November 2023 - The AUMnibus

14Nov

By Aumnibus StaffNo Comments

News

Call for Censorship

How book challenges are affecting the Autauga-Prattville Library By: Makenzie Martin and Alexis Stafford The Autauga-Prattville Public Library is under attack as book challenges are calling for the removal of LGBTQ+ material, which can have detrimental effects on the community’s accessibility to information. Prattville parents have been striking down the Autauga-Prattville Public Library (APPL) with claims that certain materials are inappropriate for minors to have access to. This all began when a local mother, unknowing of its content, permitted her son to check out The Pronoun Book by Chris Ayala-Kronos and Melita Tirado. The children’s book has a very simple premise: when you meet someone, ask how they would want you to refer to them as. Upon discovering this, she was ut...

14Nov

By Aumnibus StaffNo Comments

News

Strong Tower Church

Addressing Poverty, Violence and Health Inequalities in Montgomery By: Maya Thompson MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Strong Tower at Washington Park Church, nestled in the heart of the troubled Washington Park neighborhood in Montgomery, is on a mission to bring positive change to the community plagued by violence, prostitution, drugs and poverty. Through a diverse array of transformative programs and annual initiatives, the church is diligently striving to serve as a symbol of hope and rejuvenation within the Washington Park neighborhood of Montgomery. The church actively engages in community outreach efforts, with a recent event specifically targeting college-aged adults. The Real Talk College Ministry recently concluded an evangelism training program on September 22-23, in partnershi...

14Nov

By Aumnibus StaffNo Comments

Opinion

Struggling minds

The silent epidemic taking over our colleges By: Victoria Salters MONTGOMERY, Ala. —The halls of our nation’s universities often bear a sad secret, the academic pursuit for many students is often plagued with the struggle of mental health. From balancing course work, pressure and expectations from family and trying to maintain a social life, the pressures can become overwhelming many college students. According to the National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments annual survey conducted in the 2021-2022 school year, 44% of college students reported symptoms of depression; 37% said they experienced anxiety and 15% have seriously considered suicide. These staggering statistics are the highest rates in the survey’s 15-year history. To combat these challenge...

Op-ed: The case for forgiving student loan debt

14Nov

By Aumnibus StaffNo Comments

Opinion

Op-ed: The case for forgiving student loan debt

By: Deshala Wilkins In a country that is becoming increasingly polarized, few political issues have sparked as much debate and division as forgiving student loan debt. Proponents argue that relieving college graduates of their crushing debt is not just a compassionate gesture, but a vital step towards economic justice. On the other side, skeptics warn of fiscal recklessness and question the fairness of erasing such debt. However, in the midst of this heated discourse, two undeniable truths emerge: the student loan crisis has reached unprecedented levels, and the consequences of inaction may be dire. The pressing question remains. Is it time to forgive student loan debt? In my opinion even though students made a legal obligation with the FAFSA, their student loan debt ...

Op-ed: Public faith and universities can and should coexist

14Nov

By Aumnibus StaffNo Comments

Opinion

Op-ed: Public faith and universities can and should coexist

By: Dalton Kimbro AUBURN, Ala. – Some Auburn University faculty and staff have come under fire after participating in student baptisms on campus. Per WSFA News, head football coach Hugh Freeze, along with other Auburn faculty members, can be seen on video baptizing students, including a freshman football player, following an on-campus worship service called “Unite Auburn.” Involvement of university faculty triggered a response from the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), stating that Freeze’s actions “create a coercive environment that excludes those students who don’t subscribe to the Christian views being pushed onto players by their coaches,” per New York Post, while also calling the actions “unconstitutional.” Although Auburn University and Coach ...

Communication Department’s Mentor Halloween Party

14Nov

By Aumnibus StaffNo Comments

News, University

Communication Department’s Mentor Halloween Party

By: Keturah Stone MONTGOMERY, Ala. − Halloween is a national pastime where people enjoy dressing up as someone else. In the spirit of the season Auburn University at Montgomery’s (AUM) campus held “Shriek Week” as the school colors are black and orange, and the Communication Department was part of these celebrations with a Halloween faculty-mentee party Monday night. The purpose of the event was for faculty mentors to meet their student mentees. The week before an email was sent out about a scavenger hunt to where students could win up prizes, including first place: $100 toward your student account; second place: lunch with Bethany Davis at WSFA and third place: $50 value gift basket. At the end of the night, Communication senior Mackenzie Martin was awarded lunch with WSFA anchor B...

14Nov

By Aumnibus StaffNo Comments

Opinion

Op-ed: From breast to chest

Are hospitals stealing femininity? By: Gracie Keith Cancel culture is not a topic that is new to anyone, but the topics of discussion seem to get more and more triggering and leftist-focused the deeper we dive into cancellation. Everywhere you turn people are changing wordage or canceling wordage. The media does not hold back from putting those who are canceled on blast, but a topic we have not seen blasted yet is the attempt to change the phrase and action of breastfeeding to chest feeding in lactation offices and hospitals. This blatant attempt to steal femininity from the action of providing for a child is just another attempt at being more inclusive, but how far will they go? Is this a generational issue or something all ages and genders are facing? Ella Chandler born into G...

14Nov

By Aumnibus StaffNo Comments

News, Opinion

The price of being an Auburn Tiger

Auburn University and Auburn University at Montgomery students can expect a rise in tuition and housing fall of 2024 By: Penton McNider MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Prices across the U.S. can be seen on the rise recently from gasoline to eggs; with inflation rates reaching the highest seen since the 1980s. According to Rob Wile, a business reporter for NBC News, the consumer price index is continuously trending upward. Wile explains this trend upwards is related to COVID-19 pandemic and it will likely be a long time before we see pre-pandemic prices. While some prices are expected to take some time to recover from the pandemic, college students are returning to campuses in pre-pandemic fashion. However, students at Auburn University and Auburn University at Montgomery are going to have to...

Cookin’ on the Coosa MacDown: The cheesiest cook-off of the year

14Nov

By Aumnibus StaffNo Comments

News, Opinion

Cookin’ on the Coosa MacDown: The cheesiest cook-off of the year

Cookin' on the Coosa MacDown event poster featuring a mac and cheese noodle in sunglasses. Listed on the poster are the sponsors of the event including some contestants in the competition. A mac and cheese lover’s dream By: Makenzie Martin WETUMPKA, Ala. — More than 300 mac and cheese enthusiasts were found in Merchants Alley in Wetumpka this Saturday tasting and judging Mac and Cheese cook-off entries. The Three Noodles Team, Team Joseph and Coosa Cleaver took home the mac and cheese champion title. The MacDown judging informational poster explaining each step to voting for a contestant. The Cookin’ on the Coosa event was hosted by the Family Sunshine Center (FSC) to raise proceeds for domestic violence and sexual assault victims. According to Christy Crus...

14Nov

By Alexis StaffordNo Comments

Opinion

“Lipstick on a pig”

The social media beauty standard and how we can reject it By: Alexis Stafford The phrase “lipstick on a pig” has been inescapable on social media. The meaning behind it is disheartening, especially when so many young people’s self-esteem takes a major hit due to impossible beauty standards. President Barack Obama used the phrase in 2008 at one of his campaign events by saying, “You can put lipstick on a pig but it’s still a pig.” The idiom is used to refer to trying to embellish something in an attempt to hide what’s really behind it. Even though he was using it in reference to politics, a lot of people have a more personable relationship with the expression. I’ve seen countless posts on social media about how young women often feel dispirited when doing their ma...