The Miss Auburn title is getting a face-lift.
The Division of Student Affairs is working with Miss Auburn candidates to work on their platforms, whether they win or lose.
"There were a lot of questions of what Miss Auburn gets and what happens to the girls who do not win," said Amy Hecht, assistant vice president of Student Affairs.
Miss Auburn is the female representative voice of Auburn students.
"We want Miss Auburn to be more prominent and not having people asking, 'What is Miss Auburn's role?'" said Tiffany Rozier, campaign manager for last year's Miss Auburn, Kristi MeGahee.
This year, each woman, even if she is not crowned Miss Auburn, is expected to carry out her platform.
"The campaigning for Miss Auburn soon became a 'battle of the platforms' to see who could outshine the previous Miss Auburn," Rozier said. "It's great that the girls have a platform, but in the end it is not solely all about the platform."
The women are now held accountable for their promises instead of the being allowed to abandon their platforms after the election.
"Student Affairs is playing an advisory role for the Miss Auburn candidates," Hecht said. "These are extraordinary women with extraordinary ideas. We want to support all the top five."
Student Affairs is working with the Miss Auburn candidates to accomplish their goals.
"Regardless of the election, we will give back to the Auburn community," Hecht said.
The partnership between Miss Auburn and Student Affairs benefits not only the girls, but the community as well.
This year, the Miss Auburn program is implementing a women's leadership component to the platforms.
"We wanted to create a program to kick off a role of Miss Auburn for women's leadership," Rozier said. "Miss Auburn is the hostess of women's leadership-- that's one of her duties for the year, and Miss Auburn brings it all together."
One initiative of Miss Auburn is defining women's leadership through programs which mentor younger women. The program is designed for freshmen women interested in understanding how the leadership of Auburn works.
"When we branch out of our Auburn bubble, these are the things that matter," Rozier said.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
