Voting for Miss Homecoming is open Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Students can cast their ballots on AU Access. The winner will be announced during halftime at the football game this weekend. Here is a rundown of the candidates and their platforms in alphabetical order:
Alison Beverly
Beverly, senior in biomedical sciences, is running on a platform of raising sexual-assault awareness on Auburn's campus. In her platform, she cited statistics that say one in five women and one in 16 men are sexually assaulted on college campuses, while 90% of assaults go unreported.
Beverly said she is a part of the one in five women who experienced a sexual assault, and she was a part of the 10% that reported the incident.
She said she will partner with WE.auburn, Auburn's Green Dot Bystander Intervention Program, to raise awareness. And she plans to work with SGA to bring a sexual assault nursing examiner to the med clinic.
"Sexual assault should not be an in-the-dark subject, and it should not be something we are ashamed to speak about," Beverly said. "Sexual assault should also not be indifferently pushed under the rug under the assumption that there is nothing to do about it."
Sophie Brint
Senior in nursing and Spanish, Brint is running on the platform to highlight the ways students can treat their peers as family with the resources that Auburn has already established.
Her slogan "FACE" stands for financial support, academic assistance, cultural understanding and encouraging spirit.
"In this season of Homecoming, my goal is to highlight the ways students can be the face of family to one another using the resources that Auburn has already established for our benefit," Brint said.
During campaign week, Brint set out to raise money for a needs-based scholarship. In her platform, she said it's important to remind students of academic resources like Study Partners, the Miller Writing Center and SI sessions.
Brint also said there is significant room for improvement for race and class interaction on campus, and she said the International Student Organization and Auburn Study Abroad are opportunities for students to appreciate the differences and similarities of one another. Finally, she challenged students to encourage one another in whatever capacity that is for each individual.
Maggie Hightower
Senior in marketing, Hightower's platform centered around the EAGLES Program, Auburn's program for students with intellectual disabilities.
Growing up, Hightower had two adult cousins with intellectual disabilities, and she said their educational opportunities were limited because of a lack of resources. In high school, she worked with a program that worked with adults with disabilities who had aged out of public school systems. At Auburn, she has participated at the Little Tree Preschool, which prepares students with disabilities for future education.
Hightower hopes to foster more collaboration between student in the EAGLES program and student organizations. Secondly, she wants to reduce the on-campus housing costs for an EAGLES student. She said housing is a small portion of the program cost, so reducing the housing aspect could increase the number of students in the EAGLES program.
"The Auburn Family comes in all shapes and sizes, but we have the same attitudes, hopes and dreams," Hightower said. "We are all eagles. We are Auburn."
Caroline Mathews
Mathews, senior in English literature, is running on a platform to encourage students to share a passion for education with the surrounding community because she said much of the youth is not receiving necessary materials and resources to become proficient in reading.
Her platform aims to help underprivileged children gain access to books by sponsoring a community-wide book drive and creating a tutoring program at elementary schools.
"As Auburn students, we have the ability and responsibility to make a difference in these children's lives by making sure they receive every opportunity for success," Mathews said.
Mathews' campaign also held multiple benefit nights during Homecoming week to raise money to buy more books for donation.
Mary Stewart
Senior in communication, Stewart is running on a platform to partner with Special Deliveries of Lee County, a local child-abuse prevention center.
"I was extremely blessed to have a mother, father and family who loved me unconditionally and would do anything for me," Stewart said. "However, that is not the case for many children in Lee County. Often times, it is not the fault of the mothers who were never taught what it looks like to love their children by their own parents."
As her sorority's philanthropy chair, Stewart worked closely with the director of Special Deliveries. In her platform, Stewart admired the director's work to support women in the area.
Stewart said many Auburn students come to the University because of the concept of family, but it's too often that students forget that the family extends to the surrounding area. Stewart believes partnering with Special Deliveries would give students the opportunity to give back to the community.
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