us,’ and so we met a lot of cool people that way that I don’t think I would have crossed paths with otherwise.”

Butgereit is a senior majoring in professional and public writing and was a secretary for the Pizza Club.

“Honestly, I think my favorite part was the disbelief most people had that it existed,” Butgereit said.

The club met every two weeks. A survey would be held each time to see when and where the club would go for pizza.

“I remember freshman year, people are aggressively friendly because they are desperately trying to cling onto people they can know before everyone stops being friendly and has made their friends,” Smith said. “What I appreciated about Pizza Club is that we were trying to essentially stop that and bring back the ability to make friends any time of year because there wasn’t any sort of barrier to entry in terms of you have to play certain sport, you have to have a certain interest, it was just pizza and like there’s very few people I know who don’t like pizza.”

Smith and Butgereit both said that one of their favorite memories was going to pizza places and asking for club discounts.

“That was a bit of a terrifying experience,” Smith said. “If someone walked into your business and said they are from Pizza Club, would you really take them seriously?”

Despite Smith’s doubts, the club was successful in securing discounts with multiple pizza places including Mellow Mushroom and Pieology.

“We were all really nervous, and then they were like, ‘You guys have a club that legitimately just tries to get people to buy our food?

Yes, we’ll gladly give you a discount,’” Butgereit said.

Members of the club were given official cards that provided discounts at local pizza joints. They also made a shirt with “Pizza Club, yes it’s real” written on the back. The club even had a cartoon skater dude as an official mascot.

“It’s a lot of fun to say that you’re in Pizza Club,” Smith said.

Butgereit said that one of her favorite memories is a time when the club met at Pieology.

“We found out that there was an upstairs room that, like now you have to rent it, but back then if you just had a big group they would just put you up there,” she said. “So we had the whole second floor to ourselves, and we had like two huge tables, and it was basically like a huge party almost. It was a lot of fun.”

Smith said that one difficulty the club had was finding dedicated officers to replace those who are graduating.

“The unfortunate nature of Pizza Club is while it’s a very fun club, and people love the idea of it – it’s not necessarily a club of prestige,” Smith said. “People don’t think, ‘Hey, I’d like to dedicate five hours of work a week to this club about pizza, and so we have a very hard time getting officers to kind of jump on board with that.”

Smith said that one reason he choose to disband the Pizza Club is because many of the officers are graduating this year. The club had around 250 members registered when it disbanded.

Butgereit said that the Office of Student Involvement has offered to help the club find a new president.

“Starting this club took a lot of work out of us, and me personally; my heart’s tied to this club,” Smith said. “If I were just to hand this off to anyone, and they take it off in a direction that could easily be detrimental to the name, I would not necessarily find that to be the best fate for Pizza Club.”

DAI SUGANO / BAY AREA NEWS GROUP / TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

Auburns vaping policy Vaping, e-cigarettes are included in the University’s smoking policy

By HANNAH LESTER Campus Writer

Auburn University has been a smoke-free campus since 2013, but most students are unaware that this includes vaping — and “Juuling,” for that matter.

Joanna Thomas, coordinator of alcohol and drug prevention and intervention services with health promotion and wellness, said that Auburn has included vaping under its policy since the start, unlike other campuses.

Thomas said that although many students do not see a problem with vaping, it can be considered dangerous like smoking.

“There are no FDA approved vaping devices or substances,” Thomas said. “So actually, there is no one saying and making sure that what you are doing is safe. That’s why some vaping devices explode, some of them have been hot glue gunned together.”

Vaping juices can have nicotine in them, even if stated not to, Thomas said.

“That also means there isn’t a lot of research out there … or even done because it’s relatively new so there is no one saying that it is actually safe,” Thomas said.

Because vaping can be considered dangerous, the University included vaping in its smoke-free policy.

“So from my understanding, it was included because they thought it could be a potential problem, I think, and they wanted to kind of be proactive about it,” Thomas said.

Auburn has programs set in place to aid students who wish to quit smoking, or vaping. In addition, there will be a new survey released soon detailing how many students smoke, Thom-

GREEK

IFC president shares spring plans

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as said.

“It’s really clear that a lot of students vape, but they also use a juul,” Thomas said. “And some people don’t consider juuling to be vaping, even though it’s the same, so we are really trying to get together enough information so that we can start doing campaigns and things like that. … I think that vaping in itself is just a few years old really.”

Auburn’s main program to help students quit smoking is called Pack it Up, through the Harrison School of Pharmacy.

“It was originally for employees, but students are also able use it, and they can go and meet the pharmacist, and they’ll go through one-on-one counseling for cessation, and then they will work with a person and their doctor or whatever if they want to do some medication or a plan,” Thomas said.

Those who attended the program have been successful, Thomas said.

Auburn has websites listed for students and employees who need additional help or do not wish to come into the pharmacy.

Thomas, with Wellness and Health Promotion, is looking to create a vaping kit to educate students on the dangers of smoking and vaping.

The no-smoke policy is not thoroughly enforced on campus, Thomas said. Enforcement is reliant on student awareness of the policy.

Auburn’s no-smoke policy included removing ash trays from campus and placing into effect a no smoking and vaping policy on premises. Smoking in a sealed, private car is allowed.

The policy states that those who do not comply will be asked to throw away their cigarette or other device and repeat offenders will be dealt with under normal disciplinary practices.

By MEGAN FERINGA Campus Writer

The 2018 Interfraternity Council President Gavin McGettigan said the year’s agenda will focus on breeding collaboration and respectful, meaningful relationships throughout Greek system to greater benefit the Auburn community.

McGettigan, junior in business analytics, took office as this year’s IFC president on Nov. 26 and has begun working hard to serve the IFC organization and the 27 fraternities it oversees. However, McGettigan said IFC serves more than just its sphere of influence.

“We’re there to promote the highest standard of integrity from fraternity members, whether that’s personal, social, civic, academic or in leadership,” McGettigan said. “The biggest misconception is that we’re the bad guys, that we want to take away social events and the fun. But in reality, we’re fraternity men too, and we have a responsibility to protect and educate

the chapters. We are not out to prosecute fraternities, we are there to protect them.”

This year, McGettigan is working hard to ensure fraternity chapters perform to their highest potential and provide ample support for their members to grow as Auburn men and serve as useful members of society. He hopes this effort can rid the organizations of the stigma that comes with fraternal association.

“I want people to realize that being an Auburn fraternity man isn’t simply drinking and partying,” McGettigan said. “It’s someone who learns how to be a gentleman and cares about treating other people right. I think it’s a common sentiment among fraternity guys that they want to help Auburn be the best it can be.”

In the last year alone, Auburn IFC, with the help from members of the 27 fraternities on campus, raised $4,300 for the Tuberville Foundation in support of Auburn veterans from a bowling event. IFC’s annual Spring Skeet Shoot, which also garners participation from most fraternities across campus, made a hefty donation to the Make-A-Wish foundation in memory of an Auburn worker’s son. The council hosts luncheons for the fire and police departments throughout the year at different fraternities as well.

“Those are the things that a lot of people don’t see,” McGettigan said. “Our guys do so much and want to do it all. It’s a unique leadership opportunity to work with men of similar minds that want to be a part of something bigger than themselves.”

McGettigan believes Auburn has one of the best Interfraternity Councils in the country, giving credit to the court processes, which brought some of the largest changes for the upcoming year.

“I think the strength of our IFC Court has made guys aware that a negative new member process does not breed brotherhood or good members,” he said. “If anything, it’s resentment.

The fraternity men at Auburn are starting to understand that.

They recognize the freshman are going through a lot, why add unnecessary stress and anxiety? We want to build them up and be what we, as fraternity men, stand for.”

The number of court cases brought to IFC this last year increased substantially, but McGettigan found that some fraternities brought forward faced similar low-level charges.

“The thing that really was interesting was that we just

» See GREEK, 5

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2018

The Auburn Plainsman

PAGE 5

RECREATION

Students enjoy LARPing, medieval combat » Live-action roleplaying has become a regular sight at the City of Auburn’s Kiesel Park

By PAUL BROCK Campus Writer

Kiesel Park is typically a quiet place where dog owners can be found walking their pets. Saturday afternoons, however, the sound of padded swords can be heard ringing through the park.

These padded swords belong to the members of Auburn’s Amtgard chapter.

Amtgard is an international Live Action Roleplaying society that is built around medieval combat.

“There’s large events that we go to, I was at a place called Eastmond Castle in Aiken, South Carolina, over winter break, and they had a day event where it’s just you show up in the morning, fight and do various events throughout the day, and they’ll sometimes do crafting competitions,” said Robert Anderson, member of the club and business administration student.

All fighters are given nicknames they are referred to as while playing Amtgard, and often these nicknames are given to the fighter by others. Anderson was given the name Screach.

“I got the nickname cause I was making noises with my first few practices, and one of the veterans at Dag said, ‘Man this new kid is screeching at me,’ and it stuck,” Anderson said.

A lot of the equipment and clothing that Amtgard fighters use is homemade, and so crafting is an important skill for members.

“We also sometimes do what are called craft days, which we’re just making items to use as part of the LARPing,” said Dakota Shamblin, junior in horticulture, “LARPing has defi-

GREEK » From 4

weren’t communicating well enough what was wrong. We saw three or four cases from different fraternities all for the same, simple mistakes.

They might not have even realized they were doing anything wrong. It was unfortunate, but it also needed to happen. It was a wake-up call for us.”

McGettigan said many of the rules enacted this year by the IFC court existed previously; IFC merely created a better way of educating fraternities about them and enforcing them to protect the fraternities themselves as well as the people attending their social events.

“I want to educate the fraternities so presidents know, ‘What we were doing is wrong. Let’s be proactive and stop it,’ rather than it coming to a point where someone’s safety is in question and IFC has to step in,” McGettigan said.

McGettigan believes creating a more candid di-

nitely pushed my sewing skills.”

“It looks really, really complicated, but it’s pretty much when you get hit in a limb, you lose a limb,” Anderson said. “Two limbs out is dead, hit in the torso you’re dead, and there’s other stuff on top of that.”

In addition, fighters can choose to play as specific classes such as assassin or archer, which gives them special abilities to call out during a fight. The Amtgard rulebook is over 70 pages long and provides details on what kind of equipment is allowed, how to organize each group and more.

“There are plenty of groups in Alabama,” Shamblin said. “We will soon be a part of a kingdom called ‘Winter’s Edge’ which ranges from about Tennessee down to South Georgia, and that’s about 17 other parks, which is what you refer to singular groups such as us.”

LOGAN ELLISON / PHOTOGRAPHER

alogue about issues faced by fraternities as well as pushing for more respectful relations among the fraternity leadership can solve the problem.

“I want the Council of Presidents to feel more comfortable with each other, even if it means simply knowing everyone’s names. We need to work together for the common good. We need to be more willing to share and talk about problems.

There’re things to be learned from everyone’s vulnerability.”

Presidents from each fraternity compose the Council of Presidents, the legislative body of IFC, which votes on rules and regulations. McGettigan plans on hosting a president’s retreat in the spring for the newly elected officials to facilitate cooperation and brotherhood.

McGettigan has also strived to foster stronger relationships with the other Greek life systems, NHPC and Panhellenic, to build support for academic, service and leadership success across campus.

TION LICA NE P P A DLI DEA 5, 2018 1 FEB.

Fighters can choose to use a variety of weapons like axes and longswords, and they can even use ranged weapons such as light bows with foam-tipped arrowheads.

“There’s some videos online, and they’ll teach you the basics of combat,” Shamblin said. “They don’t really beat actual practice.”

Their armor not only gives fighters an intimidating appearance, but it also provides serious protection. Often fighters will wear heavily padded gloves to protect their knuckles from bruising.

“There is an injury risk; I got a bruised rib once, and that was from a really mean spear, but the injury risk isn’t as great as one might think,” said Amtgard member Sumner Umphress. “You might get a bruised rib, a broken rib, or a broken ankle but it’s not that serious, and even those broken bones are pretty uncommon.”

Some fighters grew up playing LARP games while others were introduced to the genre through Amtgard, and they have a variety of reasons for enjoying the game.

“It was just like 12 years ago, there were some people hitting each other with some foam padded sticks, and I was like, ‘Hey can I try?’ And after the first time, I feel in love with it,” Daniel Smith said. “Honestly, [my favorite part] is that I get to hit people legally.”

Smith graduated from Auburn in 2012 with a masters degree in microbiology.

Member’s meet every Saturday in Kiesel park at 1 p.m. to practice for the larger meets that they attend monthly.

“We’re all very focused on lifting each other and ourselves up,” Shamblin said. “I’ve personally really enjoyed that, just having some sort of a sense of community.”

“One thing I’ve noticed is that we call ourselves a ‘Greek Community,’ but we don’t utilize one another’s knowledge or experiences like we should,” he said. “We need to communicate, be vulnerable and feel comfortable enough to reach out to other’s presidents and ask for help. That’s one of my biggest efforts – to try to better the community aspect.”

McGettigan particularly plans to push for more cooperation regarding Greek philanthropic efforts with an “inter-council” support within Greek life. He hopes the dialogue between IFC, NPHC and Panhellenic will foster positive relations within the organizations themselves and, more importantly, across Auburn’s campus and the local community to create a larger impact.

“Greek life means giving back and relentlessly serving the community,” McGettigan said. “We all have the same goal. What better way to do it than collaborating and pushing forward together.”

McGettigan wants to work on bringing back

something similar to “Greek Week” and create a week-long philanthropic effort with participation from all Greek organizations.

“I think it’d be a really great way to showcase a different aspect of Greek life’s presence in Auburn, and it is a way to give back to the community as much as we can,” McGettigan said. “We can have an incredible impact, especially if we work together.”

McGettigan offered a preview of his goals at Greek Summit, a retreat he organized for all the presidents of the Greek organizations.

McGettigan said that at the event, most of the executive members were “on board” with a more inclusive community. Now he’s hoping he can see that same support from the general members.

“I would love to see a Greek Philanthropy Week become a reality,” he said. “The goal is to form relationships. If I can see the relationships improve over the course of the year, I will be extremely happy.”

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community THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2018

6 THEPLAINSMAN.COM

COMMUNITY

POLITICS

Mallory Hagan officially announces run for Congress The Opelika native and Miss America 2013 could face 16-year incumbent Rogers in November

By SAM WILLOUGHBY Community Editor

Standing in her family’s Opelika dance studio and surrounded by three generations of her family, Mallory Hagan officially announced her bid as a Democrat for U.S. Congress Tuesday morning.

“Over the last 16 years, this congressional district has been in a situation where many of its constituents do not feel heard, do not feel that their representative is listening, do not feel that they get a response when they reach out to their representative,” Hagan said on Tuesday.

Rep. Mike Rogers, Republican from Saks, was first elected in 2002, succeeding Bob Riley as the representative for Alabama’s 3rd Congressional District, which includes Lee County.

Hagan has generated buzz around a run since an online crowdfunding page for her campaign went live last week.

Hagan, originally from Opelika, was recently launched back into the national spotlight after vulgar e-mails from Miss America CEO, Sam Haskell, were leaked. Hagan was one of the women attacked in the emails, with some describing her as “fat and gross.” Haskell stepped down after the emails were made public.

The former Miss America hit back, saying the emails exposed the sexist culture of the organization.

“It does not matter what organization or profession you are in, that type of language being used in interoffice communication is just not OK,” she previously told The Plainsman.

The 29-year-old said she’s been in the political arena for much of her life. During her time in pageants, from as early as 13 years old, she became an advocate for causes like arts education in schools, the body positivity movement and child abuse awareness.

SAM WILLOUGHBY / COMMUNITY EDITOR

Former Miss America winner, Mallory Hagan, announces her run for Congress as her family surrounds her on Feb. 6, 2018, in Opelika, Ala.

“As Miss America, and in the years leading up to that, I honed the opportunity and the skills to go out into the community and help people understand the problems that we were facing and then converse with them, listen to them and figure out how we can all work together to solve those problems,” she said.

Hagan has lobbied Congress on behalf of the National Children’s Alliance and said they were able to secure funding for the organization’s advocacy centers across the country in 2014.

The 2013 Miss America winner cited a lack of

GOVERNMENT

gender and age diversity as another reason for her run. There are 84 women in the House of Representatives, only four of who are under the age of 40.

“This has just become our status quo,” Hagan said. “We’ve been told that this is just how things work and we have to play the game if we want to see things change, or we don’t play the game at all because we don’t know how we’re supposed to see things change. And I just simply don’t accept that.”

“I look forward to working with the people of this state, of this district and of our country to make the world we live in a better place, and I hope that in

PLANNING

City Council comes under fire at Tuesday meeting

By KAILEY BETH SMITH Community Reporter

OLIVIA WILKES / COMMUNITY WRITER

Charlotte Mattox and Todd White at the CDBG public hearing meeting at on Feb. 5, 2018.

Grants bring benefits to low-income Auburn citizens

By OLIVIA WILKES Community Writer

For many people below the poverty line, certain expenses thought of as small for most can be a huge chunk of change. Twenty-two percent of Lee County residents live in poverty, according to U.S. Census Data.

The City of Auburn’s Community Development Division held two public hearings for the Community Development Block Grant, a program providing funds for services for low-tomoderate-income individuals, on Monday.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development allocates funding to Auburn annually for the CDBG. “CDBG funds only benefit programs and activities that go to benefit that individual that is low to moderate income,” said Todd White, director of community development for the City of Auburn, at the meeting Monday night.

Examples of these services include emergency housing repair offered through the Presbyterian Community Ministry, youth programs available with the Boys and Girls Club and the Food Bank’s Brown Bag program.

“Say, if you need a door replaced, and it is a housing rehab or housing repair,” White said.

“You would go to Presbyterian Community Ministry, and you would walk in there and apply, and they would repair your door for like $500, and then we reimburse them.”

The first public hearing was held at the Frank Brown Recreation Center and the second at the Auburn Center for Developing Industries.

Charlotte Mattox, the family self-sufficiency and social services coordinator with the Auburn Housing Authority, spoke at the meeting Monday night about the impact CDBG funding has for the housing authority’s residents. She referenced one resident who could only get to work because of the transportation that the housing authority offers.

“She is not physically able to get a driver’s li-

joining 390 other women who are running across the country that we can make the new norm, and we can get rid of what has been the status quo.”

Hagan has already raised close to $15,000 for her campaign through the crowd-funding website, and with no other Democrat in the district having announced a candidacy, she may have an easy path to November’s general ballot.

“Any kind of new undertaking is nerve-wracking, and as far as being a parent – that never stops,” said Phil Hagan, Mallory’s father. “But if there’s anything that I’m sure she’s ready for – it’s this.”

cense, but she is physically able to hold down a job,” Mattox said. “So if we didn’t have that transportation, she couldn’t have a job. It makes a big difference.”

Mattox said they also provide enrichment after-school programs, laptop fees for middle school children and fees for graduating high school seniors.

“All that adds up, and someone that has a job, sometimes it’s hard to afford it,” she said. “Imagine somebody that doesn’t have a job. … So this gives the kids an opportunity that they have when they normally wouldn’t.”

White said that many low-to-moderate-income individuals are cost burdened or severely cost burdened, meaning they spend 30 to 40 percent, respectively, of their gross annual income on housing-related expenses.

“What we’re trying to provide them, or what HUD would like for us to provide, is some quality of life or some measurable quality of life, not just giveaways, but opportunities that they have some measurable quality of life,” White said.

The hearings allow the public to learn about the program and offer citizens the opportunity to see if their organization qualifies for funding under the grant.

“This public hearing and the one I had this morning are specifically so that people like Charlotte or individuals that have never gotten this funding before, people that don’t know anything about it, can come in and say, ‘I have this program,’” said White. “They have an opportunity to publicly describe it, talk about it, get my feedback.”

Typically, few people come to the public hearings, White said, as the type of assistance they need can be handled over the phone, through email or on their application.

White said that the CDBG strives to create incentives for new and startup programs such as nonprofits.

The city is currently reviewing CDBG applications and will decide where to allocate funds and come up with a budget between now and April 1.

Auburn’s City Council approved an urban tree canopy evaluation from the Alabama Forestry Commission and almost $2.1 million for new developments and the purchases of new vehicles for city departments at their regular meeting on Tuesday, but that wasn’t the main topic of discussion for most of the Feb. 6 meeting.

The City Council came out in defense of itself after receiving a firestorm of criticism from several unsatisfied citizens. Members of the community expressed their distaste for the recent development discussions by the council, some of which were held behind closed doors.

The central issue was height ordinances.

In the opinions of many long-time Auburn residents, the height ordinances protect the charm of the downtown area.

The current height limit for the College Edge Overlay District is 65 feet, but there is much discussion about bringing the item back up for discussion to raise it to 75 feet. Some council members are in fierce opposition to the move, some in strong support and others are indifferent to the issue.

Bob Parsons, fire inspector for the city of Opelika, spoke out on behalf of Auburn residents over concerns of transparency within the council.

“It seems to be a procedural convenience to further some particular agenda — what that is, I don’t know,” Parsons said to The Plainsman about a long-term height ordinance battle among the council, which will be discussed at the city’s Planning Commission meeting Thursday night.

A Nov. 21 meeting included a presentation to the community members from the City Council concerning development plans.

Several citizens and council members asserted that Ward 8 Councilman Tommy Dawson said something about the height ordinance at the end of the meeting, but it was inaudible to most of the room.

“I don’t want to hide things,” Dawson said at the beginning of the meeting.

Auburn resident Bill Caskey approached the council about the proposed height ordinance.

“I think the City Council has been too accommodating to the developers,” Caskey said.

“The residents don’t want to ruin the aesthetics of downtown Auburn.”

The ordinance covers properties along College Street and Magnolia Avenue and includes all lots and buildings on College Street between Thatch and Mitcham avenues and those on Magnolia Avenue from Wright to Gay streets.

There has been much debate over the height of the Whatley building, a project that the council released information about in ear-

ly November 2017. The building, conceptualized by Auburn alumnus Steve Fleming, would need to be 75 feet in height, according to the plans.

Fleming said that he wished for the building to look like it had been in the area for more than 50 years to preserve the charm of the downtown area. In November, he expressed his desire to begin construction in the spring and to finish within a year.

Mayor Bill Ham said that he believed the council’s process to be “crystal clear” and said that the concerns brought forward by community members were mainly misunderstandings, rather than under-the-table deals as insinuated by those who spoke at the meeting.

Ward 3 Councilwoman Beth Witten expressed her disappointment at the way the issue was both presented and handled at the November meeting.

When asked about the transparency of the council, Witten told The Plainsman that it was not the issue that concerned her, but it was the process.

In sentiments echoed by Ward 5 Councilwoman Lynda Tremaine, Witten said the council had moved too quickly on the height ordinance, not allowing the citizens or the council to fully understand what was being said before the November meeting adjourned.

She said Dawson was not wrong in his actions, but that everyone misunderstood what was being brought before the council.

“At the time, it wasn’t right or wrong, it just wasn’t clear,” Witten said. “It was at the end of the meeting, and not on our agenda to discuss, so I did not add to the discussion because I did not understand.

“We, as a council, need to make sure that we communicate clearly how things are brought before this body. If we can have a clear and concise process, then the rest is much easier to discuss and debate and go forward with.”

Witten encouraged community members to get involved at the next few meetings.

“There is ample opportunity between now and when this [item] comes to us on March 20 for there to be significant public input,” she said. “That is the positive of all this.”

The item will appear on the agenda for Planning Commission’s Thursday night meeting, along with an item relating to the Northwest Auburn Neighborhood Plan, which will be held at 5 p.m. at 141 North Ross St. The meeting will be open to the public.

Ward 2 Councilman Ron Anders encouraged the community to make their thoughts on the ordinance known, suggesting they contact the council in the coming days.

“I want to assure the citizens that your opportunity to speak – and speak often – is there,” he said. “Nothing has been taken away from you. And we fully expect to hear from you.”

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2018 HEALTH

Scale Back Alabama 2018 hits The Plains

By MARY GRACE LONG Community Writer

According to The Telegraph, on average, the most common New Year’s Resolutions are to exercise more, to lose weight and to eat healthier. For Alabama residents, there is an easy and fun way to stick to those commitments while being held accountable and competing for a substantial prize.

Scale Back Alabama is the state’s largest weight-loss and exercise program. This program encourages participants to pair up and pursue healthy living in order to lose 10 pounds in 10 weeks.

“The program was designed to address the state’s challenge with obesity,” said Kathe Briggs, a state committee member and a coordinator for weigh-ins at East Alabama Medical Center.

Alabama has an obesity rate of 35.7 percent and is third in the nation in terms of adult obesity, according to Pam Starks, a Scale Back Alabama state committee member.

This year Scale Back Alabama has almost 500 volunteer coordinators, according to Starks. The program is entering its 12th year, and over the years this program has seen 1.35 million pounds lost, according to the City of Auburn.

Each year local businesses and industries are encouraged to promote this program in their respective communities, and Lee County has participated since the program’s inception in 2007.

“Lee County has been in-

volved since the beginning, offering public and private weighin/out sites,” said Alison Hall, a representative of the program who works to help spread the campaign through social media and the program’s local partners.

“This year we have eight public sites, including three offered

by Auburn Parks and Recreation: Dean Road Recreation Center, Frank Brown Recreation Center and the Harris Senior Center.”

Hall said that she would personally love to see Lee County break 5,000 pounds lost as a county for the 2018 campaign year.

According to the Scale Back Alabama website, weigh-in week was Jan. 22-28, and the weight-out week is April 2-8.

There are several weigh-in/out sites located throughout Lee County.

Registration is free and offered to anyone 18 years old and older who work or live in Alabama.

Participants register in teams of two and as of the end of January, 13,362 participants have registered, Sparks said. Teams who lose at least 10 pounds over the 10-week period are eligible for a state-wide drawing during weigh-out week.

The prizes are as follows: $1,000 per member of the first three teams drawn, $500 per member of the next three teams drawn and $250 per member of the last three teams drawn. In addition, 40 participants will be drawn to receive $100.

The Auburn Plainsman

PAGE 7

CULTURE

ADAM BRASHER / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Artist and Out of the Box award recipient Stacey Rathert delivers a lecture on her journey in art at the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art in Auburn, Ala., on Thursday, Feb. 1, 2018.

Out of the Box: Artist Talks kicks off with first-place winner Stacey Rathert

By JESSICA JERNIGAN Community Writer

There’s no place like home for Stacey Rathert, Kansas native and the first place winner of the outdoor sculpture exhibition, Out of the Box. Rathert was first to present the evolution of her work as an artist at the Jule Collins Smith Museum. The museum hosted her and those in attendance Thursday night in the auditorium where she gave a power point presentation of her story.

Out of the Box is a biennial competition that began in 2013 in celebrations of the museum’s 10-year anniversary. This year’s exhibition was juried by nationally recognized artist, Jean Shin.

Rathert is currently an instructor at the University of Mississippi in the sculpture and fine arts department.

Her creations are rooted in her experiences of growing up on a farm in her small town and her ability to tell per-

sonal narratives through her work.

“I consider myself a storyteller,” Rathert said as she began her talk.

“Like most storytellers, I like to start at the beginning.”

Rathert’s first place piece, “You Are Here,” is an open invitation to interaction. Inspired by her students’ plans for a weekend picnic, the movement of the piece flows like that of an unfurling picnic blanket made of artificial turf.

Before her creation of her awardwinning artwork, she was a hopeful artist living in Kansas manipulating and creating pieces out of steel and cast iron.

As a child, she would climb the windmill she has in her backyard and admire the view that stretched on for miles.

“These open views and this landscape taught me a lot of important lessons: resilience, how to work on the land and utilize the land and the importance of community,” she said.

The most pivotal moment of her early artistic mind was working with her father. She started in 4-H camp, a youth-development organization – learning the basics of sewing, preservation, rocketry and showing baby cattle.

Rathert wanted to go beyond 4-H to bond with her dad, she said. At around 11 years old, she learned how to weld and iron pour. She didn’t realize that assembling fans and working with metals would influence her artwork later.

She works with an array of materials, but cast iron was one that intrigued her from the start. She enjoys every part of the process, she said, from the sense of community and teamwork that goes into it to the work and sweat it takes to stretch the material into a piece she is proud of.

Rathert said she is constantly thinking of new ideas and pieces and is always in the process of creating something new.

sports

8

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2018

THEPLAINSMAN.COM

SPORTS

MEN’S BASKETBALL

EIGHT BALL “ T

ADAM BRASHER / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Bryce Brown (2) celebrates as he walks off the floor following a 25-point performance during Auburn Basketball vs. Vanderbilt at Auburn Arena in Auburn, Ala. on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2018.

Top 10 Auburn basketball blazes through SEC schedule

By WILL SAHLIE Sports Editor

wo weeks ago on JoxFM in Birmingham, Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said his team would have been undefeated at this point in the season and the national media would be talking about the Tigers as a Final Four team if Austin Wiley was eligible this season.

Even without Wiley, the national spotlight is squarely on Auburn now.

For the first time since February 2000, Auburn is ranked in the top 10, entering this week’s poll at No. 8.

The Tigers, who are 21-2 overall and 9-1 in the SEC, jumped into the top 10 in this week’s poll after knocking off Ole Miss and Vanderbilt last week. After seeing its 14-game win streak end at Alabama on Jan. 17, the Tigers have rattled off five consecutive victories to position itself atop the SEC. Auburn has a two-game lead over No. 15 Tennessee in the

We are just going to take it one hole at a time

SEC heading into the new week. Auburn defeated the Volunteers 94-84 in Knoxville in its SEC opener on Jan. 2.

The Tigers lead Kentucky, Alabama and Florida by three games in the conference standings.

“They are playing really well,” Vanderbilt head coach Bryce Drew said about Auburn. “They may be the hottest team in the country right now.”

Auburn was the beneficiary of chaos throughout college basketball over the weekend, as Duke, Kansas and Arizona all fell on Saturday. The Tigers jumped all three of the traditional powerhouse schools in this week’s poll.

As the Tigers continue to pile up wins, national experts con-

tinue to move Auburn up in their NCAA Tournament projections.

In his latest NCAA Tournament projection, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi placed Auburn as a No. 2 seed in the South Region. CBS’s Jerry Palm also placed the Tigers as a No. 2 seed in his projections.

Auburn will host Texas A&M on Wednesday and travel to Athens on Saturday to take on Georgia. The Tigers will look to complete the season sweep of the Bulldogs after defeating them 79-65 on Jan. 20.

“There are a lot of hazards on this back nine now,” Pearl said about the upcoming stretch run in the SEC. “There is a lot of water and a lot of sand, and there are some really good teams on this back nine. We are just going to take it one hole at a time. We really don’t have a bogey yet, but these holes are getting tougher.”

Tip-off inside Stegeman Coliseum on Saturday is set for 2:30 p.m. CST.

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2018

The Auburn Plainsman

PAGE 9

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Harper leads Tigers as ‘quarterback’

By TYLER ROUSH Sports Reporter

Bruce Pearl has found his quarterback.

In Auburn’s 93-81 win over Vanderbilt Saturday night, Jared Harper tallied a career-high 14 assists to go along with 14 points, three steals and two rebounds.

Harper’s 14 assists are the most by any SEC player this season, and his doubledouble in points and assists is the first by an Auburn player since Kareem Canty in 2015.

He finished one shy of Eddie Johnson’s school record of 15.

“I think [getting assists] was the easy part,” he said. “The harder part is making the shots.”

Pearl praised his point guard for his quarterback-style abilities.

“You look at [Harper] running the team because his team is playing well,” Pearl said.

“He did a great job of play calling and mixing things up.”

Hidden behind the success of both Bryce Brown and Mustapha Heron, who combined for 48 points on 16-of-24 shooting,

Harper quietly danced his way to a career night.

Following a summer that included workouts with Portland Trail Blazers’ allstar Damian Lillard, Harper’s goal was to average five assists.

Five days into February, Harper has nearly doubled his previous season’s average (3.0) and is now third in the SEC with an average of 5.8 per game. He has 11 games this season with at least seven.

In addition, the former four-star recruit has increased his 3-point field goal percentage from 34.4 percent to 40.9 percent.

His accuracy at the free-throw line is much of the same, moving from 70.5 percent to 81.4 percent.

“I feel like he is the best point guard,” Auburn’s leading scorer Bryce Brown said.

“He can get his teammates involved. He can score the ball. I feel like he does everything a point guard is supposed to do. I want him to continue to get better and do what he’s been doing for us.”

Pearl said that Harper has improved on defense as well.

“The thing I love about Jared, while he is

impacting the game and clearly having fun getting guys the ball, he is still not taking possessions off on the defensive end,” Pearl said. “He has done better.

“Jared is twice the defender he was a year ago – twice the defender. He’s not taking possessions off, he’s impacting the game and then the other thing he’s doing is he’s recognizing that he’s got a really good team.

“It’s his job to get the ball to people, and so he’s not looking to score as much as he is to play-make and defend, and those two things have translated into a lot of winning.”

While compiling more assists this season through 23 games than all 32 games the previous season, Harper continues to grow by spacing the floor and continually finding the open man.

And with more assists, everyone else will grow, too.

“I think we’ve got a team that everybody heated up,” Heron said on the win against Vanderbilt. “It doesn’t really matter who it is. With [Harper] having 14 assists, it was just that type of night.”

SOFTBALL

ADAM BRASHER / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Jared Harper (1) shoots a free throw vs. Vanderbilt.

GYMNASTICS

Tigers record season-high 197.0 in loss to No. 5 Florida

By SPORTS STAFF

JOSHUA FISHER / PHOTOGRAPHER

Courtney Shea (93) swings vs. Central Alabama Community College on Oct. 29, 2017 in Auburn, Ala.

‘We are just so ready for it’

Auburn softball preps ahead of Opening Day

By ZACHARY PIKE Sports Writer

The Mickey Dean era is set to officially begin Thursday as Auburn hosts Marshall as part of the Plainsman Invite tournament.

Head coach Mickey Dean arrives from James Madison as he looks to continue to build upon the success the Auburn Tigers have experienced over the past few years.

Dean said he is ready to his first game as coach for the Tigers.

“It feels great,” Dean said. “As a coach, it doesn’t matter where you are or what you’re doing, you never feel like you are quite ready. As long as we are playing with a great deal of effort and a great deal of energy we will be just fine.”

As Opening Day draws closer, the Tigers are getting ready to go.

“Excitement and energy,” Dean said. “I don’t want us to be anxious but I want us to understand the urgency by being ready.”

Infielder Casey McCrackin echoed Dean’s statements and said the team is ready to face off against another team.

“A lot of excitement, we’ve been waiting for this for a while now. Being able to finally start now, we are just so ready for it,” said McCrackin.

Marshall, who the Tigers open with on Thursday, brings a difficult challenge to start the year.

“They have a lot returning, I know that,” Dean said. “They will be a little inexperienced in the circle but head coach Jennifer Steele is very good working with pitchers and is a good game caller. If she finds a weakness in a batter she will get to it quickly. So, we have to be able to make adjustments and be able to make those adjustments quickly.”

Auburn’s lineup will look a little different this year than last with mixture of old and new faces throughout the lineup.

“We are going to start our best nine,” Dean said. “I don’t worry about all that other stuff. When we get opportunities to put kids in that might not be in the starting lineup then we will take advantage of that. Their opportunity to win their position and win playing time is during practice. So, we are going to start our best nine that gives us the best chance to win each game.”

“We just need to do our job and communicate a lot to make sure everyone is in the right position,” senior catcher Courtney Shea said. “Hit the ball hard and play solid defense, not really a secret recipe behind it, just do your job.”

Auburn will open the season against Marshall Thursday at 5 p.m. CT at Jane B. Moore Field. The Tigers will play seven games over the weekend as the 2018 campaign gets underway.

The No. 17 Auburn gymnastics team put together its best performance of the season so far, scoring a 197.0 Friday night in Auburn Arena. The No. 5 Florida Gators edged the Tigers with a 197.4 to take the team win.

“That was a lot of fun and it was nice to actually watch the team settle down and do what we asked them to do,” head coach Jeff Graba said. “Basically, the mission tonight was to go all four events and try to stay in our mentality. This group is really good when they’re having fun. I know we left a little bit on the table so we can still improve, but a really good night overall.”

Auburn (2-5, 1-3 SEC) set team-best scores in three of the four events, while 12 individual scores recorded were either season or career bests.

The Tigers kicked off the meet with a season-high 49.350 on vault and had five studentathletes reach new heights. Sophomore Gracie Day highlighted the rotation with a career-high 9.925, while freshman Jada Glenn anchored the event with a career score of 9.9.

Freshman Drew Watson and junior Taylor Krippner each tied their career highs, having a 9.875 and 9.85, respectively. Sophomore Katie Becker led off the meet with a season-best 9.8.

Auburn moved on to bars and put together a 49.150 in the event. Junior Samantha Cerio continued her steady streak for the Tigers, scoring another 9.9 in the anchor slot to tie her season high. Day reached another career mark for the squad, earning 9.925. Sophomore Kendal Moss chipped in a 9.85, while Krippner added a 9.75 and Watson a 9.725 Rotation three sent the Tigers to beam where AU reached a season-best, 49.225. Redshirt junior Abby Milliet continued her solid ways on the apparatus, leading the team with a 9.9. Redshirt sophomore Emma Slappey tied her career best with a 9.875, while freshman Allie Riddle tied her career score of 9.85 in the leadoff spot. Freshman Meredith Sylvia and Krippner added a 9.8 apiece.

Auburn’s 49.275 on floor was its final season high score of the night for the team. Day once again led the charge, tying a career high with a 9.9. Milliet anchored with a 9.875, while Slappey chipped in a season-best 9.85. Watson earned a career-high 9.825, while freshman Ashley Smith led the event off with a 9.825.

The Tigers take to the road for a full weekend, going against a pair of opponents away from the Plains. Auburn first visits Arkansas for an SEC Meet, Feb. 9, in Fayetteville before facing Texas Woman’s University Sunday, Feb. 11, in Denton, Texas.

INGRID SCHNADER / PHOTO EDITOR

Kendal Moss performs on the bars on Friday, Feb. 2, 2018, in Auburn, Ala.

FOOTBALL

Malzahn to earn $7 million per year through 2024

By BENNETT PAGE Sports Writer

FILE PHOTO

Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn during warm-ups. Auburn vs Georgia in the SEC Championship Game.

The details of Gus Malzahn’s contract extension with Auburn were released on Tuesday, paying Malzahn an average of $7 million through 2024.

The contract was signed by Malzahn, former athletics director Jay Jacobs and University President Steven Leath on Jan. 26.

Malzahn’s new contract runs through the 2024 football season and pays $49 million total. Malzahn will earn $6.7 million in the 2018 season, a number that will increase by $100,000 each season. In the final year of the contract, Malzahn will earn $7.3 million.

If Auburn chooses to terminate the contract at any point, it will owe Malzahn 75

percent of the remaining compensation.

Therefore, his buyout is currently $36.75 million and will decrease each season.

If Malzahn chooses to leave Auburn, he will owe a coach’s buyout to Auburn. That payment currently sits at $7 million and will decrease by $2 million per year in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

He will owe the University $1 million if he decides to leave after 2022.

The terms of the contract include Malzahn’s requirement to notify Auburn athletic director Allen Greene before engaging in any negotiations with other programs for employment.

Malzahn’s 2018 salary of $6.7 million will make him the fifth-highest paid coach in college football. Malzahn made $4.725 million in 2017 under his previous contract.

The Auburn Plainsman

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2018 MEN’S GOLF

Auburn places 5th in opening tournament

By STAFF REPORT Freshman Brandon Mancheno tied for ninth at the Amer Ari Invitational, carding a 2 under 70 on Saturday at the King’s Crossings Course at the Waikoloa Beach Resort to finish at 9-under 70-67-70—207. No. 8 Auburn had the second-lowest round of the day to climb three spots and finished in a tie for fifth at 22-under 286-279-277—842.

No. 2 Oklahoma State won the event with a 47-under 280267-270—817.

Mancheno, a product of Jacksonville, Florida, picked up right where he left off from the fall, placing in the top-10 for the fourth time in his first five collegiate events. He tallied seven birdies in the final round on Nos. 1, 2, 4 and 9 on the front nine and Nos. 14, 17 and 18 on the back. Mancheno finished the weekend with 16 birdies and an eagle.

Fellow freshman Wells Padgett climbed 34 spots to tie for 29th at 4-under 75-71-66—212 and sophomore Jovan Rebula finished a shot behind at 3-under 71-71-71—213 to t-32nd . Juniors Jacob Solomon (2-under 74-70-70—214) and Trace Crowe (1-under 71-73-71—215) tied for 37th and 41st, respectively.

In the trio of individuals, senior Ben Schlottman climbed 14 spots to t-64th at 3-over 77-71-71—219, junior Graysen Huff finished t-81st at 74-75-75—224 and freshman Andrew Kozan t-91st with a 76-73-77—226.

No. 14 Texas Tech finished runner-up at 30-under 278—834 followed by No. 19 Southern California (279—837), No. 16 Texas (279—841), Auburn, No. 3 Georgia Tech (286—842), TCU (279—842), Oregon (284—846), Arizona State (280—848) and No. 10 Stanford (282—852).

Colorado (282—853) finished 11th followed by San Jose State (296—867), UC Davis (296—867), Osaka Gakuin University (287—869), Oregon State (287—876), Pacific (307—900), hostHawaii-Hilo (314—907) and Hawaii (302—921).

Southern California’s Justin Suh won medalist honors at 13-under 69-66-68—203.

Up next for the Tigers is a trip to Houston, Texas, for the AllAmerican held at the Golf Course of Houston Feb. 16-18.

PAGE 10

BASEBALL

FILE PHOTO

Dylan Ingram (27) and Conor Davis (24) welcome home Josh Anthony (3) after hitting his first career home run vs. Arkansas.

Anthony grateful for opportunity to come to AU

By WILL SCHUETTE Sports Writer

Josh Anthony is set to be one of Auburn’s senior leaders for the upcoming 2018 baseball season, but less than eight months before he took control of the hot corner at Plainsman Park, the Tigers’ starting third baseman told the coaching staff he would never play a game for Auburn.

The junior college product was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 16th round of the 2016 MLB Draft and was torn between coming to the school he had grown up loving or chasing his dream of playing professional baseball.

“I knew that regardless of what happened, I would be in the best possible place I could be in life,” Anthony said.

At one point, Anthony decided to accept his offer from the Braves, but he was soon back on a path to Auburn when the team could no longer honor the original signing bonus they had offered him.

“I didn’t really understand the benefits I would have coming to Auburn until I got here,” Anthony said. “When the Auburn Family embraced me the way they did, I feel like coming here was the ultimate decision. It was the best decision I could possibly have made.”

Before joining the Tigers for their 2017 campaign, Anthony put up video game numbers in two seasons at Western Oklahoma State junior college. He finished his sophomore season with a .444 batting average, 25 home runs, 84 RBI and 49 steals.

The Columbus, Georgia, native grew up under an hour away from The Plains, but he went unnoticed by most and re-

ceived no Division I offers out of Hardaway High School.

“I chose to go to Western Oklahoma State because I just didn’t know who I was as a person at the time,” Anthony said. “I wanted to get away so I could find myself. That doesn’t work out for everybody, but that just so happened to work out for me. The success I had in Oklahoma blessed me with the opportunity to come back home and play in my backyard, so to speak.”

Auburn head coach Butch Thompson and his staff were expecting Anthony to be a solid addition to their lineup after dominating junior college pitching, but his role in the field was unclear upon arrival.

After spending time at multiple positions at Western Oklahoma State, including catcher, Anthony said Auburn was not fully aware of the ability he had with his glove at third base.

“I feel like it was overlooked a little bit because in junior college I bounced around from position to position,” Anthony said. “Auburn didn’t really know I could play third base. When I came in and was at third base, they were like ‘oh, he can play third base’. Yes, I can.”

Anthony made a collection of great defensive plays and only recorded nine errors while starting at third base in 62 of the Tigers’ 63 games a season ago.

As a newcomer, Anthony was able to assume the part of an everyday third baseman in the SEC immediately, but the adjustment he had to make at the plate against much stiffer competition than he had been accustomed to did not come quite as easily.

However, in a home series against Arkansas in late April, it all came togeth-

er for him. He broke out, going 9-for-12 and hitting his first home run of the season to help him earn SEC Player of the Week honors.

“I knew the game was going to speed up,” Anthony said. “Everybody here was going to be a lot bigger, stronger, faster.

I knew that, but I didn’t know what to expect. I was kind of trying to figure out things as the season went on, and some things worked more than others. The biggest thing for me going into that Arkansas series was the amount of work I put it prior to that series. Really getting a feel for my swing, and that translated during that series.”

Anthony finished the 2017 season with adequate numbers, batting .266 and finishing second on the team in both RBI (39) and doubles (14), but unlike the year before, he was not selected in the MLB Draft.

“I didn’t expect to get drafted, and I didn’t expect not to come back to school either,” Anthony said. “Baseball has a funny way of working itself out, so I tend to not worry about that stuff. What I’ve been doing for the past two years is building my relationship with God. I play through him, and whatever happens is part of his plan. Whatever happens, I’m at peace with.”

For Anthony, the 2018 season will not be about proving anything or achieving any statistical goals, it will be about getting a chance to play his final season of collegiate baseball at the highest level without any regrets.

“I just want to leave everything on the line,” Anthony said. “Go out there and do your thing, Josh. That’s it.”

Auburn will open its 2018 season on Friday, Feb. 16 against Longwood.

FOOTBALL

S T UD E NT A F FA I R S

SPOTLIGHT

The Veterans Resource Center

Seven Tigers earn spot in NFL Combine

By NATHAN KING Assistant Sports Editor

Beginning March 2, the Auburn Tigers will be wellrepresented inside Lucas-Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Seven former Tigers have been invited to the 2018 NFL Draft Scouting Combine. The combine, which spans from March 2 to March 5 at the Indianapolis Colts’ stadium, serves as a glorified skills challenge for

players looking to impress NFL Scouts.

Three Auburn seniors headline the group, including offensive guard Braden Smith, kicker Daniel Carlson and safety Stephen Roberts. Auburn boasts four juniors in running backs Kerryon Johnson and Kamryn Pettway, cornerback Carlton Davis and edge rusher Jeff Holland.

Senior safety Tray Matthews, who led Auburn in

tackles in 2016 and was second on the team in 2017, did not receive an invite.

Linebacker Tre’ Williams was also snubbed from the list despite an eye-opening Senior Bowl week.

Auburn has the eighthmost invites in college football, and the fourth-most in the SEC behind Alabama (14), Georgia (10) and LSU (10).

The NFL Draft will begin on Apr. 26.

The AU Veterans Resource Center (AUVRC) assists student veterans in making the transition from military to civilian life at Auburn. The Resource Center also provides support and guidance for military dependents.

Resources can be found online at www.auburn.edu/veterans or at 334-844-8167

auburn.edu/StudentAffairs

@AuburnStudents

facebook.com/AuburnStudents

@AuburnStudents

FILE PHOTO

Stephen Roberts (14) returns a punt in the second half. Auburn vs Ole Miss on Saturday, Oct. 7..

lifestyle THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2018

11 THEPLAINSMAN.COM

LIFESTYLE

ART COLUMN

‘Pride and Pestilence’ brings landscapes to life

By EMMA RYGIEL Lifestyle Writer

Photographer by instinct, Jeff Whetstone combined his interest of zoology and anthropology with photography for an interesting display of images and film.

Bringing his talent to The Plains, Whetstone’s exhibit “Pride and Pestilence” opened Feb. 1 in the Biggin Gallery.

Through this collection, he worked to challenge the viewer’s perception of the connection between man and nature, as well as suggest their influence on social constructs.

Whetstone earned his MFA from the Yale School of Photography in 2001 and is now a professor of visual arts at Princeton University.

The collection “Pride and Pestilence” highlights the timelessness of landscape and culture’s connection.

Sparked by his initial education as a zoology major during his undergraduate years, Whetstone was intrigued by the instincts of animals and the beauty of nature.

He focused on how humans, as animals, are shaped and molded by the land we walk on.

“Every time I look at a landscape I see a system of niches, and when I look at a man, I see an animal driven by animal instincts,” Whetstone said.

Whetstone was inspired by artist Pieter Bruegal when developing his voice as a photographer, particularly his ability to create an image that seamlessly narrates a scene.

He mastered the balance of providing just enough of the scene to get a gist of what is occurring in the photo, while still leaving a certain amount of ambiguity for the imagi-

nation of the viewer to take flight.

Working with this idea, Whetstone utilized the vantage point of an omniscient narrator by placing himself far enough back to capture a large part of the scene but close enough to document what is occurring.

This is a technique he has mastered through his 30-year career.

Influenced by his Southern upbringing in Tennessee, Whetstone was intrigued by the traditional American sportsman in this collection. He worked with their connection to the environment through hunting and challenged the idea of masculinity that surrounds the stereotype.

Whetstone began with the connection of a hunter to the landscape through camouflage.

He was inspired by how this uniform takes an image of nature – viewed as beautiful when in landscape form but shifting toward lethal once it’s on the body.

From this, Whetstone’s cultural connection of man and the landscape was formed.

“The Earth determines our culture,” Whetstone said. “I found that the performance of masculinity in the wilderness was like dress-up.”

Through these images he focused on this cultural connection and centered it around the concept of the “demise of man and the rise of the matriarchy,” said Whetstone.

Connecting the dots between landscape and the modern-day topic of gender illustrates how Whetstone can form multi-faceted conversations from one image.

In this collection, Whetstone also experimented with the culture that continues to be documented through landscape via cave art.

Exploring the cave system in Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee, Whetstone wanted

EMMA RYGIEL/ LIFESTYLE WRITER

Auburn student views “Pride and Pestilence” by Jeff Whetstone on Thursday, Feb. 1, 2018, in Auburn, Ala.

to highlight the connection with the landscape through the documentation of memories, self-expression and our animal-like tendency to explore the present through cave art.

“Caves mark an undeniable chapter in history,” said Whetstone. “They gave an opportunity of taking a modern view of landscape.”

Enchanted by Earth’s creation and the human race’s interaction, Whetstone illustrates another example of how man, landscape and

culture are intertwined.

“Caves elicit expression and the voice of explorers, Civil War heroes, scientists and more,” said Whetstone.

In touch with his craft and a remarkable storyteller at that, Whetstone’s exhibit stretches the mind of the viewer and creates a lasting conversation.

His work may be seen until March 2 in Biggin Hall.

MUSIC

Bands to look for at Sloss Music Festival

By MOLLY STEWARD

VIA GINNARD ARCHIBALD

Lifestyle Writer

The Sloss Music and Arts Festival has become Birmingham’s premier music festival after three successful years in the Magic City.

After much anticipation, the 2018 lineup has finally been announced. The Birmingham event is set for July 14-15 at Sloss Furnaces.

Sloss Fest was created in 2015 by Red Mountain Entertainment, a longtime concert promoter in Birmingham, and two partners: AC Entertainment (behind the Bonaroo and Forecastle festivals) and Venue Management.

“How could this lineup not excite someone?” asked Patrick Droney, a musician playing at Sloss Fest. “I’m thrilled to be coming to Birmingham to perform my new music for new faces. We are putting together a special show for you guys.”

Sloss Fest features four stages of music; the Steam Stage, Blast Stage, Shed Stage and Seasick Records Stage.

The lineup is now at 44 performers. The big headliners are Chris Stapleton, Arcade Fire, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit and Griz.

Daily lineups and the weekend performance schedule will be revealed later.

Sloss Fest is known to bring a range of genres into one rocking weekend.

“The festival atmosphere is so special because most of the attendees are generally just music lovers,” Droney said. “Fans of different genres coming together for a few days of community united by music – such a wonderful thing. Being able to let loose with that knowledge on a big festival stage to me is freedom.“

You just kind of immerse yourself into the whole music scene and be a part of that festival culture,” said John Davidson, a member of the Brummies. “It is a carefree fun atmosphere to be in.”

The Brummies recently finished touring the Northwest.

The band has played at Bonaroo, Stagecoach, Shaky Boots, Firefly and Hangout –

they are not new to the festival scene, but they also have a huge fan base in Europe.

They are originally from Birmingham.

For them, this is like a homecoming.

“Every year that we see Sloss Fest go by we are just like, ‘Man, that’s home, and we would love to be a part of it,’” Davidson said.

“It feels good to finally get an opportunity to play in front of our hometown in a big festi-

val like that, its special for us.”

They currently reside in Nashville.

The Brummies plan to release a new single in February followed by a record in April.

Davidson and band member, Trevor Davis, are also big Auburn fans.

Davidson went to a couple football games this past year and commented on Auburn’s recent basketball success.

“We also want to achieve the necessary amount of fame to where we can get sideline Auburn tickets,” Davidson joked.

Both Droney and The Brummies are going to put on an awesome show to make Sloss Fest 2018 one to remember, they said.

It is apparent that both cannot wait to share their passion for music with the Magic City in July.

“I’ve always felt that the transaction between artist and crowd is a sacred one,” Droney said. “When I am on stage playing for faces standing right in front of me, I know it’s something unique and special we are sharing in a fleeting moment. I love sharing that space with the crowd and look forward to doing just that at Sloss this summer.”

“Any room where people want to listen to the music is a room we are happy to be in,” Davidson said.

Tickets are on sale now for Sloss Fest 2018, hosted at the Historic Sloss Furnaces.

Sloss is currently the only 20th century blast furnace in the United States being preserved as a historic industrial site.

Sloss also helped the city get the nickname “Magic City.” The city was named after Birmingham, England – the center of the country’s iron industry.

The new Alabama city boomed, becoming the Magic City.

RECREATION

Outdoor spots offer places to escape for the day

By EMMA RYGIEL LIFESTYLE WRITER

Auburn is a fairly small town, so it is common for the average college student to want to get some fresh air for the day. Auburn is located near a few spectacular sights that everyone should see.

Providence Canyon State Park Providence Canyon State Park is an hourand-20-minute drive from Auburn.

With 16 canyons total that stretch over 1,103 acres, it is known as the “mini Grand Canyon.”

The canyons, a result of poor farming practices during the 1800s, are forged from sandstone and show a wide array of colorful soil that includes red, white, purple, pink and or-

ange.

There are 10 miles of trails to hike, all beginning and ending at the visitor’s center. One of the most popular trails, the Canyon Loop Trail, covers nine of the canyons and takes about two hours to complete the five-mile hike.

Smith Mountain Fire Tower The Smith Mountain Fire Tower is 37 minutes from Auburn and gives panoramic views of Lake Martin. It was originally built in 1939 but was restored in 2012 when it was opened to the public.

There is a short, 1/2-mile hike to the tower followed by a climb to the top of the 80-foot tower. It is an amazing spot to view the sunset or sunrise any time of the year.

Cheaha State Park Cheaha State Park is an hour and 33 min-

utes from Auburn. At the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, the park is home to the highest point in Alabama, measuring 2,407 feet above sea level.

The state park is surrounded by the Talladega National Forest, which is comprised of 11 state parks.

The park offers several hiking-only trails, but the most popular is the Bald Rock Boardwalk Trail, which is only 1/4 of a mile in length and has a scenic overlook that stretches halfway to Birmingham.

Chewacla State Park Not even five miles from Auburn sits Chewacla State Park. There is a short but semichallenging hike through woods to the waterfall. The waterfall was man made in the 1930s to dam up the lake. Aside from the short hikes,

Chewacla is known more for its outstanding bike trails. They also offer rentals for canoes and paddle boats.

Chattahoochee River The Chattahoochee River, located in Columbus, Georgia, is only 44 minutes from Auburn.

The whitewater rafting is located on the river was nominated one of the Top 12 ManMade Adventures in the World by USA Today.

The river contains rapids ranging up to a class five. There are two versions of the trip: classic and challenge.

The challenge version occurs when they release water from the dam. They also offer to relax flatwater tubing, paddle boarding and kayaking.

The Auburn Plainsman

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2018

PAGE 12

HOSPITALITY

The Crenshaw House provides Auburn hospitality

By COURTNEY SCHELL Lifestyle Writer

Built in 1890 by Auburn University math professor Bolling Hall Crenshaw, the Crenshaw Guest House was originally a one-room bungalow for his family. It has since been transformed over the years to become alternative lodging for any Auburn visitors.

Crenshaw first built this home for residency for him and his family and soon after built a second story suite to house students.

The Crenshaw family shared their home with University students for many years.

The home has been passed down to several owners throughout the years, each owner making it their own.

In November 2013, the current owners, Stephen and Sarah Jenkins, purchased the home and have created a well-known bed and breakfast in the heart of Auburn.

The house stands tall and sticks out with its bright-blue color and Victorian style.

To the right of the home is a pebble-filled driveway that leads to the back toward the backyard and smaller cottages, each having their own name.

“We lived in the Dallas area,” Sarah Jenkins said. “When our oldest daughter came down here, we stayed here. When we left in August after we dropped her off, my husband was talking to the owner and said, ‘Hey, if you are ever thinking about selling, let us know,’ and the owner said, ‘Well I am letting you know.’”

The family prayed about it all the way back home, hoping to find an answer.

“We said, ‘Okay Lord, if that’s what you want, open doors and if not, close them,’ and He just opened door after door,” Sarah Jenkins said.

“We sold our house, packed up, moved to Auburn and have been renovating and working on it ever since.”

LOGAN ELLISON/ PHOTOGRAPHER

The bed and breakfast on College Street on Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018 in Auburn, Ala..

The Crenshaw Guest House now consists of seven different rooms, all varying in size and style.

There are three rooms in the original house and four cottages in the back yard.

Each room or suite includes antiques with history as well as new renovations, creating a truly authentic atmosphere in its interior design.

“I always say that God provides, and He does because when we start redoing a room and we need things, things just show up,” Sarah Jenkins said. “He’s good about that.”

In the center of the home stands the kitchen

where the Jenkins serve their guests breakfast every morning.

Breakfast is buffet style, changes each day and consists of food like scrambled eggs, cheese grits, bacon, pancakes, toast, jelly and jam, fruit and yogurt.

During the day, there are always complimentary cookies and coffee for the guests.

“The accommodation of the early time we needed to eat and the graciousness of the hosts was simply outstanding,” said Wendy Carla Griffin, a prior guest. “The fresh cookies and full refrigerator were a bonus too.”

COLUMN

In Defense of UGGs: Is the furry boot coming back in style?

By EMMA RYGIEL Lifestyle Writer

Yes, you read it right, it may be time to dig out your classic UGG boots from 2010 because their comeback has just begun. Perhaps the most worn shoe of a millennial’s childhood is, believe it or not, coming back into the fashion eye.

“In fashion, one day you’re in and the next you’re out,” said fashion icon Tim Gunn.

These wise words could not be more fitting for the UGG boot. There is a love-hate relationship with the shoe, but what is loved is the consistency and comfort of the product. However, the turn away is that the classic style isn’t always versatile.

A guilty pleasure when it fluctuates out of

style and proudly worn daily when it is in style, UGGs have proven to be the trend we just can’t shake. Here are three reasons you should bring back the boots this winter.

Celebrity Spottings Thanks to the media’s eyes on the streets, there have been many celebs caught in the comfort of a pair of UGGs this season, with some showing us you can even dress them up beyond your pair of leggings and a sweatshirt.

Jennifer Lopez was caught walking around the block in a pair of black classic UGGs worn with a plaid tea-length skirt, a white blouse and a puffy coat.

Rihanna was also spotted with the same pair but styled down with PUMA track pants and a coat. Therefore, not only is the

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with T-shirts and jeans, Marten’s collection has inspired the resurgence of the chunky UGG boot this winter, and thus the world of high-end fashion is in support of the trend.

No need to fear not being fashion forward.

Comfort For this sole reason, why did we stop wearing them in the first place?

All in all, UGGs are one of the most comfortable pairs of shoes, and although they are sometimes criticized for not being fashion forward, that idea has been thrown out the window this season. Thanks to J. Lo, Rihanna, Kendall Jenner and Paris fashion, shoppers have been given the green light to bring back the best basic boot without compromising the ability to be fashionable at the same time.

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shoe back in style, but the other colors beyond the original are as well.

Lastly, Kendall Jenner was spotted mixing it up with the chestnut classic UGGs worn with a pair of black jeans and an army green bomber jacket.

Serving as trendsetters, these fashionable celebrities should convince you to get back on the UGG bandwagon.

UGGs Appearance in Menswear Paris Fashion Week Glen Marten, the creative director for the designer brand Y/Project, reinvented the trend on the autumn/winter 2018 menswear runway show in Paris. Although his version is a bit out there for every day wear, the trend was still brought up and will trickle down to the mass consumer level. Styled

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

ACROSS 1 Color changers 5 Allowing for the uncertainty of the future 10 Fairy tale bear 14 Set 15 Greenland coin 16 Holiday lead-ins 17 Aerialists’ insurance 19 Days in Durango 20 Side by side?

21 Medical priority system 23 Visually transfixed 26 Porsche Boxster, e.g.

29 Mauritania neighbor 30 Make a big stink 31 Immobile 32 Lining fabric 34 Zebra hunter 36 Breakfast order ... and a hint to the last words of 17-, 26-, 51- and 58-Across 41 Loaves that may be seeded 42 Printing goofs 44 Narrow groove 48 Take to heart 50 “Yikes!”

51 Like some pizza ovens 53 Decorative draperies 54 Brand name for the sleep aid zolpidem 55 Culture starter?

57 Tropical tuber 58 Conflict in Tennyson’s “The Charge of the Light Brigade” 64 Tiny bit 65 Broadcaster 66 Sticking point 67 Many Christmas presents 68 Involuntary muscle contraction 69 Jet black DOWN 1 Wedding reception VIPs 2 Vote for 3 Cookie baker in the Hollow Tree

4 More disreputable 5 Terrier breed from Scotland 6 Richly decorated 7 Rival 8 Colony crawler 9 Stops working for a while 10 Highway divider 11 Pilot 12 Scanty 13 State strongly 18 Little Italian number 22 “Stand By Me” director 23 Bowling alley initials 24 Some square dancers 25 Baldwin brother 27 “Maybe” 28 1930s migrant to California 30 Beverage company __ Cointreau 33 Coffee server 35 Binged (on) 37 Paint brand sold at Home Depot 38 Got big enough for

39 “Born This Way” Lady 40 Antlered animal 43 Program interruptions 44 Try to hit, as a fly 45 Minestrone ingredient 46 Drink named for a Scottish hero 47 Make a scene and act up

49 One of a ’50s singing quartet 52 Ancient empire builders 53 Madrid Mrs. 56 Start of an idea 59 Fabric flaw 60 Yo La Tengo guitarist Kaplan 61 Break the tape 62 Whichever 63 King of ancient Rome

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