The Auburn Plainsman 10.8.20

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2020

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FEATURE

COVID-19

University reports 21 new COVID cases

By JACK WEST Editor-in-Chief

Auburn University reported adding 21 new COVID-19 cases last week. This is a slight increase from last week, but overall much lower than the first three weeks.

GuideSafe performed 412 sentinel tests in the period between Sept. 28 and Oct. 4 but reported a 0% positivity rate.

This means that all 21 cases reported by the University in this period were self-reported.

Dr. Fred Kam, director of the Auburn University Medical Clinic, said in his weekly update video that the new numbers reflected a low trend.

“We’re in week eight of classes, and the numbers continue to have a trend of being low,” Kam said. “So that’s great.”

Kam said these low numbers were an indicator that the University would be able to finish the fall semester without having to return to fully remote instruction.

“We are going to Nov. 24,” he said.

Despite the low numbers, Kam urged students to remain cautious and continue to follow the University and state guidelines.

“The challenge that we’re going to face coming up is the social events that surround Halloween,” he said. “As we head into October, it’s really important that everybody makes good decisions. It’s clear from what’s going on that wearing a mask, physically socially distancing, hand sanitizing and keeping social bubble groups to as small as possible and avoiding larger groups is what’s working for everyone.”

Later in the video, Kam said that COVID-19 cases across the country were starting to rise again.

“As we look at what’s happening nationally, up to about two-thirds of the states are starting to report an uptick in new cases as well as hospitalization rates, et cetera, which concerns a lot of people as to whether or not we’re seeing the start of a second wave,” Kam said.

Alabama is not currently experiencing an increase in cases, but Kam said that is likely because the state is lagging behind the rest of the country.

Kam said the increase in cases can, in some ways, be attributed to dropping temperatures.

“As temperatures get cooler, people do more indoor congregations,” Kam said. “Therefore, that, again, becomes an ideal environment for the virus to spread, and we are seeing that in states like Wisconsin and the Midwest which is where the biggest uptick in positive cases are happening right now.”

As students start having midterms and projects due, Kam said it’s important that they take care of their mental and physical health.

“Don’t forget the importance of taking care of your mental health as well as your physical health,” he said. “Another thing that I think people need to work diligently on is getting protected against the flu. We’ve set up a couple flu clinics on Tuesday and Wednesday in the Student Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in room 2326 which is right next to ChickFil-A. So that’s convenient. I encourage people to consider getting their flu shot and getting it now.”

CONTRIBUTED BY RACHEL JOHNSON

AUIJM members at the nation’s capitol.

Student org. fights human trafficking

By NICOLE LEE Writer

The issue of human trafficking continues to be an extremely relevant topic and raises concern on both a national and global scale. Human rights organizations such as the International Justice Mission have been created with the sole purpose of freeing victims of human trafficking, slavery and domestic violence.

IJM’s scope of outreach consists of numerous on-campus chapters all over the country, including one based in Auburn.

The Auburn International Justice Mission, or AUIJM, plays a supportive role through advocacy, prayer and fundraising.

“I heard about IJM my freshman year the very last Sunday before winter break,” said Rachel Johnson, senior in supply chain management and co-president of AUIJM. Johnson said her church was featuring its different partners during one service, which included IJM’s local chapter.

“I remember being so shocked that noone was talking about this — that 40 million people are trapped in slavery,” Johnson said. “I knew what human trafficking was, but I had no idea that it was big. And I had only heard the sex trafficking side of things and not the forced labor, police abuse of power.”

Johnson shares her role as president with Emma Pitcock, senior in marketing.

Both students expressed their gravitation and ultimate involvement towards IJM almost as being fated and described what it was like to be called to it.

Pitcock found herself drawn to the cause after meeting trafficking survivors during her junior year of high school, which she said was a heartbroking moment for her.

“I don’t think I ever felt heartache, sorrow and that depth of feeling for someone else and knowing in my heart that this is a real issue that people don’t know enough about,” Pitcock said. “This club is an outlet to fight against this horrible thing that people might be completely unaware of.

Even just telling someone about it and letting them be in the forefront of the fight.”

A lack of understanding underlays many of the problems surrounding human trafficking; however, members of the organization refuse to let this discourage them. Instead, they work to support local and international efforts to rescue victims of human trafficking.

Field offices in 20 countries perform missions to work with developing justice systems, according to Johnson.

“Their main goal is achieved through » See IJM, 4

CONTRIBUTED BY THE GLOMERATA

Harold Melton won 65% of the votes in the 1987 SGA presidential election.

‘Leave your mark’ Harold Melton, first Black SGA president, reflects on Auburn years, legal career and building dedication

By DESTINI AMBUS Reporter

In April 1987, Harold Melton’s friends lifted him into the air as they celebrated his overwhelming win as SGA president. Not only had Melton won 3,468 votes out of the 5,338 cast, but he had carved out a place in Auburn history by becoming the Student Government Association’s first Black president.

“In [a] picture [in the Glomerata], my friends are holding me up, and to me that represents ... a desire to embrace the school and serve at a higher level, being outdone and them embracing and supporting me more,” he said. “That’s just beautiful to me, and that picture absolutely captures it.”

The joy Melton said he felt that spring night was repeated when he found out the Student Center was being dedicated to him. Once again, he was not only making history, but being embraced by the University.

“I didn’t go to Auburn thinking I would be SGA president,” he said. “I didn’t join SGA thinking I would be president.”

The event, Melton said, was life-changing and a springboard to his current position as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia, a position which also wasn’t in his long-term outlook.

Melton grew up in East Point and Marietta, Georgia. In high school, he was an athlete and was active in foreign language classes, leading him to choose Auburn for his undergraduate degree.

“I was an international business major with a minor in Spanish,” Melton said. “I remember my Spanish teacher putting up schools with a really strong foreign language program and Auburn being one of them.”

The Spanish program wasn’t the only thing influencing his decision to come to Auburn.

Melton recalled a sense of contagious excitement he felt from its student body.

“I was just captivated,” he said. “I also really like the environment, but you know whenever you talk to anyone at Auburn about Auburn, it’s like a lightbulb goes off.”

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Upon arriving at the University, Melton said he didn’t immediately fall in love with it. It had a lot to do with moving into a new environment where he was one out of 18,000 students from diverse backgrounds.

“It took some time,” Melton said. “I really felt so out of place my first quarter — we were on quarter systems then — and my first quarter in particular I felt out of place, not so much my second.”

By his third quarter and the beginning of sophomore year, Melton said he had begun to find a rhythm, a circle of friends and a community.

“It was my campus, and I didn’t have to take a backseat to anyone,” he said. “[I] didn’t have to apologize for being there. I felt like I was a part of the campus environment just as much as anyone.”

The key to getting his legs under him, Melton said, was getting involved in SGA and being aware of who was around him making decisions, what they were like and what factors caused certain results.

“It helped me become in tune with what’s going on around me, and I ended up falling in love with the University,” he said.

He had the idea to run for president suddenly, and as he began sharing the idea with others they became excited for him. With a lot of passion, work and effort, the campaign took off.

“When you serve in that capacity, you just learn a lot, even when you don’t know you’re learning,” Melton said.

During his time as president, SGA dealt with some budgetary issues and was able to close the deal on getting additional fees added to the student bill for a new swimming pool for the University’s swimming team. The fees would help create the funding for the then-recently built Student Activities Center.

Through this work, Melton says he learned a lot — things that got him to where he is today and helped him learn how to do his current job » See MELTON, 2

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NEWS

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effectively.

“You see people who are effective in meetings and people who aren’t and wait for the meetings to end so they can go work,” Melton said. “You see how people effectively resolve conflicts, get through problems, work as a team or don’t work as a team. And you absorb all that without even knowing. And that was really a very life-changing experience in terms of building me up and my understanding of what it means to work effectively in the workplace.”

It also gave him exposure for his endeavors after Auburn. After graduating Auburn he went to the University of Georgia to study law. Originally, he wanted to be a prosecutor, and becoming Chief Justice wasn’t something he’d planned at all.

After his second year at Georgia, he got an internship in the attorney general’s office and got a job offer. Around nine years later, he got a call to join Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue’s team as his lawyer and became executive counsel to the governor in 2003. In 2005, he was appointed to the Supreme Court of Georgia by Perdue, and two years ago he was elected chief by his peers.

Now, his day-to-day allows him to use the

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skills learned as president in a job that was unexpected, but one he loves.

“I come in in the morning and figure out what to read first and prepare for interruptions,” Melton said. “But I love my job, because I get to do things like this and talk about my ideas. I was talking about them before, but no one was listening.”

The ideas he mentions are the same ones that drove him to join SGA when he was an Auburn student — looking at what factors drive certain results or outcomes.

“I have an inside view to the criminal justice system, for example,” Melton said. “I see some of the factors that feed into the crimes, and I’m convinced that yes, there are problems within the criminal justice system that can be fixed. I’m more convinced that they’re problems that are outside the criminal justice system that need to be fixed.”

Melton believes that things that happen, such as children being unable to read or people being convicted for crimes, are symptoms of a bigger, underlying problem. Learning these things was a result of not only his experience in court, but also because of volunteer work with teenagers.

“I was in the neighborhood for 11 years [with] boots on the ground, in and out of homes and seeing the lifestyles of decisions being made,” Melton said. “There’s a lot of brokenness out

FILE PHOTO

The Plainsman ran this picture of Melton following his electoral win in 1987.

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there, and that healing is going to require individuals to get involved in communities and provide support for kids.”

Regarding the national conversation swirling around race, Melton believes this is the way it needs to be addressed — learning what caused the state of race in America today.

“The underlying problem is a degree of brokenness that we need to confront, and this is not blaming the victim — it’s offering support to those who are struggling to live life to the fullest,” Melton said.

As the first Black SGA president, and the first person of color to have a building dedicated to him on Auburn’s campus, Melton says he understands the mission that Auburn is trying to pursue, beginning with him.

“The outward representation — just look at the buildings — they don’t show the openness that Auburn is and the opportunity for achievement for all that Auburn is,” Melton said. “I think Auburn just wants to make clear from those who are just looking from the outside in what we really represent.”

Still, despite the dedication, the Harold D. Melton Student Center will coexist with buildings on campus named after some controversial figures. Melton says it is not his priority to change names or talk anybody out of what they perceive they need to be focused on.

“You know, there are some schools here in Georgia named after some really bad Klansman leaders,” Melton said. “To me, I love the idea that those schools are dedicated to educating and embedded in bettering the lives of all people, even though that would not have been what they wanted. I love the irony of that.”

Melton said with the dedication, he knows what his assignment is and what the University is looking for from him.

“There’s an assignment that says we want you to carry the mantle to be an ambassador and represent what Auburn can mean to all students,” Melton said. “I’m happy to play that role, because every time I try to embrace the University, they always seem to embrace me even more.”

Melton said it’s an assignment he’s happy to take. During his time as an Auburn student, he tried to encourage other Black students in particular to get involved in campus to get the full benefit of what Auburn has to offer. Now, he does the same but one step further.

“I tell students now not just to get involved, but leave a mark,” Melton said. “Let them know you’re here; go into every corner of the University — corners that you never thought you had any business or interest in — and explore. You will leave your mark, and you will have grown in ways beyond which you have never imagined.

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VIA SUPREME COURT OF GEORGIA

Melton as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia in the present day.

You will have impacted [the] University in ways they didn’t expect.”

As for the white students that make up the majority of Auburn’s population, Melton says they should also get involved, but in a slightly different way. Melton, who recently found out about the Black At Auburn instagram page, was disappointed to see the experiences documented, and doesn’t believe that this is the overwhelming culture on campus.

“The impression I got that these aren’t the prevailing culture of the University, but rather isolated incidents,” Melton said. “If it is, that’s even worse. My next question, though, is when do these incidents happen, and what are their other classmates doing?”

Melton recalls one incident, only one, that happened while he was a student.

“We were playing Tennessee and folks beside me a little bit down to my right were screaming out these revised words to ‘Rocky Top’ and they get to the N-word, and the folks I was with, they confronted those individuals,” Melton said. “But that’s what needs to happen. That’s not who Auburn is, and they shouldn’t allow their school to be perceived that way by anybody.”

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2020

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OPINION

EDITORIAL

The City has a lead right now; don’t blow it

By EDITORIAL BOARD Fall 2020

Auburn was looking good.

Coming off a workman-like season opener against what many experts thought was a sneaky Kentucky team, the Tigers were looked to have their best shot at winning the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry on the road since 2005.

But as we’ve come all too familiar with the same theme, Auburn sports are going to do as Auburn sports do.

We’ll get a solid year, but following Auburn athletics always seems to give you just enough hope to be heartbroken, when it’s ripped away just as things are looking to be on the upswing. But that is neither here nor there.

Unfortunately, it looks like the City hasn’t learned from the Tigers’ woeful lessons on how to close out a lead when it comes to the pandemic.

Following a decreasing number of new COVID-19 positive cases that has even surprised Auburn University Medical Clinic Director Dr. Fred Kam, the City Council held a conspicuously timed emergency meeting to lift the restrictions on downtown bars that they had just implemented within the past couple weeks.

The meeting, which lasted approximately two minutes, put an end to the temporary ban on walk-up service at bars, imposed by the City. Although the City’s restrictions were lifted, local bars still must abide by Alabama Beverage Control Board reg-

ulations, which call for a designated seated area and for patrons to maintain six feet of distance, something that social media would make it hard to believe is being implemented.

As noted above, Auburn has done a complete 180, at least perceptively, from where it was just a few weeks ago. The University reported just 21 new COVID-19 cases last week, which was a modest increase from the 17 in the week prior.

But this is a far cry from when the University was reporting a few hundred cases just a couple of weeks ago.

The University has sustained itself through the expected wave of cases at the beginning of the semester, it avoided another spike in cases following the Labor Day Weekend and Dr. Kam says the current situation represents a more of a downward trend than an outlier of a good week or two.

So, everything is going great, right?

If we’re to believe the vast majority of students coming down with the virus are indeed reporting their positive results, and that the low participation rate in the Sentinel Testing doesn’t imply a widespread underlying spread of the virus in the community, then we should continue exactly what we have been doing to a tee.

But for some reason unintelligible to many members of the Auburn Family who are following along, the City changed course, due in large part to concerns from the mayor and council members who believed the

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restrictions were too burdensome on businesses and the local economy.

So, just as the Tigers did in Omaha in the 2019 College World Series, in Minneapolis in the 2019 Final Four and in Atlanta for what was almost an incredibly special 2017 football season, the city seems to be dropping the ball, forgetting everything that has gotten us this far.

We’re just two weeks into this

spectacle of a 2020 college football season, and downtown Auburn businesses have been soaking up every nickel in the makeshift game-day experience that has been a hit by most indications for the first two Saturdays.

As Auburn students, employees and members of the Auburn Family, we want to wish the pandemic away just as bad as any other college kid

missing out on priceless memories.

However, we won’t be able to put this pandemic behind us — and as all the experts have been saying — won’t eliminate economic issues from the community without eliminating the virus from the community.

So, please, whether the city is enforcing social distancing and mask wearing or not, don’t lose this lead.

We’re looking so good.

COLUMN

Students need alternative to online exams

By JONATHAN STUCKEY Columnist

By now for most students, using Honorlock for testing isn’t given much second thought. We sure did adjust quickly. Following the shift to virtual learning, the many classes have relied on this software to ensure a trustworthy virtual testing environment. But how is it affecting students, and should there be a fair proctoring alternative?

As part of the procedure, students are asked to show their student ID, their face and also their entire room. That room scan is what is now becoming an area of concern for some students as they feel their privacy is being breached by being required to document their room — a place where many find their solitude and a place of complete privacy.

With this concern also comes the concern of the data collected

by Honorlock. According to their privacy statement, files are kept

on their Amazon server for 12 months. This can raise concerns for students who see this as a future possible issue. Yes, we have these sorts of concerns with the vast forms of technology that we use today, but we use that technology knowing the potential threats and use it at our own risk. Here, however, there are no alternative options available.

The large-scale online testing this semester has also raised concerns about how good of a judge it is at assessing student knowledge. The question of conventional testing and whether or not it accurately depicts the learned material of the student has been a conversation for years. Through completely virtual testing, that concern is coming to the forefront, and some teachers have adjusted to this request and modified the structure of their gauging of students’ knowledge.

Other students simply find themselves mentally exhausted

from using Honorlock and other forms of virtual testing, as the testing environment is completely different from that of a classroom setting.

In a similar way that students have had to adjust to online learning, students who are offered ADA accommodations have had to adjust as well.

Dr. Barclay Bentley, assistant director of the Office of Accessibility, said that there are currently 2,038 students registered with his office, but that there is a possibility that there are more students on campus with disabilities that have not registered.

In testing environments prior to coronavirus, the majority of students receiving accommodations received it in the form of ample testing time. For the circumstances that we’re in now, he said, those students have received their extra time through virtual testing, and students who need more have had adequate accom-

modations made after consulting with their office and instructor to ensure there are no extra advantages given by using that method.

This brings about a good point in having the option for virtual or in-person testing.

“For some classes, there’s no problem with a student receiving in-person testing accommodations if requested and discussed by the student and instructor, but we’ve talked to some instructors who believe a student — in a particular case — would be given an advantage by having their test proctored in person,” Bentley said.

In order for students’ knowledge to be tested accurately, and to also ensure the privacy request of students are met, there ought to be an alternative proctored testing center for all students in cases that the instructor believes the student would be given no extra advantage, especially if we’re going to continue virtual learning for the remainder of the semester.

JACK WEST | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

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Letters must include the author’s name, address and phone number for verification.

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

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

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

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BUSINESS

Auburn’s Bee Lab begins annual honey sale

By COLLINS KEITH Assistant Section Editor

The primary purpose of Auburn University’s Bee Lab, according to assistant professor Geoffrey Williams, is research and instruction.

Housed in the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, the Bee Lab’s charge is to promote bees through research, teaching and outreach.

However, in order to support its efforts in research and instruction, the Bee Lab sets aside certain apiaries, or plots of land with bee colonies, for the production of honey. These apiaries are scattered across Auburn’s campus, and some may even be owned by Auburn residents.

“We have the Bee Lab, a physical structure, but then we also have a Bee Lab as our bee yard, or apiary, where we keep bees,” Williams said.

“So that’s what we call the Bee Lab yard. But we do have several other yards scattered within 10 miles of campus. Some of those yards are only used for research, some are used for honey production and some are used for both.”

This year, the apiaries allotted for honey production were the Bee Lab’s home apiary, the colonies maintained by Raleigh and Jane Jones, and the colonies maintained at the Mary Olive Thomas Demonstration Forest. Combined, they produced more honey this year than in years past.

“We’ve got about 1,500 pounds of honey this year,” Williams said. “I would say this year is more than usual. It really depends on the number of colonies we have available … our primary focus is research, outreach and instruction, but sometimes we can take advantage of putting more colonies in our honey yard, so to speak.”

CONTRIBUTED BY GEOFFREY WILLIAMS

The honey bee colony boxes located in the Bee Lab’s home apiary.

CONTRIBUTED BY GEOFFREY WILLIAMS

Auburn students bottle the honey extracted from the honey supers.

IJM

» From 1 after care programs while also pursuing criminal action to bring people to justice,” Johnson said. “That’s more of a global picture of what they are doing and the rescue operations and most of their work. We are not doing rescue missions — just a supportive role of what IJM is doing abroad.”

With over 100 college chapters around the nation, AUIJM contributes to a massive initiative funneled through the global IJM organization.

“We see our role as vital to the prevention aspect of the timeline of human trafficking,” Pitcock said. “The process of prevention, act of being trafficked and then restoration, after care and reintegration into society are some of the things we focus on.”

Each week AUIJM receives prayer requests directly from IJM’s headquarters.

These may be centered around current, ongoing cases, upcoming rescue operatives or, on occasion, those that give gratitude and thanks for a successful rescue mission or rescued and reunited victims.

“We feel it is essential to the work that we do to just bring God into the heart and center of things,” Pitcock said.

In addition to weekly prayers, the chapter does what it calls “case studies” in which one member researches a specific instance and form of trafficking and then presents it to the group. This facilitates an environment of educating within the chapter that helps its members to share what they have learned and continue to raise awareness.

Along with a strong, Christian foundation, AUIJM hosts several fundraising events which help in this battle against human trafficking. Money is raised for rescue operation funding and, in past years, clothes were donated to a local safe home partnered with AUIJM called Hattie’s Home.

“One of the events we have every year is called Threads,” Pitcock said. “It’s a pop-up thrift shop, and we get tons of people to donate clothes and set up at our office. Last year we had it at Coffee Cat.

All the proceeds go to fund rescue operations.”

A more tangible aspect of the chapter’s influence takes the form of an annual trip to Washington, D.C. where IJM is headquartered. There, the Auburn chapter participates with others from around the country in an advocacy summit to speak with congressional state representatives to talk legislation related to human trafficking.

“This [was] a huge moment for our leadership team — we really felt like we are really doing something,” Johnson said of the trip she took to the summit. “We are ... talking to the people that have real influence and power over these things. I thought it was super empowering and, obviously nerve-wracking, but all the good things are. We all kind of walked away in awe of what we just got to do — making a change and making an impact.”

Kensley Sanders, junior in social work and vice president of AUIJM, recalled being nervous before the trip but found the representatives to be approachable during the D.C. summit.

“They really did a good job at making sure we knew what to say and were prepared ... being able to see how many volunteers and chapters were involved in this was really encouraging,” Sanders said. “To see what we are doing locally is being done all over the country showed me the scale of IJM and how many people are helping spread the message. It really put passion for me into the meeting because I understood the perspectives and scope for the first time”.

The matter of getting this message across is another hurdle faced by anti-human trafficking activists. Many feel this topic is uncomfortable to discuss in casual conversation or have an unconscious categorization of it as being “taboo,” Pitcock said. One such instance of this she faced was during a conversation with her family at the dinner table.

“A lot of times the people who are called traffickers are called ‘pimps,’” Pitcock said. “I remember one time I was ... talking about it and my mom. She asked me a question and she was like ‘OK, so tell me about these ‘pimps’ and sort of

According to Williams, the production season of honey by bee colonies in Alabama finishes around the end of July, which is when most natural and introduced plants around the area stop blooming.

“In Auburn, the end of the nectar flow as we call it, is the beginning of July,” Williams said. “[The nectar flow] ends when the tree Chinese Tallow stops blooming. It’s actually an invasive species here … but it’s a really great nectar plant for bees.”

For the Bee Lab, staff usually begin harvesting and production of honey around this time, but this year, a few things slowed them down, Williams said. While COVID-19 was a factor, the Bee Lab also spent time working on a new interactive label for the back of their honey bottles.

“Our front label is pretty standard, we always have the year of when it’s produced, but [for] our back label … we have this interactive label on the back,” Williams said. “So if you were to buy that and scan [the label], it’ll take you to a specific page for where this honey is coming from.”

According to Williams, the interactive label on the back of the bottle is the Lab’s way of connecting with its customers and the community to show that the honey the Bee Lab makes is truly local.

“You’ll know roughly where the colony was and where [the colony] was collecting the nectar and converting it into honey,” Williams said.

“You’ll know who was managing those colonies, who are all Auburn personnel and students.”

Customers will even know the water content of the honey, which Williams said is important.

In order to truly be called honey, the percentage of water in the honey needs to be below 18.5%.

If done right, the production and collection of honey each year is relatively unobtrusive to the bee colony. The process begins in the springtime, when beekeepers add additional boxes to the colony on top of the existing boxes, which are called brood boxes.

These new boxes that are added on top are called the “honey super,” and they are where the bees will store the nectar which eventually becomes honey, Williams said. In order to keep the queen from laying eggs in the honey super, a “queen excluder” is added between the honey super and the brood boxes. “[The queen excluder] is essentially a grate to stop the queen from moving up,” Williams said.

The purpose of this is to keep the queen stuck in the bottom boxes, the brood boxes, and then the bees above the queen excluder will only store nectar up there. When the beekeeper comes to extract the honey, they’re only dealing with

whispered it.”

Similarly, Sanders said the lack of knowledge about what human trafficking looks like can lead to conspiracies, such as in the case of e-commerce company Wayfair this summer, which was falsely believed to have been trafficking children through the use of excessively priced items on its website.

“Stories like that can spread so quickly based on misconceptions which harm what it actually looks like, and in reality it’s happening locally and on a lot smaller scale,” Sanders said. “A big objective for IJM is learning the truth about trafficking and making sure we’re not feeding into stories that are distracting from real work that will help.”

Pitcock said she sees a future for the club allowing members to confidently and comfortably share anti-human trafficking messages. One way AUIJM seeks to further this goal is by welcoming trafficking survivors to share their experiences.

“We partner with a safe home called Reintegra in Mexico City, [Mexico],” Pitcock said. “We get a survivor to come and speak to our chapter. I think also just never forgetting this is a global issue and we must continue to fight to the extent of the issue and not just what we see here in the U.S. is crucial to IJM’s mission.”

Johnson said she has wondered about the longevity of the local chapter, but expressed faith that its next leadership team can build upon the organization she leaves upon graduating.

“I think, just as every president and senior has felt, there is fear of what’s to come after graduation,” Pitcock said.

“We feel so confident in our leadership team to leave IJM better than we found it for the next group of people to make it even better than we had,” Pitcock said.

Sanders credited Pitcock and Johnson as being the most influential in the local chapter’s growth.

“They have done such a good job at leading this chapter,” Pitcock said. “For me, it’s about wanting people to have the same positive experience I had and [to continue] the type of leadership team we have — empowering everyone the way Rachel and Emma have done to us.”

CONTRIBUTED BY GEOFFREY WILLIAMS

The interactive label on the honey bottles.

honey and not developing bees in these cells.”

According to Williams, the bees convert the nectar they forage from flowers into honey by dehydrating and adding enzymes to the nectar.

“Honey is the carbohydrate source of the honey bees, so that’s the energy source,” Williams said. “They’re storing away all this honey for future use. A good beekeeper will come along and take a portion of that honey from those supers.

They won’t take all the honey … because we realize that the honey is important for the honey bees to survive in the wintertime.”

Beekeepers will then take the frames from the honey super to a giant centrifuge, according to Williams. The centrifuge will spin the frames around, and all the honey will be extracted. After straining, the honey production is finished, Williams said.

Honey is essentially a combination of two simple carbohydrates, fructose and glucose, which are broken down forms of glucose, according to Williams. The differing ratios of these two sugars in honey can change both the honey’s color and taste.

“If you see different honey, sometimes they’re different colors, they taste differently,” Williams said. “Something that causes that different taste is the ratio of the fructose and the glucose [in the honey].”

The Bee Lab’s annual honey sale week is going on right now, and they encourage anyone interested to visit their webpage or social media.

CONTRIBUTED BY RACHEL JOHNSON

Each year, AUIJM hosts fundraising events like Threads, its pop-up thrift shop.

CONTRIBUTED BY RACHEL JOHNSON

AUIJM allows trafficking survivors to share their experiences in some meetings.

The Auburn Plainsman

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2020

PAGE 5

INVOLVEMENT

Senior Pals fosters friendships between students, older people

By SARAH GIBSON Writer

A new club called Senior Pals at Auburn University focuses on partnering students with older residents of the Auburn community. The club was started this semester by Clare Promer, junior in accounting, and Anthony Spafford, senior in architecture, who spent their time volunteering at a local nursing home in Auburn last year.

“It started when Anthony and I were in search of something in the community that we could join to serve others,” Promer said.

“We wanted something that was more person-to-person interaction.”

During the fall 2019 semester, Promer and Spafford started volunteering at a local nursing home. They would go to the cafeteria and strike up conversation with many of the residents there.

“We really enjoyed going because the residents would always tell us stories about their lives,” Promer said. “Whenever we left, we always were sad because we really wanted to get to know more of the residents and be able to have more conversations with all the different people who lived there.”

Promer and Spafford both said these conversations were very enjoyable not only for the residents, but for them, too.

“When we would sit in the community room, at first there would only be a couple of the residents talking to us, but by the time we left it felt like the whole communi-

COLLINS KEITH | ASSISTANT SECTION EDITOR

ty had gathered in that room,” Spafford said.

“They would always ask what club we were there with, but we would tell them we were just there to visit on our own accord.”

These conversations were what sparked the idea of Senior Pals at Auburn University.

Promer mentioned that she wanted to start a club to get more students involved with coming and having meaningful conversations with older people. Spafford and Promer saw an ad in the newspaper for starting a club and brought the idea into action.

The club recently partnered with The Big

Event for students to write, call or visit those residents who still live in their own houses during the upcoming TBE 2021 event.

“Since these senior citizens still live in their own house, we have had some request that the student who they are paired with could come visit them at points in the semester,” Promer said. “Since it is at their own homes, we are allowing the senior citizens to make their own decisions with the way they would like to communicate.”

Currently, the club has more student volunteers than senior citizens signed up. Spaf-

ford said that the club is pairing multiple students with one senior to account for this disproportionate ratio.

“Since we are pairing students with a senior citizen for the year, we see this as a longterm relationship that can nurture and grow through the years,” Spafford said. “This is what makes our organization different than those that go to visit nursing homes.”

Spafford and Promer said that anyone could join the organization as long as they were willing to put in the time to foster a meaningful friendship with their senior partner. Promer explained that this is crucial because the club does not want to assign a senior citizen a student pal who never invests in the friendship.

Eventually, Promer said, the club will have two separate roles — one that is more of the administrative side and the other that is students who will foster relationships with their senior pairings.

At the moment, all of the senior citizens signed up for the program are through The Big Event. Promer explained that some of the residents said they had friends interested in joining, too. The club is hoping that some other senior citizens will sign up for the program by hearing about it and from other advertising means.

The first meeting for Senior Pals at Auburn University will be on Thursday, Oct. 8, outside on Samford Lawn. This is where they will pair students with senior citizens and assign the more administrative roles of the club.

CHARITY

AU Dance Marathon taking ‘baby steps’ in campaign this year

By TIM NAIL Section Editor

Students on campus Monday, Oct. 5 might have been surprised to see the form of a giant baby taking up the Green Space. The inflatable infant was the work of Auburn University Dance Marathon, which is ramping up its recruitment numbers despite how COVID has affected the University.

Monday’s recruitment event aimed to promote its mission of fundraising “For The Kids” in support of children’s health. AUDM will be supporting Piedmont Columbus Regional Hospital in Columbus, Georgia, during its dance event next semester. The return of the baby revives a tradition from 2014, when it last appeared on campus to bolster student interest in AUDM. “We wanted to come back with something bigger than Auburn, bigger than us, something bigger than our local kids,” said Raj Patel, graduate student in osteopathic medicine and event planner for AUDM. “We really didn’t tell anybody; we wanted people to be like, ‘What’s that on the Green [Space]?’”

Jonathan Cuff, senior in finance and president of AUDM, said he hopes this year’s fundraising efforts can provide considerable support to the overworked hospital impacted by the coronavirus.

“We’re just here kind of engaging with our participants and staff members ... [promoting] awareness for children’s health, especially during the times of the COVID-19

TIM NAIL | SECTION EDITOR

AUDM staff pose for a photo during a recruitment event on Oct. 5, 2020, in Auburn, Ala.

pandemic,” Cuff said. “Our hospitals have been kinda impacted as well.”

Cuff said AUDM broke its records during its initial recruitment push last week. According to Cuff, 715 students signed on to participate in this year’s main fundraising event, which is currently scheduled for Feb. 13, 2021 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. in the Student Activities Center.

“We’re taking baby steps at a

time,” Patel said of AUDM’s event planning process this year.

Like many other organizations, AUDM has taken up some virtual events for the first time ever to boost its recruitment. The first of these was a trivia night held in the second week of the fall semester, Cuff said.

“We had about 100 students attend that,” he said. “It was a lot of fun. Weoffered a couple prizes and

also informed them about who we are.”

Through the event, AUDM was also able to double its staff size by bringing in new committee members who are settling into their new positions since being welcomed in two weeks ago, Cuff said.

“We knew this [semester] would have a lot of challenge and adversity, but our staff is taking it by storm,” he said. “We’ve had no is-

sues so far; everything’s looking great.”

In continuing its support of children’s health, AUDM will be hosting a virtual meet-and-greet event on Nov. 1 targeting parents with young children.

Those interested in getting involved with this year’s marathon to participate in upcoming events or to become a staff member, sponsor or dancer may contact Cuff.

COUNSELING

Annual SCPS depression screening day goes virtual

By VIRGINIA SPEIRS Writer

TIM NAIL | SECTION EDITOR

SCPS and the AUPSC will co-host the event.

Anxiety and depression are obstacles many students face in schools across the country, with the global pandemic only exacerbating stress for many, according to a Boston University study from July. Schoolwork on top of normal life stressors can cause many students to face mental stress, which can commonly lead to other mental health issues as well.

These reasons are why Auburn University’s Student Counseling and Psychological Services and its Psychological Services Center co-host a yearly depression screening day

to help students struggling with anxiety or depression find help. Despite the global pandemic and the University’s event regulations, students will still be able to attend the event virtually via Zoom.

“The goal of the event is to provide brief, free and confidential mental health screeners and resources to Auburn students and community members,” said Kelsey Thomas, graduate student in psychology. “Typically, the event is hosted in person and on Auburn’s campus, but this year we are putting on a virtual event.”

Participants of the event will log into the Zoom meeting and be

placed into a waiting room before being assigned to a clinician by a moderator. Then, the participants will go through a brief depression screening and discuss their results with their clinician, being given further resources to help if needed, Thomas explained.

Because the event is virtual, students are responsible for being in a secure and private location during their screening with a clinician.

“We are requiring a private location to ensure the confidentiality of the information shared during the screening, as information shared might be sensitive,” said Dr. Nadia Bhuiyan, assistant

clinical professor in the Department of Psychology. “We will have moderators who will be ensuring that students are in a private location, and those moderators will be able to advise students on where to go.”

AUSCPS has been hosting its annual depression screening day for the past few years, but this year is the first time they will be holding it virtually.

“We want to be able to continue the event this year and are making efforts to simulate as much of the in-person event as possible in an online format,” Thomas said. “We also think that holding it online will help us reach even more students on

campus than we have in previous years.”

The screening event will be Thursday, Oct. 8 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Students enrolled in psychology classes can register for the event at auburn.sona-systems.com, and students not registered in psychology classes can email aupsc@auburn.edu to get the Zoom link for the event.

“We hope the screening process will help people learn about their mood and how mood can affect other areas of life,” Thomas said. “We also hope that we will be able to reach students in need of extra support and increase awareness of the mental health resources available on campus.”

community THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2020

6 THEPLAINSMAN.COM

COMMUNITY

SAFETY

CONTRIBUTED BY THE CITY OF AUBURN

Auburn’s sixth fire station will have over 8,000 square feet of living space, offices and garage space.

Council approves sixth City fire station

By CHARLIE RAMO Section Editor

During Tuesday night’s City Council meeting, the Council approved construction of Fire Station 6, which is to be located at 110 W. Farmville Rd. The project will cost $3,138,000.

According to plans on the City’s website, the building will hold over 8,000 square feet of living and sleeping quarters, office space, an apparatus bay and space for parking.

Before the meeting began, Auburn Police Division Chief Cedric Anderson updated the Council on local police statistics.

In every category, Auburn is below average in crime, Anderson said. Burglaries have trended down since 2008.

APD is trying to improve its relations with the community through proactive patrolling and greater interactions with apartments and homeowner’s associations. Officers walk through neighborhoods throughout the City to meet members of the community and hear their concerns.

Many thefts in Auburn are opportunistic crimes, Anderson said. APD runs the “lock it or lose it” campaign to decrease the opportunities for theft in the community.

APD’s hiring process takes longer than most agencies, Anderson said. He wants to make sure he hires the right people for the community. New hires must become famil-

iar with local codes and laws before being sent to the Academy.

APD continues to train officers in trending issues and in lacking areas, Anderson said. He believes APD has higher standards for officer training than most other police departments.

“At the end of every shift, the officers say a prayer, not only for themselves, but for the community,” Anderson said. “I think that is one of the greatest things they’re doing.

They pray for the citizens here.”

At the beginning of the City Council meeting, Anders announced that Sept. 25 will be Kounte Threadgill Day, in honor of the 13-year-old’s actions, saving his family from a house fire. Threadgill saved his four younger siblings by breaking a window to escape and going back into his burning home to save his youngest brother.

“The Auburn Fire Division and the City of Auburn are proud to honor the heroic actions taken by Kounte Threadgill,” said Auburn Fire Chief John Lankford. “On the evening of Aug. 26, 2020, without regard to his own safety and only thinking of his family, 13-year-old Kounte Threadgill’s bravery saved four of his younger siblings.”

Anders also announced the retirement of City Manager Jim Buston, who will finish serving the City on Jan. 31. Anders believes the City has a strong candidate for Buston’s replacement within the City. The Council

will meet next week to decide whether to move forward with the internal candidate.

The Council approved a condemnation of Orange Auburn, LLC. Buston explained that when the City widens roads, they will often offer payment for the property required.

Condemnation occurs when the property owner refuses to accept payment for the property but the City requires the land to continue with a project.

Buston expects that if the case is brought before a court, the City will be required to pay the property owner the previously offered value.

The Council also approved to compensate a landowner for an easement as part of widening and resurfacing Gay Street. The previous condemnation was also for the project widening and resurfacing South College Street, Samford Avenue, Gay Street and Reese Avenue.

The Council discussed pre-zoning and zoning for The Silos at Conway, a proposed neighborhood east of the City of Auburn Soccer Complex, on the north side of Wire Road.

Project representative Blake Rice explained that the proposed neighborhood will consist of higher-price homes with large lots. There will be a 20-foot buffer between the development and Wire Road.

Ward 8 Council member Tommy Dawson said that if the Council does not approve the

current plan for 71 homes on 50 acres, the property owner could build over 70 houses on 25 acres. Though he is not in support of the commercial development part of the property, he appreciates the property owner’s work towards proposing a plan that is less dense than what the property will be zoned for.

The Council unanimously approved pre-zoning, annexation and zoning for The Silos at Conway.

At the request of the property owner, the Council voted to postpone the vote on rezoning land on Moores Mill Road and Hamilton Road for the Hamilton Place shopping center. The vote was 7-2, with Ward 6 Council member Steven Dixon and Ward 2 Council member Kelley Griswold opposing.

The ordinance had been postponed from the previous City Council meeting.

During Citizen’s Communications, it was brought to the Council’s attention that the vote for the Moores Mill Road property will fall on the night of the presidential election.

Buston explained that the Council will have the option to postpone the vote on Nov. 3.

Ward 3 Council member Beth Witten asked if the City Council meeting could be moved to either Monday, Nov. 2 or Wednesday, Nov. 4. Buston confirmed that the Council will be able to move the meeting date with a vote at the next Council meeting at the end of October.

GOVERNMENT

‘My time here has been a wonderful journey’

Long-time City Manager Jim Buston announces retirement after 24 years

By CHARLIE RAMO Section Editor

On Thursday, Oct. 1, Auburn City Manager Jim Buston announced his retirement after 25 years of service to the Auburn community. His final day will be Jan. 31.

According to the City’s press release, Buston started with the City in 1996, creating its Information Technolo y Department. He later served concurrently as the chief information officer and the assistant city manager for 11 years.

Buston earned his bachelor’s degree from Oregon State University. After graduating from Oregon State, Buston served in the Peace Corps for two years in Honduras. After spending more time in Honduras, Buston worked in the private sector in a few different software companies. He said that his time in the private sector prepared him for working in a council-manager form of government.

“It did give me the opportunity, because a council-manager form of government is a lot like business,” Buston said in an interview with The Plainsman in Novemeber 2019. “If you look at the Council, they are basically the board of directors. As city manager, I’m the chief executive officer, and my department heads are like vice presidents.”

Buston then went to graduate school at Auburn University before starting his work with the City and creating the IT Department. He then served as assistant city manager. Buston said his time as assistant city manager was critical in preparing him for his job as city manager.

“I think it was really important to gain that insight into the job as city manager,” Buston said. “Without that time as being assistant, I think I

would’ve been very, very unprepared for the position of city manager.”

Buston was made interim city manager and then appointed to city manager in 2017 after graduating from the Senior Executives in State and Local Government program at Harvard University.

“It’s not any secret that I did not seek the job of city manager,” Buston said. “I had intended to retire when the previous city manager was here. He just decided he was going to retire — it was kind of a surprise, so I was interim city manager after he left.”

Because Auburn uses a council-manager form of government, Auburn’s city manager is the administrative head of the City’s government. They are respo sible for the hiring and firing of City employees, advising the City Council, proposing the biennial budget and administrating adopted budgets.

Buston considers himself a bit of a jack of all trades when it comes to running a city, which plays into his role as city manager.

“I’m not an expert in any of the disciplines that are required to run a City, I just know a little bit about all of them,” Buston said. “I’m not a city planner, so I leave the city planning to the professionals. I’m not an engineer, so I leave the engineering to the professional engineers.”

There are several other skills that helped Buston in his job. Starting off, what’s most important is getting in tune with the community.

“You have to know the community, you have to understand the culture, you have to first, when you first come in, listen to people, and get the lay of the land, and understand what the dynamics of the culture are,” he said.

Buston was responsible for the reorganization of City departments in 2018.

According to the City, the change im-

proved communication between coordinating departments and programs.

“I’m beyond thankful that Jim was here to provide a steady hand of experience at a time when we had a new mayor, six new Council members and three key retirements of long-serving department heads,” said Mayor Ron Anders.

“I will miss his counsel. The City of Auburn is better for his years of dedication to providing the best quality City services possible.”

Under Buston’s tenure, the City received citizen survey results placing Auburn 38 points about the national average for their perceived value received from taxes and fees. Additional-

ly, 74% of residents were satisfied with the City’s customer service, placing Auburn 32 points above the national average.

The City also saw 1,150 new industrial jobs during this time. Seven new companies moved to Auburn, and 32 preexisting companies expanded operations. Most of what he most appreciates about his position is how he much he is able to impact the community.

“The best part of the job is knowing that what I do day to day actually impacts others in the community,” he said.

Buston guided and continues to guide the City through challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandem-

ic, during which he was able to present the biennial budget. He also oversees the safety and wellbeing of over 800 employees as they adapted to provide City services.

“The City of Auburn’s employees form a strong, high-performing organization with a well-deserved reputation for outstanding achievement, and I was honored to lead some of the finest and most dedicated public servants in the nation,” Buston said. “My time here has been a wonderful journey, and I hope to have made a meaningful contribution to making Auburn a better place for all who live, work, visit and study here.”

JOSH FISHER | PHOTOGRAPHER

Buston has worked for the City of Auburn since 1996.

The Auburn Plainsman

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2020

PAGE 7

BUSINESS

City, state authorities lift alcohol restrictions

By CHARLIE RAMO Section Editor On Oct. 1, the City Council held a specially called meeting to rescind the local state of emergency. The resolution restricted sales of alcohol to unseated customers at bars and restaurants.

The resolution went into effect on Aug. 28 and was extended on Sept. 15. It was set to expire on Oct. 7, but the Council previously decided the resolution would coincide with the statewide health order.

The local state of emergency allowed for police officers to fine noncompliant businesses no more than $500 during the period in which it was in effect. The resolution also allowed for the City to suspend alcohol sales if a business was noncompliant or did not follow proper social distancing guidelines.

Two days prior, the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Commission changed their restrictions on bars, removing the 11 p.m. limit for alcohol sales. The restriction was originally put in place on July 27.

ABC’s amended emergency rule includes a maximum of 50% occupancy for all ABC-licensed businesses and a designated sales area for walk-up bar services, along with all requirements in the statewide health order.

JACK WEST | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Auburn’s Public Safety Building houses APD, the City Council and other services.

On Sept. 30, Gov. Kay Ivey updated the statewide health order, allowing visitation at hospitals and nursing homes.

All other restrictions were kept in effect.

The order, now set to expire on Nov. 8, still requires masks in public when within six feet of other people, masks for all students second grade and above and no more than 50% occupancy in retail locations.

HALLOWEEN

City implements trick-or-treating safety measures

By SAM LANKFORD writer

The City of Auburn has designated Friday, Oct. 30, 6–8 p.m. for neighborhood trick-or-treating because of the home football game that will take place on Oct. 31 against LSU. According to the City’s website, this change will allow for the police to better ensure the safety of trick-or-treaters.

“We’re asking everyone to trick-or-treat on the 30th instead of the 31st,” said Daniel Dorton, Auburn’s director of public affairs.

Dorton stated that precautions taken to stymie the spread of COVID-19 will still be expected of trick-or-treaters. “[B]e aware that masks and social distancing are still in place at that time,” Dorton said.

On Sept. 30, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey extended the order requiring all to wear masks

in public places through Nov. 8.

In lieu of door-to-door trick-or-treating, the City of Auburn is offering a drive-thru trick-or-treat, occurring also on Oct. 30 from 6–8 p.m. at the Auburn Parks and Recreation Complex.

The event is free, and attendees are encouraged to dress up in costumes and decorate their cars. According to the City’s website, Attendees must come in a vehicle, as no walk-ups will be permitted.

“Participants must enter the parking lot from Drake Avenue, then will be directed around the complex,” the website said. “A map and directions will be posted the week of the event.”

On Sept. 15, the City of Opelika announced that door-to-door trick or treating would be canceled for 2020.

The City of Opelika will also host a drive-thru trick-or-treating event on Thursday, Oct. 29, from 6–9 p.m.

FILE PHOTO

Auburn residents are asked to trick-or-treat on Oct. 30 this year.

sports

8

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2020

THEPLAINSMAN.COM

SPORTS

BASEBALL

Auburn in the MLB: Regular season recap

By DYLAN FOX Writer

In a shortened 60-game 2020 season, Auburn fans got to see six former Tigers in the MLB this season; five players and one manager. With playoffs in full swing and a World Series crown on the way, here’s a look at how the regular season went for Auburn’s alumni.

David Ross — Chicago Cubs Manager The former Tigers backstop is in his first season as a manager for the Chicago Cubs.

Chicago hired him this season to replace manager Joe Maddon, who is now the skipper for the Angels. The Cubs, who finished 3426, captured the division title in the notably weak N.L. Central. They were aided by outfielder Ian Happ, who slashed .258/.361/.505 on the season, and Yu Darvish’s magnificent 2.01 ERA. Right fielder Jason Heyward, now known mostly for his defense, had a return to form this year at the plate, amassing a 129 OPS+.

The season, however, was not without its hiccups, as some of the North Side’s key performers took a step back this season, such as flashy shortstop Javy Baez, power bat Kyle Schwarber and former MVP Kris Bryant all having below-average seasons at the plate.

The most glaring issue at Wrigley Field this season was the bullpen, as setup stalwarts Craig Kimbrel and Kyle Ryan both had an ERA above 5.0.

When gauging his performance as a manager, it’s important to realize how much talent Ross has on this roster. From the games played this season, his lineups and direction

look really good; however, his bullpen management and coaching his star hitters will need to improve. If he can get his hitters to hit as they once did, David Ross and the Chicago Cubs could see plenty of success.

Josh Donaldson — Minnesota Twins Third Baseman It has been almost a decade and a half since Donaldson played the hot corner in Auburn.

After signing a four-year deal worth $92 million in Minnesota, Donaldson struggled to prove his worth. After hitting .182 in July, he missed all of August due to a right calf injury.

While only playing 28 games, Donaldson’s hitting splits tell an interesting tale about his season. He was a much better hitter against RHP than LHP (.890 OPS vs .630) and was also significantly better at the plate in away games, with a nearly 1.000 OPS when not in Minneapolis. While his numbers actually looked pretty good for a 34-year-old infielder, his numbers are boosted by small sample size, and Twins fans would like to see him on the field more consistently for his hefty contract to be worth it.

Casey Mize — Detroit Tigers Pitcher The former Auburn ace and first overall pick made his major league debut this year in a start against the Chicago White Sox, where he let in 3 ER in 4.1 innings. The year did not get any better for Detroit’s prized prospect, as he amassed a 6.99 ERA in seven games. He was often pulled early, not only for poor performance, but also to keep his arm healthy heading into the offseason.

Despite the poor statistics, many of Mize’s attributes that made him one of the sport’s

most exciting prospects were shown this season. His fastball was placed well with high velocity, and his splitter dropped the jaws of plenty of writers and commentators, who praised its late sink and swing-and-miss capability.

Mize’s struggles on the mound this year are to be expected, as a rookie in a weird season facing some of baseball’s best offenses. However, concerns about his breaking balls and high-risk mechanics will make for an interesting offseason for Mize, as Detroit does not want to risk their first overall pick being injury-prone throughout his career.

Detroit missed the playoffs this season, finishing 23-35.

Ben Braymer — Washington Nationals Pitcher Another former Tiger who got his MLB debut this season, Braymer only appeared in three games this season for the World Champion Nationals. While only going for 2.1 innings in his first two starts, Braymer struggled, amassing a WHIP of 3.43. However, in a game in Miami on Sept. 20, Braymer hurled five scoreless innings en route to a 15-0 Washington victory. Braymer got the start and the win due to it being the second leg of a double header.

Despite missing the playoffs this year, the Nationals hope to bounce back from their injuries and make another playoff run. Braymer will attempt to crack a very tough rotation in 2021, which features Stephen Strasburg, Max Scherzer and Patrick Corbin.

Garrett Cooper — Miami Marlins First Baseman

Playing on 2020’s surprise playoff team in Miami, the former Auburn standout had a breakout year at the plate, slashing .283/.353/.500 in 2020, finishing with eight home runs in only 34 games. With missing time due to COVID-19 and minor leg injuries, Cooper split time at first base and DH, which was only available to N.L. teams starting this season.

Despite the injuries, Cooper proved to be Miami’s second-best hitter, behind shortstop Miguel Rojas. After missing over a week’s worth of games due to a team-wide COVID-19 breakout, the Marlins surprised everyone this year by finishing second in the N.L. East this season and locking up a playoff spot.

Grant Dayton — Atlanta Braves Pitcher Former Auburn starter, Dayton has been in a relief role for the Braves the past two seasons. Originally drafted by Miami, he was traded to the Dodgers and made relief appearances in LA in 2016 and 2017. After Tommy John surgery, he was Designated for Assignment and picked up by the nearby Atlanta Braves.

Despite the shortened season, Dayton has pitched more in 2020 than in any of his other MLB seasons, finishing with an outstanding ERA of 2.30 in 27.1 IP. Often used as a middle reliever, he often only used a fastball and a curve to mow through the lineups. While Statcast indicates that his ERA is inflated by luck and weak hitters, his performance this year will likely net him some high leverage situations in the postseason as well as in 2021.

FILE PHOTO

Casey Mize pitches during Auburn vs. Vanderbilt baseball on Friday, May 4, 2018, in Auburn, Ala.

BASEBALL

Tigers set to start fall baseball practice on Oct. 13

By JAKE GONZALEZ Writer

The Auburn baseball program announced on Monday that fall practices and scrimmages will return next week on Oct. 13.

The practices and scrimmages will be closed to the public and media in order to maintain current COVID-19 safety protocols.

The Tigers return seven of the nine position players and 11 pitchers that went 13-5 in a season cut short due to COVID-19. The team does return the entire starting outfield from last season including Judd Ward, Kason Howell and Steven Williams. They also bring back the top two hitters from last season in Rankin Worley and Ryan Bliss.

On the mound, Auburn returns Cody Greenhill, Jack Owen and Richard Fitts, to name a few. Greenhill went undrafted in the MLB draft following the season. As the Tigers’ main closer, Greenhill has racked up

19 saves in his career. In the 2020 season he only appeared four times and picked up two saves in 12.5 innings of work.

In the 2020 MLB draft the Tigers had two pitchers selected, including Auburn’s ace Tanner Burns. Burns went in the first round to the Cleveland Indians. On the second day of the draft, Bailey Horn was drafted by a division rival, the Chicago White Sox, in the fifth round.

Auburn pulled in the No. 14 signing class in the country, according to Baseball America.

This is the fifth straight top-15 recruiting class that head coach Butch Thompson has put together. Six of the 11 incoming freshman have been marked as the top incoming freshmen by Perfect Game.

Thompson and staff will be looking to get the team ready to make another appearance in Omaha this season.

That starts with fall practices and scrimmages that return on Oct. 13.

WADE RACKLEY | AU ATHLETICS

Auburn baseball head coach Butch Thompson during the NCAA Baseball Regionals.

FOOTBALL

FOOTBALL

Joiner in portal

Time set for Tigers-Gamecocks

By IAN BIVONA Writer

The SEC announced on Monday that Auburn’s Week 4 matchup against the South Carolina Gamecocks will be at 11 a.m. CST in Columbia, South Carolina.

The Tigers will be coming off a matchup against the Arkansas Razorbacks, while the Gamecocks will be coming off a game against Vanderbilt.

Auburn is 10-1-1 against South Carolina, with the most recent game being a 42-35 Auburn win in 2014.

The Gamecocks haven’t beaten Auburn since 1933.

The SEC has yet to announce where the game will be televised, but the two options are ESPN or the SEC Network.

The conference will announce network designation after the Week 3 games end on Saturday.

By CHRISTIAN CLEMENTE Assistant Section Editor

TODD VAN EMST | AU ATHLETICS

Gus Malzahn walks in.

JOSH FISHER | PHOTOGRAPHER

Harold Joiner scores a touchdown.

After not recording a carry through the first two games, running back Harold Joiner has entered his name in the transfer portal, according to a report by Matt Zenitz of Al.com.

Joiner arrived at Auburn as a 4-star back out of Birmingham, Alabama, but never ended up seeing the field much.

The tailback redshirted his freshman year and carried it three times for nine yards and a touchdown.

In his second season, Joiner recorded 12 carries for 94 yards and a touchdown. He caught six passes for 128 yards and a touchdown.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2020

The Auburn Plainsman

PAGE 9

WEEK 3 PLAINSMAN PICK ‘EM Auburn-Ark.

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FOOTBALL

Malzahn, Tigers prep for new-look Razorbacks

By HARRISON TARR Reporter

Following Saturday’s loss to Georgia, Gus Malzahn and the rest of the Tigers returned to the Plains with little time to dwell on their misfortunes in Athens, Georgia. Auburn must now prepare to take on the highly motivated Arkansas Razorbacks.

The Tigers enter this week of practice with some key players currently listed as unknown, including Seth Williams, K.J. Britt and Shaun Shivers.

Malzahn remains optimistic about his team’s health and availability.

“We’re a little bit banged up,” Malzahn said. “But I think a lot of teams are right now. We’re back at home, we just need to get healed up. Our guys will be ready.”

The seventh-year head coach did not detail injuries sustained but mentioned that the team’s COVID-19 testing results from Sunday continue to be encouraging.

“We had another good test on Sunday’s return, and that will be key moving forward,” Malzahn said. “We get

tested again today and tested Thursday, so hopefully, that will be a positive outlook. No new positives” This weekend, Auburn’s task will be defeating first-year head coach Sam Pittman’s Razorbacks, who enter Saturday’s contest fresh off the program’s first SEC victory since 2017. Malzahn complimented Pittman and first-year defensive coordinator Barry Odom and all they have done early in the year.

“What stands out to me is they’re playing extremely hard,” Malzahn said.

“When you have a team that’s playing extremely hard, I believe that’s coaching. So hats off to those guys.”

Offensively, Arkansas is led by quarterback Feleipe Franks, who transferred in from Florida. The redshirt senior has started the year off with 39-of-64 completions for 412 passing yards and three touchdowns.

“It looks to me like he’s confident; you can tell his offensive guys are confident around him,” Malzahn said.

“Like I said earlier, I was always impressed with him at Florida. He’s a veteran guy that understands the league and understands what it’s like to start

in the league. It gives them some stability in that position.”

Despite a career record of 6-1 against Arkansas, Malzahn believes that the new-look Razorbacks will have a solid game plan against Auburn’s offense this weekend.

The Razorbacks defense has four interceptions and two fumble recoveries through the first two weeks of the season.

Two Arkansas players were named SEC Defensive Player of the Week for their efforts against Mississippi State last weekend.

“You’re talking about two very good outings,” Malzahn said. “We played Georgia last week. I thought he did a very good job against them in the first week and then what he did last week -- like I said, I think he deserves two coach of the week awards. He’s always been one of the best. It doesn’t surprise me. I think they’ll have a good plan against us, so we’ll have to be executing at a high level.”

The Tigers will play host to Arkansas on Saturday. The game starts at 3 p.m. CST.

SEC MEDIA PORTAL

Arkansas linebacker Bumper Pool.

SOCCER

Following long delay, Auburn prepares for Ole Miss matchup

By RYAN METCALF Writer

SHANNA LOCKWOOD | AU ATHLETICS

Auburn goalie Maddie Prohaska during team practice.

After missing back-to-back games due to COVID-19 protocols, Auburn soccer is finally back in action against Ole Miss on Tuesday.

Auburn opened the season at home on Sept. 18 against Mississippi State and ended in a 1-1 draw in a two-overtime game.

Sydney Richards scored the lone Auburn goal while true freshman Maddie Prohaska shined with eight saves in her first match of her college career.

Prohaska earned SEC Freshman of the Week as she held Mississippi State scoreless from the run of play, only allowing a penalty kick goal.

Because Auburn had two games postponed, the Ole Miss game will be 25 days af-

ter its season opener. In that time frame, Ole Miss was able to play all three of its scheduled games. Ole Miss comes into the game with a 1-2-0 record after losing to Texas A&M and Mississippi State but beating winless LSU. Despite only scoring one goal on the entire season, Ole Miss plays a style of game where they want constant possession and shots on goal.

Auburn plays very different compared to Ole Miss and will look to exploit the Rebels offensive pressure with counter-attacks and uneven attacks. Auburn builds from the midfield and will try to continue to find success with its style of play.

The game was originally scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 11, but was moved to Tuesday, Oct 13. Kickoff time is set for 4 p.m. CST and can be streamed on SEC Network+.

lifestyle THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2020

10 THEPLAINSMAN.COM

LIFESTYLE

INCLUSION

The Menstrual Movement breaks social stigmas

By SOPHIE GOODWIN Writer

People often steer clear of the topic of menstruation in conversation, but this Saturday, Oct. 10, many will take part in the second annual National Period Day to focus on the often unspoken subject.

PERIOD The Menstrual Movement and its many chapters is an organization centered around breaking women’s health-related stigmas.

PERIOD created National Period Day in 2019 to raise awareness for women’s health issues such as period poverty and stigma surrounding menstruation.

Regan Moss , the president and founder of the Auburn chapter of PERIOD and junior in microbiology and neuroscience, said the group’s mission is to advocate for the support of people’s biological, fundamental rights.

This year, the group will be organizing a donation drive for period products, a 5K event and a packing party for the donations they receive.

These donations will be packed alongside information pamphlets for those who receive the products.

Moss said the chapter is continuously working on bigger projects for the Auburn and Opelika community.

“We really pride ourselves in being able to be really community-based,” she said. “Even though a lot of us are University students, some aren’t, and we never want to seem disconnected from the community of Lee County.”

Moss said the chapter is also developing a documentary with the visual media department with

the intention of raising awareness for economic inequality in relation to menstruation.

“We’re working with a few graduate students and community advocates to push for some systemic change,” she said.

One of the systemic changes they push to change is the “tampon tax.”

Moss said the tampon tax is the classification of period hygiene products has a luxury item which does not exempt them from sales tax. This is prevalent in about 30 states and can be regarded as a gender-based tax, she said.

Moss said their Instagram stays up to date on their work as a group and that they are also working on a website which will be up soon.

She said getting involved with PERIOD can be as easy as donating products or even changing the way you think about periods.

“Everyone probably has an internalized stigma towards menstruation, just because that’s what we’re socialized to have,” Moss said. “There are books people can read; there are conversations people can have. Education is a good first step.”

Moss said her enthusiasm for PERIOD comes from wanting to inform and change people’s views on the menstrual cycle.

“None of us would exist if menstruation and people’s cycles didn’t exist,” she said.

Moss said the menstruation cycle is an important process and should be discussed more often.

“I just think it’s really powerful that our bodies are able to do this, and so I think it begs this really big question of, ‘Why is it so hard to talk about?’” she said.

Melissa Blair, associate professor of history, studies women and politics in the United States

MADDIE EDWARDS | PHOTOGRAPHER

Tampons are not currently exempt from sales tax in Alabama like other basic necessities.

and said that for much of history, society has generally had a negative outlook on women’s menstrual cycle.

“Most societies have some way of treating women differently or saying that women behave in inappropriate ways at that time of the month,” Blair said.

She said there has been a historic trend of backlash from society when new products are created that allow women to have more freedom with their menstruation.

“There’s always controversy around new products that come out that enable women to have more control over the reproductive side of their lives,” she said.

Blair said the 1970s feminism focused on the

BUSINESS

TRADITIONS

Local pumpkin patch opens for fall

By LYDIA MCMULLEN Writer

As the temperature gets lower the and leaves change colors, the world prepares to enter its first fall amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

While many things look different, at least one tradition can remain the same: visits to local pumpkin patches.

The Farmer in the Dell Pumpkin Patch, located off Wire Road, has opened its 20-acre fields of pumpkin vines and sunflowers for its 14th consecutive season.

The patch is making changes necessary to accommodate coronavirus protocols such as washing playground equipment and wearing masks.

The farm, opened in 2007 by brothers Mark and Luke Foshee, has grown over time, introducing new pumpkin varieties and activities for families.

Members of the Foshee family continue to own and maintain the farm where visitors can pick their own pumpkins off the vine, take a hayride, work through a crop maze, see the sunflower field and farm animals or compete in the year’s new event: a scarecrow competition.

Taylor Whitson, the farm’s operations director and family friend of the Foshees, expects no difference in the flow of farm vis-

itors this season.

“I think people keep coming back to make family memories, and that’s what we’re here for,” Whitson said. “That’s our goal.”

The farm has a “Grow with the Farmer in the Dell” sign to document returning visitors, some of whom are local and others coming in from out of town.

“It’s really neat to see how much taller they get, you know, next to a pumpkin,” Whitson said.

Whitson, who never anticipated working on a farm, has loved watching her own 2-year-old son grow up on the farm and cherishes the ability to be a part of other families making lasting memories.

“Going from wearing him and him being like a small pumpkin himself to him standing and running with the goats and cows has been so fun to see,” Whitson said.

For the Foshee family and farm employees such as Whitson, the Farmer in the Dell Pumpkin Patch makes a priority to offer a service to their community by making pumpkin patch memories available to families.

While the farm is open for pumpkin picking in the fall, Whitson said, “there really is no off-season on a farm.”

After the pumpkins are discarded following the season, the farm begins preparations for oth-

Students find first home game successful

By BECCA BENNER Writer

MEGAN TURBYFILL | PHOTOGRAPHER

Growing pumpkins, like any farming, involves hard work and long days.

er crops — pruning their trees in the orchard for peaches and growing tomatoes and corn.

The remainder of the year is full of tending to the land and planting and harvesting their other revenue crops.

Occasionally, the farm offers peach picking days, similar to pumpkin picking, but for the most part, the farm employees harvest the peaches themselves and sell their crops in town.

The farm staff caters to diverse tasks but remains close knit.

“We all wear a bunch of hats

and just help each other out where we can,” Whitson said.

The most challenging part in Whitson’s mind is the unpredictable weather and climate conditions — typical of farm work.

“It’s hard never knowing what’s going to happen,” Whitson said.

Whiston said after 14 years, the farm continues to harvest successful seasons.

“We just believe that this is the Lord’s farm, and the Lord has been gracious with this opportunity to serve the community,” Whitson said.

MEGAN TURBYFILL | PHOTOGRAPHER

Thousands of pumpkins like this one wait for customers to take them home.

legalization of birth control and abortion. While issues like normalization of periods and access to feminine hygiene products would not be as prevalent until more modern feminism movements.

However, she said the modern feminist has turned much of their attention to gender inequality, specifically and economic inequality, and how it relates to menstruation.

Blair said the blend of gender and economic inequality is what she believes has enabled the movement to be more visible in the mainstream.

“I think the programs that are going on right now to try to break that stigma, especially to raise awareness of the cost barriers of tampons, are really powerful because we’ve never seen anything like that before,” she said.

On Saturday, Sept. 26, Auburn University hosted its first game day of the football season in Jordan-Hare Stadium against the University of Kentucky.

Despite differences and complications due to new health regulations and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, many fans said it was a success.

In order to keep Auburn fans safe and healthy, the University limited Jordan-Hare Stadium’s capacity and allowed only students to attend to the game.

Students were required by the University to wear face masks that covered both the nose and mouth, physically distance, only sit with those living in the same space, such as a dorm or apartment and remain in their assigned seating zone while in the stadium during the duration of the game.

Lizz Campbell, a War Eagle Girl and senior in marketing, said Auburn exceeded her expectations in being prepared.

“Every single detail was accounted for, and I applaud the work that the administration did to make it happen,” Campbell said. “It was so great to be back in Jordan-Hare knowing that we were doing it in a safe and organized way that will allow Auburn to continue to remain open.”

Amanda Godwin, sophomore in human development and family studies, said she was able to have a fun time with friends on game day, and it felt as normal as possible while still being safe.

“Auburn football is a huge part of all my college memories and still continues to be, and I am just thankful that I had the ability as a student to make more of those memories and while still being considerate of other students and their safety and health,” Godwin said.

Ragan Burleson, freshman in pre-mechanical engineering, said her game day experience was “surreal.”

Burleson said her whole life she had been looking forward to the day where she would finally be able to attend an Auburn football game as an official student.

“I’ve waited all my life to be in the stands as a student, and to finally be able to do that was so exciting,” Burleson said.

The Athletics Department said they were also thankful to the students for abiding by the new game day rules.

“We look forward to hosting our students again on Oct. 10 in Jordan-Hare Stadium,” said Evin Beck, Associate Athletics Director for External Relations. “Continued adherence to health and safety measures will help create a safe and healthy game day environment for all students in attendance.”

The next Auburn football game in Jordan-Hare Stadium is set to be on Oct. 10 against the University of Arkansas.

The Auburn Plainsman

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2020

PAGE 11

CULTURE

HANNAH SKIPWORTH | PHOTOGRAPHER

Thrift shops allow students to find a variety of clothing items.

Thrifting gives students an outlet for creative fashion

By SARA BLEVINS Writer

Thrifting has become a way for college students to find fashionable pieces for cheaper and to discover new pieces that others might not have.

Lauren Bistritz, sophomore in pre-graphic design, said thrifting started off as a fun activity she could do with friends. Now, she said she enjoys it because it allows her to find pieces no one else has.

“Gradually I started to branch off from thrifting just men’s T-shirts to weirder and

more unique pieces,” Bistritz said. “I thrift because I want to find weird and fun clothes that I can’t find anywhere else.”

She said during quarantine, her love for thrifting grew as a way to pass the time.

When looking for thrifted clothes, Bistritz said she doesn’t have a certain item she is hunting for, but rather, she likes to see what she can find.

“I never have anything in particular in mind when I thrift, so it’s always fun to find something you’re not expecting,” Bistritz said.

Budget is not the main reason Bistritz got into thrifting, but she said budgeting does con-

tribute to her love of thrifting.

In the end, she said it is more about finding something unexpected in unlikely places.

Tyler Ward, junior in political science, said he is passionate about fashion.

He said thrifting allows him to follow this passion at a more reasonable price than bigger brands.

“It gives me the look I want but for a lower price,” Ward said.

Thrifting also allows him to be creative with the clothes he finds, he said.

Ward described himself as “a kid at a candy shop” when he walks into a thrift store.

While Ward expressed how much he enjoys thrifting, he said he is also careful to be conscious of what others might need.

“I try to donate the same amount of clothing that I receive,” Ward said. “I’m always cautious to make sure that I’m not taking something that I want that someone else could need.”

Ward said he began thrifting more regularly when he got to college his freshman year, and this was partly because he found good thrift shops around Auburn.

“I thrifted a lot in high school, but the quality of clothing wasn’t as good as the Goodwill or Plato’s Closet in Auburn,” Ward said.

ENTERTAINMENT

CONTRIBUTED BY BO AND CINDY SMITH

Views of Legacy Farm ready for a wedding taken by Andrew Swindle.

Couple converts family farm into wedding venue

By EMERY LAY Writer

Fall is in the air — but so is love. As the crisp air rolls in, so do the weddings. Wedding season typically lasts from summer to early fall. A couple in Auburn prepared for this wedding season by turning their family farm into a wedding venue.

Legacy is planted on 168 green acres of land at Serenity Farms. The farm belongs to fourth-generation owner Bo Smith and his wife, Cindy.

Bo, a youth pastor at The Cowboy Church of Lee County, and Cindy, a full-time nurse, have been married 35 years. They said how they juggle Legacy, too, is all thanks to “time

management and delegation.”

“We have always wanted to do something on the property, and we had dreamed for years about doing a venue,” Cindy said.

It was not until they realized their home church, Church of the Highlands, did not have a wedding venue in Auburn that plans began to be made. Their name, “Legacy,” stems from an annual sermon given by their pastor.

“When we started the building process, we prayed over it a lot,” Cindy said. “Before the foundation was poured, I walked around and prayed over the entire building. Where every beam goes down into a footer, there are crosses underneath.”

Bo said they spent three years visiting different venues and an additional year to designing Legacy.

“We thought if we were going to do something here, we wanted to do something very unique, very different,” he said. “We both like being outside of the box.”

Bo said the architecture of the venue is built with dark wood from an Amish sawmill in Millersburg, Ohio, and all the light wood came from Maine. Cindy had the task of decorating the bridal suite, and she said wanted to make it elegant and charming.

In October 2019, the venue opened for business. The Smiths hosted their first wedding the fol-

lowing March, and their second wedding was for members of their church.

To prepare for a wedding, Bo said they begin by starting at the top of the driveway and working down, “cleaning, cutting grass and get everything prettied up.” Then, they assess how many chairs and tables are needed in the event center.

“Bo and I are very active throughout,” Cindy said. “We are there, and we help in any way we can. And we’re having the time of our life.”

Cindy said the best part is meeting with the bride and groom a month away from the wedding date. “[I love] seeing how excited they get when there is a plan in place and

they can envision what it’s going to be like,” she said.

Bo said the goal is for everything to be in place when the bride and groom arrive so that they can enjoy “one of the greatest gifts God’s put on this earth, which is marriage.”

Legacy has hosted many weddings, receptions and rehearsal dinners, and they offer indoor and outdoor facilities.

They plan to host other special occasions as well and have recently hosted their first quinceañera.

“We always knew this was our legacy build,” Cindy said. “We’ve done a lot of projects together, but this is the legacy we are leaving for our children.”

The Auburn Plainsman

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2020

PAGE 12

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

ACROSS 1 “Above the __”: 1994 basketball film 4 Influence 8 African capital on the Gulf of Guinea 13 Tip jar bill 14 “Boo’d Up” Grammy winner __ Mai 15 Fissile rocks 16 Figurative setting for many deals 18 Locker hangers 19 Bring upon oneself 20 Samoan capital 22 Big name in razors 23 Almost at hand 24 Alpha Centauri, for one 26 Fizzles out 28 Hams it up 29 2008 Visa milestone, briefly 32 Weho or Soho, in slang 34 Nostrils 36 Recyclable item 37 Terra firma 40 Brian of ambient music 41 In __: awaiting delivery 43 Arctic sight 44 Rehab hurdle 45 Colorful ring 48 Animal fat 50 Clash of personalities, say 52 They may be wild 56 Grimace 57 San Joaquin Valley haze 58 “Blue Ain’t Your Color” country singer Keith 59 Ill-judged, as a plan 61 Colleague ... and, when preceded by “the,” what the end of 16-, 24-, 37- or 50-Across is 63 Groundbreaking invention 64 Art Deco artist 65 “Comprende?”

66 Final word 67 Turns to gold, perhaps 68 Zig when one should have zagged, say

DOWN 1 Givens of “Riverdale” 2 Absurd 3 Muslim holy city 4 Berlin address 5 Jeff Lynne rock gp.

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ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

By Paul Coulter ©2020 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

10/08/20

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