The Auburn Plainsman 09.10.20

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2020

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CORONAVIRUS

University adds nearly 600 new COVID cases

By JACK WEST Editor-in-Chief

Auburn University recorded 598 new COVID-19 cases between Aug. 31 and Sept. 6, according to data released by the University on Tuesday, Sept. 8.

This is the largest weekly increase in cases that the University has reported since reopening in mid-August.

Last week, the University reported 517 new cases; the week before they reported 208.

This brings Auburn’s total to 1,323 cases in three weeks.

Fred Kam, director of the Auburn University Medical

FEATURE

Clinic, said in a video released by the University on Twitter that this continued increase in cases was actually lower than his original predictions.

“There was a slight increase in the number of patients who tested positive this week; totally expected,” Kam said.

“Actually, it’s lower than what I was anticipating, so in this case I was very happy to be wrong.”

Kam said he expects cases to continue to climb, especially following the long Labor Day weekend.

“We are definitely expecting a new spike post Labor Day,” he said. “I think it will his us towards the end of this week, and then next week and the week after.”

In the video, Kam also warned that even though someone who picked up the virus over the weekend may not test positive for a few days, they are likely contagious now.

“If you take extra steps, knowing what you did, you take extra steps to wear your mask, distance yourself, cleanse your hands and avoid getting together with anyone, even if you got infected, the infection will stop with you,” Kam said.

“It won’t perpetuate, and you won’t start a mini outbreak.”

According to the University’s website, the new cases being reported each week are drawn from two sources: » See COVID-19, 2

CAMPUS

Local artist spreads hope during pandemic

By MAGGIE HORTON Writer

An Auburn alumna said she is using her talents to bring “a spark of hope and color to these troubling times.”

Margee Ragland is an Auburn alumna with a visual design degree and a master’s in painting. She decided to move back to Auburn during retirement after years of teaching at Georgia State University.

Ragland is the face behind The Pandemic Art Project, which she was inspired to create during the shelter-in-place order in March.

Her first project was creating and hiding paper-mache houses with figures inside in places around Auburn.

Ragland said she attached cards to the artwork which included her email in hopes to receive responses from people that found her work. She hoped that searching for these pieces of artwork would be a fun activity for people and take their minds off of world events.

Due to the paper-mache material the houses didn’t hold up with the weather.

She decided to create something new that would hold up better outside.

As a continuation of The Pandemic Art Project, Ragland painted plastic dog figurines to replace the houses. She said they are more prominent than the houses, and she thought people would like to see dogs.

The dogs are painted a variety of colors including red, blue and green to create a whimsical effect.

Ragland said they were inspired by the dog Sirius from Greek Mythology and the novel “The Dog Stars” by Peter Heller.

Ragland explained that Sirius is the brightest star in the heavens, located in the constellation Canis Major. Sirius was said to be the dog of Orion and Icarus who changed into a star. Sirius, the dog star, is supposed to represent hope; this made it the perfect symbol for the project with the uncertainty the pandemic brought, she said.

“The shelter-in-place order allowed me tons of time to make stuff, and I walked miles a day around the deserted campus,” Ragland said.

Ragland has received many emails praising her artwork and providing commentary about how the artwork was interpreted by multiple viewers.

“People’s responses have been » See ART, 2

JOSH FISHER | PHOTOGRAPHER

The University Student Center, built in 2008, will be renamed to honor Chief Justice Harold Melton.

Trustees to dedicate Student Center to first Black SGA president

By TIM NAIL Section Editor

The Auburn University Student Center will be dedicated to Chief Justice Harold Melton of the Georgia Supreme Court.

Melton is a 1988 Auburn graduate in international business who was the first Black president of Auburn’s Student Government Association from 1987 to 1988.

Trustees James Pratt and Elizabeth Huntley announced the dedication to the University Board of Trustees on Friday, Sept.

4. Pratt and Huntley co-chair a trustee task force that proposed the dedication.

“This naming is an important and historic step in our long-term effort to strengthen Auburn by demonstrating we value diversity and inclusion,” Pratt said. “We also honor a fine man who has achieved much both here at Auburn and in his professional career and life.”

Melton ran for SGA president at a time in which fewer than 5% of Auburn students were people of color, according to Pratt.

An in-person dedication will be held at a future date where Ada Ruth Huntley, a senior in global studies who is the current SGA president and daughter of Elizabeth Huntley, will name the facility.

Pratt noted that Ada Ruth is the first Black female SGA president.

“This should serve as a powerful statement to all concerning Auburn’s current and future commitment to diversity and inclusion,” he said.

Ada Ruth expressed her excitement for the task force’s decision to the Board of Trustees. “[This] is definitely a personal significant

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thing,” she said. “[The] Student Center, under normal circumstances of course, is host to more than 5,000 visitors each day. It really is the focal point for where the Auburn Family and all of its students come together on campus, and I cannot think of a more fitting person to name it after other than Harold Melton.

Melton achieved a landslide victory in his election to the position, receiving 65% of the vote, according to Ada Ruth. He was also the first SGA president to be unaffiliated with a Greek life organization.

“During his tenure from 1987 to 1988, he worked to improve student life at Auburn, and his contributions were impactful in ensuring he would not be the last African-American SGA president also,” Ada Ruth said. “He was forward in paving the way for many Black student leaders to come, myself included.”

Melton was appointed to the Georgia Supreme Court in 2005 and was sworn in as presiding judge in 2017, according to Ada Ruth.

“He’s a part of the reason why I’m able to serve in the role I am today, so I cannot be more honored on behalf of the student body to suggest that we name the Student Center the ‘Harold Melton Student Center,’” she said. “I think this naming will be impactful in recognizing the impact Judge Melton made and contributions other student leaders have made on Auburn’s campus because of Judge Melton’s empowerment.”

Elizabeth Huntley said she was also influenced by Melton during her time as an Auburn student, whose success led her to run for SGA president.

Though she lost, unlike her daughter,

Elizabeth said she feels Melton “left a legacy at the University regarding student leadership, inclusiveness and diversity” nonetheless.

“He didn’t stop just there with his work for Auburn and his love for Auburn and commitment to Auburn,” Elizabeth said. “I can’t even count the number of times that he has worked with Auburn whether it be in capital campaigns or coming back to talk with students and supporting other Auburn initiatives.”

Elizabeth said while she was pleased to help develop the dedication, it was also the culmination of student support for diversity in the past few years that led up to the decision.

“I’m so proud of the students ... who have been so forward-thinking in celebrating diversity whether it be from the original work from Justin [Smith] and Dane [Block] three years ago that led us to the NPHC Legacy Plaza ... [or] whether it be the University taking the collegiate step to reach out to Dr. Harold Franklin and allow him to defend his thesis and receive his master’s degree,” she said.

Among this support was an SGA proposal several years ago to dedicate a building to Melton, Elizabeth said.

“He’s the right person for the right building at the right time,” Elizabeth concluded.

The Student Center was built in 2008 and is home to the Office of Student Involvement, Student Affairs, the Office of Greek Life and Auburn Student Media among other offices.

SGA and many other student organizations host meetings in the facility during regular University operations.

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2020

THEPLAINSMAN.COM

NEWS

Auburn University COVID-19 data

AU's new weekly COVID cases 700

AU's total cases

598

600

517

1200

500

1000

400

800

300

600

200

1323

1400

208

400

100

200

0

0

8/15 - 8/21

725

8/22 - 8/28

8/31 - 9/6

208

8/15 - 8/21

8/22 - 8/28

8/31 - 9/6

* The University has said that these numbers do not accurately represent the current COVID-19 situation on campus

COVID-19 » From 1

self-reported data and GuideSafe’s sentinel testing.

At the time of publication, the University has not released the positivity rate for these 598 new cases. The number of tests performed in the weeklong period represented by these cases has not been released either.

According to Preston Sparks, director of University communications, the University is not able to report the positivity rate of these tests because they do not have that information.

“Those testing positive were self-reported from a number of testing locations,” Sparks said. “We do not have information on how many total tests were performed on Auburns students and employees, so it is not possible to calculate a positivity rate.”

This is the third data set that the University has provided without a positivity rate.

According to the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, positivity rates are a critical measure for schools

to have since it is often a good indication of how widespread the virus is in a given area.

Generally speaking, a high rate of positivity is considered bad since it either shows that many people are testing positive for the virus or that not enough people are being tested for it.

In an email, the University said that by implementing sentinel testing last week, they are hoping to get an accurate positivity rate.

Kam said the sentinel testing will select 2.5 to 3% of people in the “campus community” each week to be chosen. However, even if someone is chosen, the subsequent test is not mandatory.

As of publication, the University has not reported any students being hospitalized due to COVID-19.

“Auburn is not aware of any student hospitalizations involving COVID-19 since the semester began,” Sparks said. “If hospitalizations were rising as a result of class being in session at Auburn, we would immediately address it.”

Reports from East Alabama Medical Center also show that their number of hospital-

izations has steadily fallen since on-campus classes resumed in mid-August. However, in the last few days EAMC has seen its number of hospitalizations begin to tick up again.

The University has pointed to the lack of student hospitalizations in recent weeks as evidence that the virus is not currently posing a threat to the school’s ability to finish the semester on campus.

However, some scientific studies are beginning to show that some people who are not hospitalized for this virus may still face some long-term effects.

In August, the Mayo Clinic reported that even though “older people and people with many serious medical conditions are the most likely to experience lingering COVID-19 symptoms [...] even in young people, COVID-19 can cause strokes, seizures and Guillain-Barre syndrome — a condition that causes temporary paralysis.”

According to reporting from The New York Times, a doctor at Ohio State recently found that as many as 15% of the school’s football players who had tested experienced an alarming rate of myocarditis — heart inflammation. This was despite the fact that

ART

» From 1 equally important to the project,” she said.

The responses she has received have been her favorite part of the project.

Receiving this feedback opened her eyes to different ideas about her artwork that she hadn’t thought of before. She is happy to create inspiration and new ideas for her viewers, she said.

Ragland has received poems, stories and compliments pertaining to her artwork.

One of the stories sent to

the majority of the players in question had either been asymptomatic or had only experienced mild symptoms.

Sparks said that the University is aware of these reports and other similar findings.

“The virus is still new to the medical community, and on a daily basis new information is being released about its effects and after effects on people, not just the young,” Sparks said. “The findings of myocarditis happened to be predominantly on cardiac MRI studies, which is not a common procedure, and what predisposes someone and what the clinical significance of myocarditis is still an unknown.”

Based on the information that is available, Kam said there isn’t currently any reason to believe that the University will transfer back to remote learning this fall.

“Based on all of the variables that we’re seeing, there is no reason to believe that we are not going to have a successful semester,” Kam said. “There is nothing that says that — again, based on what we’re seeing right now — that we’re not going to be able to get to Nov. 24 and having to suspend classes between now and then.”

the email account was from a man and his 96-year-old mother who encountered the dog star describing it as spiritually nourishing and healing.

Ragland has another idea in the works for the project. She said she hopes to create a “reindeer rebellion” for Christmas by decorating deer decoys to look like Santa’s reindeer deserted him and came to Auburn instead.

Ragland said her goal for The Pandemic Art Project was to get people looking at something unusual and to make “something magical for these uncertain times.”

MADDIE EDWARDS | PHOTOGRAPHER

opinion

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2020

THEPLAINSMAN.COM

OPINION

EDITORIAL

These accidents demand more action

By EDITORIAL BOARD Fall 2020

In a world that seems to find a new crisis every other day, Auburn’s need to address public safety doesn’t stop at COVID-19.

In the midst of a global pandemic, an international call for racial justice and a perpetual need to address climate concerns, Auburn has seen another tragedy at the hands of a notoriously dangerous road.

On Aug. 28, a driver heading westbound on Shug Jordan Parkway struck another driver head-on, killing a 20-year-old woman from Lincoln, Alabama and critically injuring himself and the woman’s passenger.

This comes on the heels of the May 2019 crash on the very same road that took the life of the Voice of the Auburn Tigers Rod Bramblett, along with his wife Paula’s. That crash, caused by a 16-year-old who the police said was traveling nearly 90 mph on the 55-mph stretch of road when he rear-ended the Brambletts, simultaneously struck a nerve in the soul of the Auburn Family.

With three lives lost and multiple others seriously and injured on Shug Jodan Parkway within the past 18 months, the City of Auburn needs to look at ways to address this serious and pressing public safety concern.

Although no one on The Plainsman’s Editorial Board claims to have all the answers when it comes to city planning and construction, we are fully capable of recog-

nizing the concern of lighting and a lack of median on much of the road.

To be fair, there likely is no single solution that will make Shug Jordan Parkway safe for all travelers. However, a median to prevent drifting into other lanes, as was the case for the 20-year-old woman in August, would make a significant difference in the drivability of the road.

Furthermore, the crash that took the lives of the Brambletts all too early was likely caused by multiple factors and may have not been prevented by public safety measures taken by the City, especially considering the crash occurred during daylight hours.

So, this is not to say all wrecks can be prevented or that it is even possible to do so, but better and more sufficient lighting may also help curb the possibility of poor driving conditions.

And as anyone who has spent any significant amount of time in Auburn knows, the City does not go long without some sort of construction project.

Part of reminiscing about one’s time on The Plains is the constant state of construction fencing on campus or throughout the City. Let’s not have a collective memory of any more tragedy because of a lack of lighting or a median.

The sluggish response to public safety concerns calls to mind an incident a few years prior in which a student was struck by a car walking from a parking lot into the parking deck at the library. Thankfully, the

MY LY | ASSISTANT SECTION EDITOR

student was not seriously injured, but she did have to be taken to the hospital to be treated for some injuries on campus.

Since the incident, the University has had many reasonable requests to put a crosswalk at the parking deck, and the idea even made it into the platform of the eventual SGA president.

Yet, whether it was due to a lack of bureaucratic urgency or a lapse of providing

resources by the University, the crosswalk never came to fruition.

There’s no reason that a city and university with the resources at their disposal such as Auburn can’t rise to the occasion and address public safety concerns in a timely fashion. Let’s not add to the list of tragedies and crises that 2020 has given us, and let’s make Shug Jordan Parkway more drivable.

COLUMN

Tiger Dining is doing its part to slow the spread

By LANEY MAYFIELD Columnist

The adjustments made by Tiger Dining are helping slow the spread of COVID-19 amongst the campus community while enabling students to purchase meals.

The department has implemented new resources for students amid the pandemic, such as the Touchless Area Glove Dispensing Unit in the Student Center near Au Bon Pain and in the Village Dining Facility.

Students can insert their hands inside of an inflatable glove and remove it for their personal use.

Students are encouraged to dispose of the glove after each use. While using the glove, orders can be placed without physically touching the screen, which could carry a series of germs. Moreover, when students use the kiosk instead of making purchases online, they do not have to pay a service fee.

With this method in place, students can order their meals without close interaction with employees, bypass a service fee and keep their hands clean. This is a practical concept considering that cases are steadily rising on campus and in the community.

The arrangements in Foy Hall are innovative and useful for the student body, as well. Tiger Dining installed food lockers at Foy

Dining Hall, now called Foy on the Fly, to prevent contamination of students’ food. The lockers also serve as a barrier between students and employees, which is vital to maintain social distancing on campus.

After students place their orders on Grubhub, their food will be stored inside the locker based on its temperature. Warm foods are placed inside red lockers and cold foods are placed inside blue lockers. Students will receive a code provided by an employee to open the locker.

This would be appropriate considering that the cafe provided guest with a self-serve baked potato and salad bars before the pandemic.

Students could disinfect the locker handles before and after each use to combat the virus.

Tiger Dining has also incorporated a contactless delivery option at the cafe for students who are practicing the Safer at Home Order or who are unable to leave their homes.

In addition to the food lockers, the dining department added Plexiglas and other plastic barriers to tables at Panda Express and Foy during a rapidly changing world.

This contribution to the dining area will be helpful because it will allow students to dine in and socialize with their friends while re-

maining safe.

If a student coughs or sneezes while eating, the glass can protect the person sitting next to them from catching any germs. If students disinfect their areas and glass with sanitizer wipes after each use, students to come will have a lower chance of contracting the virus.

Tiger Dining has also accommodated students who have tested positive for the coronavirus and are currently living in quarantine dorms on campus. It is vital that quarantined students are receiving the proper nutrients while in isolation. Tiger Dining has made quarantined students a top priority and has made a great effort to cater to their needs.

Quarantined students order their food through a QR code survey displayed on posters in all dorms. Menus are provided online along with suggestions made by the district executive chef, catering director and registered dietitian.

Students have the option to receive three meals each day delivered to their dorms.

Meals are delivered twice per day, and each day consists of two hot meals and one cold meal. A bottle of water accompanies all meals. Quarantined students have the option to receive convenient food options such as snacks and microwaveable meals as well.

JAKE WEESE | SECTION EDITOR

Tables and chairs are separated by clear dividers to help slow the spread of COVID-19.

Correction: In last week’s edition of The Plainsman, the Editorial Board mistakenly quoted language from Dr. Jennifer Brooks, Associate Professor of History at Auburn University, without proper citation. This error has been corrected in the online version of the story. The Plainsman would like to apologize to our readers and to Dr. Brooks for this mistake.

THE EDITORIAL BOARD

OPINION PAGE POLICIES LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

COLUMNS & 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 include the author’s name, address and phone number for verification.

Submission may be edited for grammar, style and length. Please submit no more than 600 words.

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.

CONTACT

Letters must be submitted to editor@theplainsman.com before 4:30 p.m. on Friday for publication.

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

JACK WEST

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TIM NAIL

Editor-in-Chief

Managing Editor, Design

Campus Editor

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Community Editor

Managing Editor, Content

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MY LY

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Assistant Community

Photo Editor

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Lifestyle Editor

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CAMPUS

ACADEMICS

Virtual lab learning poses challenges for some students

By VIRGINIA SPEIRS Writer

Many labs have been moved online or partially online, taking away all or most of the hands-on aspects of class material because of the University’s COVID-19 guidelines. For some students, this has been a challenge.

Susanne Voltz, sophomore in chemical engineering, has two classes that require a lab this semester — biology and organic chemistry. Her biology class is fully online, while her organic chemistry class is only partially online. Voltz said the online labs are tolerable, but not ideal.

“I definitely think not having in-person labs … [means] the material won’t settle in as well,” she said. “I am a bit concerned because I am on the pre-med track, so I don’t need to take a ton of biology, but the little I do, I really have to know it. So for us to not be having in-person labs, that makes me concerned about studying for the [Medical College Admission Test].”

Right now, Voltz either takes an entrance and exit quiz online to “complete” her lab, or she goes in person every other week. Not meeting in person makes it harder for her and her classmates to understand the material, and it’s hard to not be in labs when you’re a hands-on learner, she said.

Voltz said one positive thing about the lab structure is that some are only partially online. According to her, she would structure the labs the same way as Auburn has because of this unique situation.

“At least we are not all the way virtual,” Voltz said. “I definitely think [Auburn] is doing the best they can. The professors are very aware of the situation, and I think they are trying to com-

HANNAH SKIPWORTH | PHOTOGRAPHER

Voltz said it’s hard to not be in the labs as a hands-on learner.

pensate as much as possible … there’s only so much virtual substitution that can happen.”

Another student, Nina Orihuela, is a sophomore in chemistry with a pre-med concentration. She, like Voltz, is taking two labs this semester, one fully online and one partially online. Orihuela said she loves school and she really enjoys having labs in person.

“My first organic chemistry lab was on Monday, and I actually really enjoyed it,” Orihuela said. “I love school, so I have really struggled with COVID and not being able to go to my classes [in person].”

For Orihuela, the lab is important to her because it allows her to see how in-class instruc-

tion applies to real life. She, like Voltz, is a hands-on learner and says that not being able to go to an in-person lab has limited her comprehension of the class material.

“No one loves to go to the 8 a.m. chem lab,” Orihuela said. “But at the same time, you go to lab to see the real-life version of what you’re learning. [Lab] is there to show you that what you’re learning matters.”

Kyle Willian, a biochemistry lab coordinator in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, is aware of the problems that students like Voltz and Orihuela are trying to overcome.

In response, Willian is working to make “athome” labs. These labs are ones that students

IAN LOGUE | PHOTOGRAPHER

Willian has created at-home kits to take the place of the hands-on aspect of labs.

will be able to do remotely, with materials that they can use from the comfort of their homes.

“The sudden change to online teaching in the spring showed me that because the students had done many of the basic hands-on procedures before the switch, virtual supplements were effective because of previous wet lab experience,” Willian said. “So I had a kit planned and distributed during the first couple weeks of the semester, so that students could have all the necessary components to do a series of fundamental biochemical procedures at home.”

Willian said that the at-home kits he created are completely safe for at-home use; all the materials are safely disposable either by trash or drain. Willian thinks that students will actually be better off with the at-home kits, understanding the material at home more thoroughly than in a class because they will have to do the lab by themselves.

“I think it will actually make the students have to think more, individually, and perhaps get a deeper understanding,” Willian said. “If this model works, it provides Auburn University the option for an online biochemistry lab course in the future.”

Even with lab kits that can be done at home, there is only so much compensation for the in-class lab that students are used to. Voltz and Orihuela still feel like they need to get the hands-on experience in class to fully comprehend the material.

“Lab is what connects the dots,” Orihuela said. “Lab is what makes what you’re learning real … the point of labs is to show students that science is real.”

FACILITIES

Trustees approve chilled water plant, science department complex

By COLLINS KEITH Assistant Section Editor

During its Friday, Sept. 4 meeting, the Auburn University Board of Trustees approved the construction of several new projects.

One of the projects is a new water plant, which would replace the existing one on campus near Duncan Drive, and would provide water to a variety of campus buildings and facilities.

“The last district amenity plant was built in 2008. Since that time, the significant growth of the Auburn campus has caused the demand for chilled water to increase,” said Simon Yendle, University architect. “As projected, within the next few years, the campus utility system will not be able to adequately cool University buildings without additional chilled water production capacity.”

According to Yendle, the current chilled water plant in Auburn is aging and inadequate and will be replaced by the new plant.

The new plant will be built on the south side of campus, on the northwest corner of Lem Morrison Drive and South Donahue Drive, in support of anticipated growth in that area.

“The new chilled water plant will construct an approximately 7,200 square foot building, which will house two 2500 ton chiller units, with a future expansion capacity for a third chiller unit,” Yendle said. “It will also include the demolition of chilled water plant one, which is up by the GAVIN engineering building.”

The estimated budget for the new chilled water plant is $24 million, and would be financed by University bonds and general Uni-

versity funds.

The Auburn University Board of Trustees also approved the construction of a STEM and agricultural sciences complex proposed by the Office of the Provost.

The complex aims to serve as a combined facility for the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, the Department of Geosciences and the College of Agriculture. It will replace each department’s previous facilities that have “exceeded their useful lives and are inadequate in terms of size, accessibility and modern functionality,” according to Yendle.

The University will receive $36 million in state bond funding to complete the project after submitting a proposal to Alabama’s state government in December 2019.

The Department of Mathematics and Statistics will relocate from Parker Hall, the Department of Geosciences will move from Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum and departments of the College of Agriculture will relocate from Funchess Hall.

“This proposed STEM and [agricultural] complex is envisioned to provide a state-of-the-art instructional and research classroom and laboratory space,” Yendle said.

“It will also enable those departments to collaborate and innovate in direct support of the state development economic priorities.”

The University also anticipates the facility will be financed by Public School and College Authority Funds, college reserves and gifts and University bond funding with debts paid by University General Funds.

Following approval from the Board of Trustees, the University is set to begin the architect selection process.

VIA AUBURN UNIVERSITY

The new chilled water plant is planned to be built on Lem Morrison Drive and South Donahue Drive.

VIA AUBURN UNIVERSITY

Auburn’s current water plant was built in 2008, but now has a need to expand.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2020

The Auburn Plainsman

PAGE 5

CHARITY

FILE PHOTO

2020 Beat Bama Food Drive set to kick-off in October

By MCKENZIE DOOLEY Writer

Every year, Auburn and Alabama go head to head on many fronts — one being the annual Beat Bama Food Drive.

While COVID-19 regulations have affected logistics, the board commitee wants students to know the many ways they can still help out.

Gin Jager, junior in apparel marketing and vice president of the Beat Bama Food Drive, gave some insight of exactly what the Beat Bama Food Drive is, how students can help and what this year’s drive will look like.

“Beat Bama Food Drive is a student-led organization that holds an annual food drive every fall for Food Bank of East Alabama in competition with the University of

Alabama’s Beat Auburn Beat Hunger for the West Alabama Food Bank,” Jager said. “Donations will help fed the thousands of people living in food insecurity in our community.”

The Beat Bama Food Drive started in 1994 and has become a way for campus to give back to the community ever since.

Jager emphasized the importance of the drive during the pandemic.

“The 2020 Beat Bama Food Drive could be the most pivotal drive yet,” she said.

“Nothing about out school year is going to be normal, yet in any way we can, we still want to adapt into normalcy. One way we are trying to achieve that as we are gearing up for the drive kickoff on Oct. 1 is hosting our first ever T-shirt design competition.”

Over the past two weeks the drive has

held an open competition online where students could submit their T-shirt designs for this year’s food drive. This is one of the ways students could get involved with the BBFD. Although the deadline has passed, the drive is offering other ways students can get involved.

On Beat Bama Food Drive’s website, the board committee has a list of items it calls its wish list, or the top items students are requested to donate.

These items include peanut butter, mac and cheese, granola bars, canned meals, fruit snacks and hygiene and cleaning products.

Another way that students can help is by donating money directly to the Food Bank of East Alabama’s website.

The committee of the Beat Bama Food

Drive is also asking students to spread the word about the food drive. Students are encouraged to educate their fellow classmates, family, friends and co-workers on what they can do to help the food drive.

The last major way that all students can help is by volunteering.

The Beat Bama Food Drive website states that volunteers are the heart of the program, and without the numerous volunteers it has every year, the success it sees would not be possible.

The board committee asks any student that is healthy and willing to help to sign up for volunteering.

The Beat Bama Food Drive will run from Oct. 1 to Nov. 19, and all students are encouraged to participate in hopes of beating Bama in the spirit of the drive.

community THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2020

6 THEPLAINSMAN.COM

COMMUNITY

RELIGION

Churches balance social distancing and livestreaming

By KATIE CARROLL Writer

Churches have been forced to transcend the four walls they have traditionally been confined to and offer new ways to worship. Some churches have transitioned their services completely online. Other churches have reopened their doors to the public while offering online options.

Gage Henry, Auburn Community Church’s college pastor, said the church has not been holding in-person meetings and does not plan to do so again until the beginning of October.

ACC has not been meeting in person because the church’s building is not sizable enough for members to be able to properly social distance.

ACC makes weekly sermons available on their YouTube channel and website starting Saturday at 11:59 p.m. The church has also been encouraging members to form watch parties. Watch parties allow smaller groups of people to independently gather in someone’s home and watch the sermon on the church’s online platforms, he said.

“The purpose of a watch party like this is your opportunity to invite someone to church,” Henry said. “It’s just inviting them into your home, maybe giving them some breakfast or lunch and welcoming them in your space as opposed to inviting them into our space.”

Henry said that the church has also continued to offer small groups, both in person and on Zoom that meet on a weekly basis. Since students returned to Auburn in August, approximately 500 people have signed up to join small groups.

Henry said that ACC has continued to offer service opportunities.These opportunities range from volunteering with local organiza-

tions like Esperanza House to writing notes of encouragement to teachers as they return to school.

Although ACC has not been meeting in person, they have seen an increase in involvement and have expanded their audience, Henry said.

“With our online audience, I would say that we have grown,” Henry said. “We probably average two to three thousand views on our YouTube page alone for the weekly services.”

Henry said that on a weekly basis ACC has people from 30 or 40 different states watching online. People from other states have not only been watching the weekly services, but have also been getting involved in small groups on Zoom. In one Zoom group, 10 different states are represented.

ACC has also seen an increase in overseas viewership. Henry said that many international Auburn students who attended ACC before the pandemic hit have continued watching online.

“We have an intern from South Africa and she is watching online there,” Henry said. “Just because it’s an online audience, I feel like it has kind of multiplied.”

Although many positives have resulted from ACC being solely online, Henry said that people would benefit from being able to pray together.

“Not gathering with people can affect your overall excitement and enthusiasm around worship,” Henry said. “[ACC staff] have been trying to figure out the best way to make sure people aren’t isolated.”

Trinity Lutheran Church in Auburn has continued meeting in person for Sunday services, said pastor Corey Grunklee. Trinity has shifted from offering two services on Sunday mornings to just offering a single service. Trin-

GRACE CLEMMER | PHOTOGRAPHER

Churches can make the decision between operating fully online or socially distancing in person.

FILE PHOTO

Auburn Community Church stopped holding in-person services in March.

ity’s service begins at 8:30 a.m. and alternates between traditional and contemporary services on a weekly basis.

Grunklee said that the church is not currently offering Bible school on Sunday mornings, but that will likely change before the end of September.

Trinity is still holding Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, Bible studies and a quilting group. The programs have limited capacity and are following social distancing restrictions.

Pews are marked off and members are only allowed to sit every other pew, Grunklee said.

The number of people sitting in a pew has also been limited because different family units have been asked to maintain six feet between them.

“We can probably sit two families of four in a pew side by side and still have six feet in between those families,” Grunklee said. “We are asking people to just, as best as they can, sit by people they live with.”

Grunklee also said that everyone is adhering to the mask policy and wears one the entire service.

Measures have been taken to safely participate in communion, Grunklee said. He sanitizes his hands and wears gloves before handling the wafers. Members are only allowed to approach the front one at a time, and Grunklee drops the wafer in their hand without making contact. Next, members take a single cup of wine from an individual tray. The wine is handled by two Church elders wearing gloves.

Members are only allowed to pull their masks down long enough to eat the wafer and drink the wine.

Grunklee said that he is not aware of anyone in his congregation having tested positive for coronavirus at this time. In the future, if a

member tests positive, first and foremost he will take steps to offer them support. Grunklee also said he would make it a priority to inform his congregation if someone is sick so they can take proper safety measures.

“I would want to be as transparent as I could without violating someone’s privacy,” Grunklee said.

Trinity also offers an online component for those who are unable to attend in person.

Grunklee said that they broadcast the service via Zoom by sending an email to members every week with a link to join. Members can then share the link with people outside the congregation. Trinity is also streaming their service live on Facebook beginning Sept. 6.

“We’ve had anywhere from 20 to 50 people on Zoom,” Grunklee said.

Grunklee said that COVID-19 has made communication among the church community decline. Over half of Trinity’s members are not comfortable returning to in-person worship yet. Despite this, however he has noticed, a new sense of community has emerged in the congregation.

“The ones who feel comfortable gathering and going out in public have really stepped up in roles of being willing to help,” Grunklee said.

Grunklee said that the church has not only grown stronger as a community through the pandemic, but many members report growing closer to God. Because life has become so unpredictable, many members have relied on their relationship with God as a source of dependability.

“In the conversations I’ve had with people, whether it’s the ones who are coming to church or the ones that are not, the constant theme is that they feel they’ve drawn closer to God,” Grunklee said.

POLICE

Local and state agencies enforce restrictions on bars

By ELISE SAPPINGTON Writer

It is all hands on deck as local bar owners, the Alabama Beverage Control Board, and the Auburn Police Division work together to regulate the spread of COVID-19 within the Auburn community.

As COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Auburn and across the state of Alabama, the Alabama Beverage Control Board has taken measures to do their best to promote public safety.

Dean Argo, the manager of government relations and communications for the ABC Board, said that the board has jurisdiction and strict authority over alcohol, from its manufacturing and production to its sales and consumption.

“We believe we have tremendous responsibility and authority over alcohol in the state of Alabama,” Argo said.

Currently, bars and restaurants in Auburn are allowed to remain open as long as each establishment desires.

However, all service and sales of alcohol are prohibited after 11 p.m., and on-premise consumption of alcohol is prohibited after 11:30 p.m. These restrictions were passed unanimously at the ABC Boards’s emergency July 27 meeting.

“It’s not [as much] about controlling alcohol as it is about making people aware, because there is a contagious virus amongst the people of Alabama,” Argo said. “If we could remove alcohol from social patterns at a time that was reasonable then people would be a little bit more aware of that obligation to social distance.”

The ABC Board has had overwhelmingly high compliance rates among its licensees across the state, Argo said. When asked specifically about the ABC’s involvement in Auburn — in light of the large crowds that gathered in early-to-mid-August, as shown in previous reporting

by The Plainsman — Argo did nothing but rave about Auburn’s phenomenal compliance with the new order.

“The bars in Auburn, the restaurants in Auburn, the grocery stores in Auburn; everyone who deals with alcohol sales has been outstanding. We just can’t thank them enough. They are just doing an outstanding job,” he said.

The Auburn City Council on Aug. 27 passed additional measures to limit the transmission of COVID-19, furthering the the steps taken by the ABC Board to address provisions for bar and restaurant operations. The Council’s resolution highlights requirements for mask wearing when not consuming food or drink, social distancing, and operations suspends walk-up bar service, prohibiting the serving of alcoholic beverages to individuals not seated at either a table, counter or bar.

According to this resolution, violators of these provisions may be subjected to a $500 fine. The Auburn Police Division has been charged with enforcing this resolution.

APD Assistant Chief of Police Clarence Stewart said that since the resolution was passed, there hasn’t been a need to give any of the bars in Auburn a citation.

“We have our officers go by and ac-

tually go into the bars and establishments and look around and make sure they are in compliance,” Stewart said. “We still go out every night just watching to be sure everyone is in compliance, and it appears that they are.”

Prior to the resolution restricting indoor alcohol consumption to seated customers only, many bars in downtown Auburn such as Bourbon Street Bar, Southeastern Bar and 1716 decided to voluntarily close their doors. Co-owner of Skybar Pat Grider explained his reasons for remaining open despite the trying financial times

and strict regulations.

“We are now down to operating at about 10%,” Grider said. “I mean we’re doing what we are asked to do. So it’s been terrible in terms of business, but honestly we’re open purely because of our employees.”

Grider said he’s felt like he’s been constantly bobbing and weaving in order to keep up with the new regulations set in place.

“We’re trying, we’re doing everything we are told,” Grider said. “We are being asked to change the way that we are every two weeks and having to do something different and ... we have

to, because we need to keep our staff — you know, that’s pretty much the honest truth.”

Grider and his employees are continuing to do their part by adapting to regulations and enforcing those regulations through monitoring music selection, use of social distancing markers, as well as reminding customers to wear masks when they are not consuming a beverage, Grider said.

Stewart said that enforcement of the bar and restaurant regulations put in place due to COVID-19 is going to continue to remain a priority for APD.

JACK WEST | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Auburn Police Division has operated out of its new Public Safety Building since July.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2020

The Auburn Plainsman

EDUCATION

City schools provide free meals

By EVAN MEALINS Managing Editor

Economists like to say that there’s no such thing as a free lunch. Auburn City Schools would beg to differ.

All students in Auburn City Schools will now receive their meals free of charge, whether they are on campus or learning remotely, according to a press release from the school system.

Funding for the lunches is made available by the United States Department of Agriculture which, on Aug. 31, extended waivers to all school systems in the country to provide meals to students at no cost as the country grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, a press release from the USDA states.

“There’s already a need for this service,” said Auburn City Schools public relations coordinator Daniel Chesser. “We do have several students that are doing the remote-learning route that did depend on the free and reduced option when it came to school meals.”

These no-cost meals may help to ease the burden on families feeling the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Chesser said.

“I think it applies to anytime, but even more specifically during a pandemic, where there’s a high probability parents may be out of work and not be able to provide the normal resources that they would when they are working,” Chesser said.

“To be able to fill the gap as a school system is giving back to the community that makes Auburn great.”

All students, allowed to choose between in-person and remote instruction, will be able to get the free meals that are being extended to them, Chesser said. Students at any of the system’s 13 campuses will continue to eat in the cafeteria or classroom as before. But there remains a question on how remote-learning students, which currently make up about 29% of Auburn City Schools’ student population, will get their meals.

For reference, there were 8,845 students enrolled in ACS in 2019, according to their website.

Right now, the system is trying to gain some more information. They’ve sent out a survey to parents and guardians of remote-learning students to first try and gauge how many families are interested in participating in the program.

“We’re just trying to get an idea of how many meals need to be prepared for remote learners, because there are several remote learners that … might not be interested in taking advantage of the service,” Chesser said. “We don’t want to overdo it or underdo it, we’re trying to hit that target just right so that the service is worthwhile.”

From there, ACS will decide on the logistics of food delivery for remote students.

“What that looks like at this moment, once we collect the survey data, is still being planned out,” Chesser explained. “I think what you’ll see is ev-

CONTRIBUTED BY AUBURN CITY SCHOOLS

Roughly 72% of ACS students are learning in-person.

ery school system will probably do it differently.”

ACS closed its campuses following spring break, Mar. 9–13, due to concerns over the pandemic and did not reopen for the rest of the spring semester in accordance with statewide order.

During this time, students who qualified for free or reduced lunch — typically around 30% of ACS’ student population, Chesser stated — were able to visit a pick-up location and get food to cover a school week’s worth of breakfasts and lunches.

“Over the pandemic we had pick-up days, it was every Friday, and if you were a family that qualified for that free and reduced [meals], you were able to come to Auburn Junior High School and have meals that were pre-packaged,” Chesser said. “This was a way to provide families that did qualify for free-and-reduced meals food while schools were closed, because a lot of students depend on schools being open to provide that breakfast and lunch.”

Administrators, teachers, coaches and some local officials, including Auburn Mayor Ron Anders, helped with these distribution days during the early days of the pandemic, Chesser said.

Schools found support for the program from all across the community, and the plan went smoothly, barring the Alabama heat, Chesser said.

This doesn’t mean that the school system is going to put the same plan in place now; they are still weighing their options, as Chesser said.

Pickup will still only occur once a week, though, Chesser said, and the food will be in bulk to ensure that all students have enough food to carry them through the week.

“You can hang your hat on the fact that these people and these students don’t have the resources, and might not otherwise have the nutrition without that service,” Chesser said.

Free meals will be available as long as funding for the meals from the USDA lasts, which is expected to be through most of the fall semester, potentially until Dec. 31, the press release from the department states.

While it’s not necessary to fill out paperwork to receive a free meal now, Chesser still urged parents and guardians to do so, as the information will be vital to the school system once the current free-meal program ends.

“We are encouraging them to continue to fill out the applications as they would without the waiver,” he said. “That’s how we’re able to get an accurate count for federal funding, post this waiver expiring.”

PAGE 7 CORONAVIRUS

FILE PHOTO

Auburn High School is one of 13 ACS schools.

ACS adds 42 COVID cases

By CHARLIE RAMO Section Editor

Fourty-two students and faculty members in Auburn City Schools reported positive COVID-19 test results from Aug. 31 to Sept.

4, according to a press release ACS published on Sunday.

ACS currently has 407 students and faculty members quarantined, including several elementary school homeroom classes and one athletic team. All students and faculty members that were exposed to a person who tested positive for atleast 15 minutes were quarantined starting from two days before a positive test restult.

Across its 13 campuses, ACS has a total of 1,180 staff members. There are 8,946 total students enrolled, with 2,619 participating in remote learning and 6,327 students in the classroom. Less than 1% of the student and staff population has reported positive COVID-19 test results thus far.

ACS reminded parents and students to self-monitor symptoms. Students should stay home if a family member has a positive or pending COVID test.

Students should not get on a school bus or go to campus if they have a fever of at least 100.4 degrees, cough, runny nose, trouble breathing, stomach ache, diarrhea or vomiting, body aches or a loss of taste or smell, ACS said.

Similarly, Lee County Schools plan to open for in-person classes on Sept. 14. Currently, roughly 25% of Lee County students have elected to begin the semester online.

All Lee County schools will offer both online and in-person learning for the entirety of the 2020-21 school year.

sports

8

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2020

THEPLAINSMAN.COM

SPORTS

FOOTBALL

Newton and the newcomers impressing in fall camp

By CHRISTIAN CLEMENTE Assistant Editor

With Sal Cannella, Will Hastings, Jay Jay Wilson, Zach Farrar, Jashawn Sheffield and Marquis McClain gone, and Matthew Hill at defensive back, Auburn fans will see some new faces lined up at wide receiver this year.

The Tigers brought in four 4-star receivers and one 3-star receiver in the class of 2020, according to 247Sports composite rankings.

The group consists of Kobe Hudson, Ze’Vian Capers, J.J. Evans, Elijah Canion and Malcolm Johnson Jr., who reclassified from the class of 2021 and began practicing with Auburn this week.

They’ll join a veteran group made up of Seth Williams, Anthony Schwartz, Eli Stove and Shedrick Jackson along with redshirt freshman Ja’Varrius Johnson.

Also in the group is former Howard quarterback Caylin Newton who has impressed the group thus far in fall camp.

“He looks very natural as a receiver,” Anthony Schwartz said last week. “I thought he was a receiver beforehand, you would think, just based on how he’s been practicing so far.”

Head coach Gus Malzahn has a track record with the Newton family, so Newton’s strong fall camp hasn’t surprised him.

“Yeah, there’s no doubt he’ll be able to help us out,” Malzahn said. “It doesn’t surprise me at all, but he’s stepped right in. He studies the game, and he’s been very physical too. I’ve just been so impressed with his attitude, his physicality, and really, probably more than anything, his want-to. He’s desperate to help the team.”

While Williams, Schwartz and Stove were the three leading receivers on the team last year, Auburn will look to its newcomers to step up and fill some of the empty voids.

Thus far, the newcomers have impressed the veterans, and Schwartz said they remind him of their freshmen class in 2018 when Schwartz, Williams, Hill and Jackson all came in.

“They gonna come in and contribute,” Williams said on Wednesday. “They big, explosive guys just like they really go out there and get after it.”

TODD VAN EMST | AU ATHLETICS

Wide receiver Caylin Newton (23) during Auburn football practice on Tuesday Sept. 1.

FOOTBALL

Auburn’s offensive line coming together for 2020

By MATTISON ALLEN Writer

TODD VAN EMST | AU ATHLETICS

Offensive line coach Jack Bicknell.

Auburn football has had many unforeseen changes over the past few months, but one change that the Tigers have had control over has been building a revamped offensive line.

Junior lineman Nick Brahms is the only returning starter on Auburn’s offensive line, and there will be a new group of starters joining Brahms in the trenches this season. Not only will Auburn have four new starters on the offensive line, the Tigers have a new offensive line coach as well.

As the lone returning starter from last year’s offensive line, Brahms has taken note of who has been stepping into leadership roles, and three players have stuck out to Brahms. Three players that Brahms has seen grow as leaders as fall camp progresses.

The first teammate Brahms mentioned was Brandon Council. Council was a three-year starter at Akron before transferring to Auburn for the 2020 sea-

son.

Council is the only player other than Brahms with starting experience but is from a different conference. Brahms credited Council for his demeanor and how well he has meshed in with the rest of the line.

Brahm also gave some leadership praise to linemen Austin Troxell and Brodarious Hamm. While those juniors have had setbacks during their times at Auburn, both are coming into their own this season.

“Those three guys have shown some leadership even if they haven’t had starting experience in the SEC,” Brahms said.

“I still see it in them, and I still see that they can play and lead the guys that need to be lead.”

Brahms said Council and Tashawn Manning have been lining up beside him at guard, but that Keiondre Jones and Alec Jackson have been competing with them.

Another addition to the team has been offensive line coach Jack Bicknell Jr. Bicknell joined at the end of last season and

started his career at Auburn almost all virtually.

Bicknell, a former NFL offensive line coach, has brought some of those same NFL techniques to the Plains.

“He’s intense in the meeting room, he’s intense,” Brahms said. “There’s a very specific technique that you have to do, get your hat in the right place, move your feet, drive your knees, put your hands in the right place. It’s more of an NFL type of approach for coaching. I think it’s going to really carry over to the practice field and the games for us this fall.”

Brahms believes six to seven guys can contribute to Auburn’s offensive line this year. The junior knows they’ve got a talented offensive line, but they just need to show it. Auburn’s offensive line will continue to come together, and the depth chart will become more apparent as Auburn looks toward its first game on Sept.

26.

“We’ve got a lot of talent like I’ve always said in the o-line room,” Brahms said. “It’s just about putting that talent on tape and making sure the coaches trust it.”

SOCCER

Auburn soccer 2020 schedule

Date

Opponent

Sept. 18 Sept. 27 Oct. 3 Oct. 11

vs. Miss. State at Texas A&M at LSU vs. Ole Miss

Oct. 18 Oct. 24

at Georgia vs. Kentucky

Oct. 30

at Arkanas

Nov. 8

vs. Alabama

JOSH FISHER | PHOTOGRAPHER

M.E. Craven (22) kicks the ball during Syracuse vs. Auburn.

VOLLEYBALL

Auburn volleyball 2020 schedule Date

FILE PHOTO

Katie Persons (14) and Tatum Shipes (21) prepare to hit during Auburn vs. Alabama.

Opponent

Oct. 21 & 22

vs. Florida

Oct. 28 & 29

at South Carolina

Nov. 7 & 8

at Kentucky

Nov. 21 & 22

vs. Tennessee

The Auburn Plainsman

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2020

PAGE 9

FOOTBALL

Cam Newton named Patriots starting quarterback

By RYAN METCALF Writer

Cam Newton, the former Auburn Heisman winning quarterback, has been named the New England Patriots’ starting quarterback, according to a report from The Boston Globe and the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Newton signed with New England on June 28th to a one-year deal after being released by the Carolina Panthers in March.

After being drafted first overall in the 2011 NFL Draft, Newton spent nine seasons with the Panthers organization.

Newton led the Panthers to four playoff apperances in his nine seasons at the helm.

His most successful season up to this point

was in 2015 where he helped lead the Panthers to a 15—1 regular season record enroute to a Super Bowl apperance. That same season Newton took home the league MVP with 35 passing touchdowns and 10 rushing touchdowns.

Newton competed with former Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham and NFL journeyman Brian Hoyer for the starting quarterback job.

The former league MVP and the Patriots open the season on Sept. 13, against the Miami Dolphins in Foxborough, Massachusetts, at noon CST. Newton will be taking on former Auburn defensive back and first round pick Noah Igbinoghene who was drafted 30th overall in the 2020 NFL Draft.

JOSH FISHER | PHOTOGRAPHER

Cam Newton laughs on the sideline during Auburn Football vs. Georgia on Saturday, Nov. 10, 2018.

FOOTBALL

Eight former Tigers sign to NFL practice squads

By MATTISON ALLEN Writer

Eight former Auburn players have found themselves on practice squads after the NFL rosters were finalized on Sunday.

NFL teams had to reduce their 80-player rosters from training camp down to 53 players for the regular season limit.

Of the eight, half of these Tigers resigned with the teams who had cut them the day before while the other half signed with new teams.

Mike Horton went undrafted in the 2020 NFL Draft, but he signed with the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent.

Horton ended up being cut by the Panthers and signed to the practice squad.

Duke Williams was originally with the Bills, but was cut and added to Buffalo’s practice squad.

Arryn Siposs, coming from Australia and punting the past two seasons for Auburn before declaring for the draft.

Siposs competed with starter Jack Fox for the starting position but was ultimately cut, before being resigned to the practice squad.

Prince Tega Wanogho was pick No. 210 overall in the sixth round of the NFL draft, after fellow Auburn offensive linemen Jack Driscoll was selected by the Eagles in the fourth round.

He practiced with Philadelphia, but was ultimately cut and added to the practice squad.

The other four players saw a different side of the NFL as their cuts resulted in getting sent to another team all together.

One of those players was Cody Parkey who was not in attendance of any training camps this year. Parkey

was picked up by the Cleveland Browns, where he was the kicker in 2016.

An offensive linemen for Auburn from 2010-’14, Chad Slade now finds himself on the Giants practice squad.

Cornerback Javaris Davis was an undrafted free agent signee for the Chiefs before being cut and signing with the Dolphins where he was cut again and later signed to their practice squad.

Joining him on the Dolphins practice squad is former defensive end Nick Coe who spent time with the Patriots after going undrafted.

NFL teams are still filling practice squads as the COVID-19 pandemic allows for them to expand from the normal 10-player practice squad up to 16, creating 192 new roster spots.

The NFL season gets started on Thursday with a full slate of games on Sunday.

Mike Horton - Offensive Lineman - Carolina Panthers - AU 2015-’19

Duke Williams - Wide Receiver - Buffalo Bills - AU 2014-’15

Arryn Siposs - Punter - Detroit Lions - AU 2018-’19

Prince Tega Wanogho - Offensive Lineman - Philadelphia Eagles - AU 2015-’19

Cody Parkey- Kicker - Cleveland Browns - AU 2010-’13

Chad Slade - Offensive Lineman - New York Giants - AU 2010-’14

Javaris Davis - Cornerback - Miami Dolphins - AU 2015-’19

Nick Coe - Defensive Lineman - Miami Dolphins - AU 2016-’19

FILE PHOTO

Javaris Davis (13) celebrates during the Auburn vs. LSU game.

FILE PHOTO

Arryn Siposs (90) during the Auburn vs. Georgia game.

FILE PHOTO

Nick Coe (91) rushes the passer during Auburn vs. LSU in 2018.

FOOTBALL

After ‘100% locking in,’ Anthony Schwartz ready for 2020

By JAKE WEESE Section Editor

MYIA HATCHETT | PHOTOGRAPHER

Anthony Schwartz (5) scores a touchdown during Auburn vs. Mississippi State.

Entering fall camp this year, Anthony Schwartz is in a better spot than he was in last year.

While Schwartz finished 2019 with 41 receptions for 440 yards and one touchdown, the receiver was hampered by a thumb injury that bothered him for half of the season and caused him to miss all of fall camp.

For the receiver who has been called the “fastest player in college football”, any injury, but especially one to his hand, can slow him down.

“It was pretty tough,” Schwartz said last week. “I missed all of fall camp, so I missed all the reps with team, all the reps with the quarterbacks. It was just very hard to sit on the sideline just watching; I wanted to be in there, but of course, I still had to cheer my brothers on.”

It wasn’t until the Tigers’ game against Arkansas last season when Schwartz could finally get back to performing at a higher level. In that game, Schwartz had six receptions for 73 yards and a receiving touchdown.

The speedy receiver is a man of many nicknames, and besides the fastest player in college football moniker, Schwartz also goes by “Flash.”

Many may know “Flash” as a speedy receiver, but he is also a talented track athlete and competes for Auburn’s track and field team in the spring.

Schwartz and the rest of Auburn’s spring athletes were impacted by COVID-19 and

had their seasons cut short or never started at all.

The lack of spring practices for football and not having a track season gave Schwartz time to think more about his decision between football and track.

“When everything got canceled, I really just put my mind towards football and just tried to improve more on football,” Schwartz said. “Being able to hone in on my craft, I feel like football is the way for me.

And I feel like I’m locked in 100% to football right now, and that’s how I feel I’m looking toward the future.”

Learning a new offense under offensive coordinator Chad Morris, primarily via Zoom, was a grind for Schwartz and his teammates in the offseason. Now that they are back together, walkthroughs and being able to practice have made things easier.

Schwartz believes that this is “not going to be the normal Auburn offense, it’s going to be something different.”

Not only does Schwartz think Auburn’s offense as a whole will look different, but his work in the offseason is also going to help him become a complete receiver.

“Really in the offseason, I worked on becoming a complete receiver,” Schwartz said.

“Being able to run every route in the route tree, being able to catch the ball over the middle consistently, that’s pretty much most of the stuff I worked on.”

It might have been an offseason that featured a lot of decisions to be made for Schwartz, but Schwartz is content with his choices and is “locked in” for the 2020 football season.

lifestyle THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2020

10 THEPLAINSMAN.COM

LIFESTYLE

FINANCE

Student shares the impact of emotional spending

By ABBY WINSKOWICZ Writer

After a quiet summer of quarantine, students are facing stress as weeks are filled with quizzes and Zoom calls. Some may find themselves coping with these negative moods through emotional spending.

Emma Tillis, a freshman in political science, said emotional spending is a habit that has affected her.

“When I emotionally spend, I typically buy items that either catch my eye or spark joy,” she said. “It can range from ... buying clothes at the thrift store, or room decor, something to look at when I’m sad, or food.”

Tillis said sadness or stress is what commonly causes her to emotionally spend.

“I’ll go thrifting if I’m ever sad about something or if I’m looking for something to do while procrastinating some responsibilities,” Tillis said.

Dustin Johnson, a licensed psychologist and the assistant director for outreach and mental health initiatives at Auburn University’s Student Counseling and Psychological Services Center, said sometimes people don’t realize when they are spending emotionally.

“Sometimes people are conscious of this spending, and sometimes it can become so habitual that people do not realize that it is the emotion that is driving their purchases,” Johnson said.

Johnson said some people may spend emotionally because they expect it will boost their mood, but it doesn’t always have that effect.

“For some, purchasing an item provides a temporary serotonin boost; serotonin being the neurochemical implicated in producing

happiness,” he said.

This boost of happiness fades away, however, when they find what they purchased wasn’t what they wanted or needed, Johnson said.

Tillis said she understands this feeling of regret after emotional spending.

“Emotional spending is like a Band-Aid over a stab wound,” she said. “It will cover it up but won’t help the healing process.”

Sometimes, the side effects of emotional spending does more harm than good, Tillis said. Spending emotionally doesn’t fix the problem she was trying to cover up.

“Also, my bank account takes a toll whenever I go shopping to find joy,” Tillis said.

For those who want to change their habits, there are ways to recognize emotional spending and put a stop to it.

Johnson said finding other mood-boosters can help.

“Spending time with friends, taking mindful walks, even smiling more can give you a serotonin boost that will make you feel just as good as spending when you need an emotional pick-me-up,” he said.

Tillis said she has used similar strategies, and she has started to be proactive in her response to emotional spending.

“I’ve tried to limit myself on emotional spending by trying to face my problems headon, without doing something else as a placeholder,” she said.

Tillis said emotional spending is a pricey coping mechanism that doesn’t always help the situation.

“I’ve realized that emotional spending causes short-term happiness while what I need is long-term happiness,” Tillis said.

ALLISSA STANLEY | PHOTOGRAPHER

Transaction at CVS in Auburn, Ala. on Sept. 8, 2020.

ENTERTAINMENT

BUSINESS

Bodega shops open in new development

By ABIGAIL WOODS Writer

CONTRIBUTED BY LAUREN BRADFORD

Bradford plays violin during the talent portion of a pageant.

Miss AU 2019 postpones pageant dreams

By KATE MCINDOO Writer

Receiving the title Miss Auburn University 2019 in her freshman year was an unexpected blessing for Lauren Bradford.

Although she was surprised, she knew she had put in the work and did not let anything hold her back.

For Bradford, being Miss Auburn University was not just about winning a pageant. Bradford said it was a yearlong job of serving the Auburn community and students.

Bradford said Shine Prom was her favorite activity she was a part of. This was a prom for people with special needs of all ages in the community.

After receiving the local title of Miss AU, she was able to advance in competing for Miss Alabama.

She competed in 2019 and placed third runner-up.

“This was a dream come true for me,” she said.

Bradford was content with her placement and did not get discouraged. She continued preparing to compete for Miss Alabama again.

Bradford has since received the title Miss Jefferson County 2020–21. Representing Jefferson County for two years was not in her original plan.

Because of COVID-19, she gets to represent and serve the community longer.

When Bradford got the email

saying the Miss Alabama 2020 pageant was postponed until June of 2021, she was shocked.

She quickly had to reevaluate her summer plans.

“I am not in control of so many things, but I can make the most of what I am in control of,” she said.

In preparation for Miss Alabama 2021, Bradford said she hopes to continue growing her social impact initiative called “Unplug: The Digital Dining Plan.” She created this when she was 15 to “encourage and educate others about the overuse of technology and what it does to our relationships and mental health.”

Bradford encouraged Auburn University Dining and the Active Minds club to partner to make her idea happen. She plans to add family-style tables with a basket on top in dining halls.

“Students will have the option to put their phones in the basket while they share a meal with their friends,” she said.

If they choose to participate, the students will be rewarded.

Along with growing her initiative, she said, “I plan to do a lot of spiritual growth to make sure I am intentional with the time I have left at Auburn and participate in more service opportunities.”

Essentially, her main goal is to become Miss Alabama.

She said she wants to “show the world what Alabama is all about.” Auburn University has

CONTRIBUTED BY LAUREN BRADFORD

Bradford walking during a pageant.

helped her continue reaching for that goal both professionally and personally.

Her title as Miss Auburn University has been passed down, but Bradford continues to represent Auburn and her hometown, Gulf Shores, Alabama, well.

Bradford is a finance major in the Harbert College of Business.

She is a part of the college’s Ex-

ecutive Society where she takes prospective students on tours.

Bradford understands what it feels like to have so much hard work and commitment quickly taken away.

For any student going through uncertainty right now, she said, “always see an opportunity and not a lack of opportunity when things get taken away.”

The Bodegas, a series of shops in the Midtown apartments, are new to the Auburn area and are ready to take on the college scene.

Having opened up in August of this year, the Bodegas are a collection of small, hut-style buildings off of Opelika Road.

Here, people can find small businesses local to the area including Ross House Coffee, Kakozy, Cup and Saucer, the Drive-by Breakfast gourmet food truck, Mylks Cookies, Lily Jane Boutique and O’Town Ice Cream.

There are also a few new shops on the way those of which include Auburn Derma Lab, The Auburn Popcorn Company and Frou Frou Flowers.

Rachel Christian, an employee of Ross House Coffee, described the origins of Ross House.

“We are a coffee shop that started about seven years ago when we took over Toomer’s Coffee on S. College Street, and we ended up becoming our own brand and starting Ross House Coffee about three to four years ago,” she said.

Christian said Ross House first became an establishment when Toni Holt, the owner of Ross House Coffee, purchased a house off Ross Street to turn into a coffee shop.

“It’s now a historic home on Ross Street across from the fire department and police station [next to 160 Ross]… And then we expanded now to the Bodegas and we’re loving it over here,” she said.

Katie Klein, the owner of Kakozy, described her shop as “a vintage clothing shop that sells sneakers, denim, T-shirts and pretty much all of your favorite retro-wear.”

New to the Bodegas, Klein said her excitement on finally having a storefront, as her shop’s previous way of selling merchandise happened online and through a pop-up trailer.

“We restock the inventory weekly, so there’s always new items coming in,” she said.

Klein said they also host trade days where people can bring their old clothes and find new ones.

Another Bodega shop, Cup and Saucer, makes its mark on all things casseroles.

“Lisa French started the company in 2004 making [and] selling casseroles in her kitchen located in the garage of her home,” said Hayden Lightfoot, an employee at Cup and Saucer.

Lightfoot said French outgrew a home-operated business and started the location on Opelika Road.

Cup and Saucer is a spot for grab-and-go lunches, premade casseroles or both.

“The most popular item is the Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole and the chicken salad sandwiches for lunch,” Lightfoot said.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2020 SUITE 1111

The Auburn Plainsman

Keeping It Local:

PAGE 11

How a student became a beekeeper and how beekeeping impacts Auburn ecology

By LYDIA MCMULLEN and TRICE BROWN Writer and Enterprise Editor

Recently, Eddie Strickland, a fifth-year senior studying mechanical engineering, has spent a lot of his time harvesting honey with his dad. In the mornings, they go to one of their bee yards, where they have about 10 beehives.

“We’ll go through [and] check them,” Strickland said. “If there is honey ready in the boxes, we’ll drive the bees out with smoke from our smoker.”

They have equipment that removes the wax cappings from honeycomb cells and spins the honey out into buckets. From there, the honey is poured into bottles to be distributed and sold.

Through his company, Eddie’s Bees, Strickland sells the honey they harvest to restaurants, roadside stands, organic grocery stores and coffee shops. “[Coffee Cat] will mix it with chocolate and other stuff and put it in drinks,” Strickland said. “Or you could just ask for it straight and they’ll put it in drinks. They also retail it.”

From 60 beehives, Strickland collected 366 gallons of honey this summer. He said that while that sounded like a lot, there are people who make much more than that.

When Strickland was a kid, one of his neighbors was a commercial beekeeper who sold to large companies like Kellogg’s. Strickland said his neighbor managed over 2,000 beehives.

It was this neighbor who introduced Strickland to beekeeping. He would get his honey from the neighbor and decided at age 14 that he wanted to try beekeeping for himself.

“We learned pretty much everything that we needed to from the neighbor who was experienced and got us started and then from YouTube, pretty much, just looking up stuff,” Strickland said. “The rest of it was just trial and error.”

Strickland said it takes him and his dad about two weeks of work during the summer to harvest their honey. During the fall, the bees normally

By TRICE BROWN Enterprise Editor

Behind a fence on Lem Morrison Drive sits a row of buzzing boxes painted blue, orange and white in various patterns. These boxes are the homes of some of the bees being studied by the Auburn University Bee Lab. “At the end of the day, we are there to understand what’s going on with our bees and what’s going on with their health,” said Geoff Williams, a professor in the department of entomology and plant pathology who conducts his research through the Bee Lab. About half an hour west of Auburn, a farmer is using bumblebees and honeybees to pollinate his kiwi orchard, Williams said. The Bee Lab is trying to find out which pollinator was more effective for the orchard.

According to Williams, each species of bee has different traits. Some species pollinate early in the day. Some species have longer tongues for better pollination. Some species, like the honeybee, produce honey.

“There are all these different aspects of bees that are really important to know while we are studying what is the most efficient pollinator of a specific species of plant,” Williams said.

He said a lot of the things we eat are dependent on pollination from bees, like blueberries, strawberries and small specialty crops.

The Bee Lab can have anywhere from 60 to 100 colonies each year, spread out five or six miles in every direction from their lab. Most are on University property, but some are on City of Auburn property or the property of partners a few miles outside of town.

“For us, it makes sense to have an area that’s not so tightly connected with homes or buildings, just because we need to have, for efficiency, maybe the ability to have 20 or 30 colonies at that site,” Williams said. “Clearly, you can’t plop 30 colonies in someone’s backyard.”

When arranging the colonies at a site, the Bee Lab will have hive entrances facing different directions, so bees are less likely to enter the wrong

continue producing, but at a slower rate, so it only takes them one week of work to harvest.

The biggest mistake, he said, beginning beekeepers make is assuming the bees won’t need to be paid close attention.

“What we’ve seen in people that are just getting started is they’ll get one or two hives, just getting started and figuring things out,” Strickland said. “Then they’ll have the idea that, ‘I can just put them there and they are good. I put them in the box; they are good to go. They are bees.

They’ll be fine.’ But they get weak, they might have a pest problem, something happens to the queen and you come back after a month or two and your bees are dead, or they are gone.”

Strickland said they haven’t had any big issues with disease, but pests have been a problem for them. Small hive beetles and mites can become a big problem for hives if left untreated.

He said bee conservation is an issue he’s paid a lot more attention to since becoming a beekeeper. From what he understands, pesticide use in large-scale agriculture can lead to colony collapse disorder, when most worker bees leave the colony, leading to its eventual death.

“It’s worrisome, for sure, but luckily we haven’t had to deal with it too much,” he said.

His neighbor, however, has not been as lucky. When colony collapse disorder began appearing in his hives, he went from 2,000 colonies to 200 in one year.

Strickland said there isn’t much large-scale agriculture near his hives, so it hasn’t been an issue for him. His hives are spread across his family’s property and the property of his family friends in south Montgomery County and into Pike County.

“You want to put some distance between your bees,” Strickland said. “One, because there is only so much blooming within a certain area and if you have too many bees, there is only so much that could support them right. Also, if you have them together, you are more likely to have more problems with disease and with pests.”

hive. Williams said bees can recognize color and shapes, which is why they paint their bee boxes different colors and patterns.

One hive was painted with blue and white vertical stripes. Another had two paw prints painted on it.

“Of course, some bees go to the wrong colony,” Williams said. “Even if there is a strong wind, you will see bees ending up going to the wrong colony because of that.

There’s also a trend where if you have a long line of colonies, the colonies at the end tend to pick up more of the flying bees than the colonies in the middle.”

According to Williams, what happens when a bee goes into the wrong hive is a little bit of a mystery. In theory, the guard bees that watch the entrance of the hives should stop intruders.

“On paper, there are guard bees at the entrance that are essentially sniffing out bees who are coming and going and will turn away a foreign bee or insect or whatever,” Williams said. “In reality, again, it’s not a perfect system. In some cases, if that bee is naively coming back to her colony thinking that she is ready to drop off some nectar, she can just walk right by and do her business and all of a sudden she is helping out that one colony.”

The Bee Lab sells the honey they harvest from their bees once or twice a year through fundraisers. This year, due to the pandemic, they will be selling their honey online.

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

ACROSS 1 Hit the slopes 4 Divide according to delivery area, as mail 8 Pleasant vocal cadence 12 Charged particle 13 Nairobi resident 15 Sheltered from the wind 16 *Glowing circular phenomenon in the constellation Lyra 18 Cranberry sites 19 *Harlequin publication, e.g.

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3 The Boar’s Head in “Henry IV,” e.g.

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10 Arthurian tales 11 Some electric cars 13 Small hill 14 Scottish denial 17 College sr.’s test 20 Parts of necks 21 Sizzling 22 Wildebeest 23 Spider’s creation 27 Three-time PGA leading money winner Vijay __ 28 Tokyo’s Yoko 29 “__ see it ... ” 32 Disco or jazz 34 Title for Amazon’s Jeff Bezos 36 Wurlitzer product 37 Broadcast 38 Target of a cheek swab

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57 Sworn promise 58 Leery of 61 Rowboat mover 62 Metal in bronze 63 Raised urban trains

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

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09/07/20

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