The SGA Elections Council announced Anne Earthman as the next Miss Auburn late Friday night on the steps of Cater Hall. Earthman, junior in public relations, won Friday’s election with 2,977 votes, 35.7% of all votes cast.
After making her way to the top of the stairs, Earthman hugged current Miss Auburn Caroline Keim and posed for pictures with the new class of Auburn’s major SGA officials, still smiling from the announcement.
“I'm feeling shocked,” Earthman said. “But so, so honored, and I cannot wait to have the privilege to serve in this role.”
Earthman ran against four other candidates for Miss Auburn. Gracie Groat, junior in biomedical sciences, earned the second-most votes of the candidates, with 2,516, or 29.02% of all ballots. Olivia Baljet, junior in finance, earned 1,441; Kyla Mathner, junior in exercise science, earned 1009; and Renae Washburn, junior in media studies, earned 613.
As Miss Auburn, Earthman said she plans to make “tangible and practical changes” to the University, hoping to leave Auburn better than it is now. She ran on a campaign of improving accessibility on campus for students with disabilities and expanding the University’s mental health programs and has started talking with students about their experience.
“Hearing people come to me and talk about their experiences with accessibility on Auburn's campus has been nothing short of amazing,” Earthman said.
Earthman said running her campaign was a growing process and found herself reaching out for support to her team, led by Kaleigh Phillips, her campaign manager.
“I was there for Anne just as a friend, but then also trying to organize everybody else and seeing where they liked helping with the campaign,” Phillips, sophomore in business administration, said. “It was important to us that everybody was having fun, and the whole goal was just that people would make new friends and just get to love on each other and love on Auburn as well as they can, however that is for them.”
Keim, who finishes her term as Miss Auburn this semester, said she felt that the position is in his good hands with Earthman.
“I think [Miss Auburn] is a position that has such a big voice, but it's not always leveraged, and I know that [Earthman’s] going to leverage it,” Keim said.
Keim, currently looking forward to “retirement,” said the night was bittersweet and offered words of advice to Earthman.
“It's going to come and go so, so fast, but just remember … to say yes to every opportunity you can say yes to, to soak it up,” Keim said. “But also just know that you'll be standing here in my shoes in the blink of an eye, and it will go away so fast, but just to enjoy it. She's just gonna fall in love with Auburn even more than she ever dreamed of.”
Earthman thanked Auburn students for supporting her in her campaign.
“Thank y’all,” Earthman said. “I really cannot appreciate it any more, and I cannot wait to be your Miss Auburn.”
The Elections Board penalized Earthman 115 votes for a violation of elections regulations, the details of which have not been released on SGA’s website as of publication.
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Evan Mealins, senior in philosophy and economics, is the editor-in-chief of The Auburn Plainsman.
