2002-09-12 The Auburn Plainsman

              ON THE WEB: Read about last night's ceremony. Go to theplainsman.com to find out more
Qfyt Auburn Matnsnran
Thursday, Sept. 12,2002
mmmmmmmmmm
TO FOSTER THE AUBURN SPIRIT'
ADMINISTRATION
Walker outlines goals for next year
By SAIGE NEWTON
Assistant Campus Editor
President Walker delivered his State
of the University address at the gener­al
faculty meeting on Tuesday. He
spoke to faculty about changes made
since last year, the Sept. 11 attacks,
and outlined his goals for the year as
president.
"As our nation has rallied together
over the past year, 1 have also begun to
see some healing and a coming
together of the Auburn family," Walker
said.
President praises Board of Trustees
for appointing faculty to board
"This progress — although slow and
sometimes painful — has been the
result of hard work and compromise
by well-intentioned people on differ­ent
sides of the issues affecting
Auburn," Walker said.
He said the best news of the fall was
that faculty would be receiving an
increase of more than 10 percent in
salary.
"Not only are these increases well
deserved, they are unprecedented
given the economic times in which
higher education exists these days.
Peer institutions in the Southeast
have been unable to match our salary
increases," Walker said.
"On another matter, I was very
pleased that at the Aug. 9 meeting of
the Board of Trustees, the trustees
voted unanimously to seat a faculty
representative from Auburn and AUM
as non-voting advisers," Walker said.
He outlined strengths and weak­nesses
foreseen for this year. They
included diversity, and how it is an
issue that requires constant attention.
Student enrollment was also a
strength, as well as a weakness.
"Students obviously want to come
to Auburn. On one hand, this is good
news because it demonstrates that
Auburn is an attractive university that
• Turn to WALKER, A7
Behind the woodshed
Vol. 109, No. 3, 40 Pages
Wild
kingdom
The Montgomery
Zoo offers an
interesting
getaway for students.
The zoo offers animals
from four continents
and is less than a 45-
minute drive from
Auburn.
> TurntolNTRIGUE.CI
Frank Dillard — Photo Editor
Quarterback Jason Campbell dives for one of eight touchdowns scored by the Auburn Tigers last Saturday against WCU. The Tigers, coming off a frustrat­ing
loss to then- 16th ranked University of Southern California, rebounded after only four days between games. Sec SPORTS/ Dl.
GOVERNANCE
Faculty
thanks
trustees
By SAIGE NEWTON
Assistant campus Editor
nubum University faculty
met on Tuesday to debate two
resolutions concerning the
Board of Trustees.
Barbara Struempler, Uni­versity
Senate chair, opened
the meeting with a welcome
to the new Senate members
at the meeting.
These resolutions com­mended
the Board of Trustees
for the recent approval of a
faculty seat on the board and
also for the faculty salary
increase.
The first resolution
addressed commending the
Board of Trustees for approv-
> Turn to FACULTY, A7
GAME DAY CHANGES UNIVERSITY GOVERNANCE
Tailgating runs smoothly despite changes
By ANNA CLAIRE STAMPS
Assistant Campus Editor
Auburn's first game day of the season was a
success in more ways than one. Officials said
the new game day regulations presented few
problems and kept Auburn fans safer.
"Overall, 1 think it went really well," said Tim
Jackson, Athletics Department administrator.
Because of Sept. 11 and a number of past
game day incidents, one being the 1994 burn­ing
of the old student activities center because
a fan left coals burning too close by, University
officials decided to enact stricter parking regu­lations
to keep Auburn fans and the campus
more safe.
"We want everyone to come here and enjoy
themselves, but our focus is safety, and before
we can have fun, we've got to be safe," said
Capt. Tom Stofer of the Auburn University
Department of Public Safety.
One of the major changes to the game day
regulations this year were the restrictions
placed on RV parking. In previous years, RVs
were able to park almost anywhere on campus
and would set up a few days prior to the game
weekend. Now, RVs must park in one of two
areas provided near Wire Road and Thach
Avenue.
"The new RV lots ... never filled up, so there
were obviously no RVs that didn't have a place
to park," Jackson said.
Additionally, several vehicle-free green
spaces were created on lawn areas, and people
were prohibited from marking off individual
tailgating spaces until 4 p.m. the day before
game day.
Graves Amphitheatre is one of the areas now
blocked off from traffic.
"It iooked like people were really enjoying
that area because there weren't vehicles, there
was much more room for them to do things, for
kids to play, and so forth," Jackson said.
The SGA has also been working to identify
problems and to see what fans think of the new
rules.
"We (the SGA Senate) had a walkabout Fri­day
afternoon to see where the problem areas
on campus are," said Steven Bobo, SGA vice
president. "We didn't see anything that was too
big of a problem."
Bobo said the SGA Senate is always interest­ed
in student input about game day.
"I'd just like to urge the student body to con­tact
their (school) senators and tell them about
problems they see right now," Bobo said. "The
senators can relay the message to the adminis­tration,
because that's their job."
Auburn officials have been working during
the summer to get the word out to Auburn fans
about the new game day rules.
"The changes to game day were well publi­cized,
and I think overall were well received,"
Stofer said.
Officials said there will be few changes made
during rhp next game weekend because the
success of last Saturday.
"This wasn't one of the bigger games, so it
was a good game to get broken in," Jackson
said.
Jackson also said that most students who
arrived early had no problem getting into the
stadium.
"At five (minutes) until 4 p.m. is when several
thousand (students) came. If you get six or
seven thousand to come at once, it's going to
*- Turn to GAME DAY, A7
SACS investigation
begins in 30 days
By ROSS MOORE •'*'':'
Campus Editor *
A response to faculty complaints of trustees'
violations depends upon a review by the South­ern
Association of Schools and Colleges, an
accreditation group. It's a process that has been
delayed for nearly a year in federal courts.
However, on Aug. 30 a federal court judge, by
way of a consent order, appointed an investiga­tor
to review issues related to the University's
accreditation.
Richard Y. Bradley's appoint ment became
effective luesday, and ilic- investigation is to
begin within 30 days of his appointment. It is to
be completed within 60 days of the beginning of
the investigation.
"I think (the consent order) is very significant
because it gives us everything I've ever wanted
— which was an opportunity for a fair hearing
on the substantive charges that were made,"
President William Walker said.
U.S. District Court Judge J. Owen Forrester
> Turn to SACS.A7
Campus Bl
Campus Calendar B3
Classifieds B8
Editorials A8
Intrigue CI
Letters A9
Sports Dl
State&Local A3
RETRACTION
'D)e Auburn Plainsman wishes to retract
a letter in the editor published two weeks
ago about the College Democrats. We
would like loapologize to those names
mentioned in the letter for any results
brought about by thai publication.
V
INTRIGUE
$ Outside the box
Local movie theater, UPC planning to
show independent, foreign films C4
S I M Kjnr STUDEHT IMtON.AUSURN UNIVERSTTY,>U-. J**4^ • SUftSCWTlOHS 8 4 ^ I 3 9 » ,
W W W . T H E P L A I N S M A N . C OM
Online poll
Do you think the new game day
changes cause problems the on
Saturdays?
Log on, vote, view mutts at
www theplaimman.com
Last week's poll
Did you vote in the City of Auburn
elections two week* ago?
Yes
15.3%
(9)
. N o
f y f 84.7 %
(50)
i
A2 Thursday. Sept. 12 2002 (Ehf auburn $latn£man
WQZ Auburn plainsman
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IN EDUCATION
tujon Stooiu did en Fasta Faints SeJass Senhvuho Wmas Dtstarts
Groat food Sopor Sorvic* EiulontVaktt Join Your Fnands Have Fun
Caen. S«e Whrt We're A W
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1151 Opellka Rood • 8 2 1 - 3 1 18
Sun. lis,, V . ' M n , ' « U ''.an. I0pn- / Thm.-!
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UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA Beta
Theta Pi F r a t e r n i t y has been
charged with serving an
underage member alcohol at a
party on Aug. 25, according to
a letter from t h e Dean of Stu­dents
Office.
The new 17-year-old mem­ber
was rushed to t h e emer­gency
room of Shands at t h e
university by two other frater­nity
members when he became
incoherent and s t a r t e d vomit­ing
blood, according to a uni­versity
police report.
After the party, members
r e t u r n e d to t h e house at 13
Fraternity Row. Two members
took the boy to t h e hospital at
6 a.m. and later told police t he
minor had also smoked mari­juana.
The minor attended a frater­nity
party hosted off campus
by members of Beta Theta l'i.
according to t h e charge letter.
Kegs, hunch punch and
other liquor were available to
underage members at t he
party, which was hosted at a
house near Williston Hoad and
34th. t h e l e t t e r states.
Interfraterntty Council's
Recruitment Week ended one
day prior to t h e incident.
During the week, fraternities
organize parties for p o t e n t i al
members but a r e p r o h i b i t ed
from serving alcohol.
A formal hearing of t he
('•reek Judicial Board is being
scheduled. said Cyrus
Williams, assistant dean of
s t u d e n t s and director for judi­cial
affairs.
The board will consist of
four IFC r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s a nd
two judicial board members
from two of t h e t h r e e remain­ing
Greek councils.
Chapter representatives of
B"ta Theta Pi d id n o t r e t u rn
phone calls.
LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY
Chancellor Mark Emmert
a n n o u n c e d Tuesday his deci­sion
to fire Steven Hatfill, t h e
recently-hired - biomedical
expert whom the FBI is inves­t
i g a t i ng in connection with
last fall's anthrax mailings.
Emmert placed Hatfill on 30
days paid leave Aug. 2 after the
FBI began searching his Mary­land
home.
"In t a k i n g this action, t he
university is m a k i n g no judg­ment
as to Dr. Hatfill's guilt or
innocence regarding the FBI
investigation." Emmert said in
a statement.
Emmert's s t a t e m e n t cited
c o n c e r n s for t h e University to
fulfill c o n t r a c t u a l obligations
a n d maintain academic-i
n t e g r i ty as r e a s o n s for termi­n
a t i n g Hatfill. but would n o t
elaborate.
Victor Glasberg, Hatfill's
attorney, said t h e University
notified him a n d h i s client of
t h e t e r m i n a t i o n but d id not
given a specific reason.
He said "simple fairness"
w a r r a n t s "a more elaborate
explanation as to why a distin­guished
scientist is not
allowed to begin his work."
Glasberg said Hatfill is not
and has not been considered a
suspect by t h e FBI.
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA area
police officers arrested six
people Thursday night on
charges of selling a n d possess­ing
crack.
l.t. Ed Van Winkle, com­mander
of t h e Special Investi­gations
Division, said about a
gram of c r a c k was recovered
d u r i n g T h u r s d a y s buy-bust
operation.
He said about eight or 10
uniformed officers, along with
about six p l a i n - c l o t h e s offi­cers,
worked in that area
because citizens complained
about the increased drug
activity in t h e neighborhood.
The p u r c h a s e d drugs tested
positive as crack-cocaine dur­ing
field tests, arrest reports
stated.
C h r i s t o p h e r King. 22. was
a r r e s t e d d u r i n g t h e buy-bust
o p e r a t i o n in front of t h e Pro­gressive
Church of Our Lord
Jesus Christ. 922 N .W Fifth
Ave.
Selling drugs in front of a
church carries an increased
penalty. Van Winkle said.
According to the arrest
report, while being placed
under arrest, ivey a t t e m p t e d to
swallow a piece of c r a c k b u t
"spit out a couple of small
pieces of cocaine."
Van Winkle said t h e money
used to buy t h e d r u g s comes
from the Gainesville Police
Department.
"People may t a k e off run­ning
and t r y t o t h r ow ( t he
money) down, but we're right
on their tails," he said.
-from wire reports
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T i l — — . —
Editorials • Commentary • Letters
©le auburn $latn0man Local
IN BRIEF
POLICE SEARCH FOR
MURDER SUSPECTS:
Police are still searching
for suspects involved in
an Opelika murder and
Auburn shooting Mon­day
night
The suspects entered
the Auburn residence of
Peter Swyers through
an unlocked front door
screaming death
threats. Swyers was
shot in the chest but is
now in stable condition.
Swyers' wife and
daughter, who were at
the residence at the
time of the shooting,
were uninjured.
Minutes later, Donald
E. Williams was gunned
down in the front door
of his Opelika home.
Williams died from the
single gunshot wound.
Police believe the
shootings are related
and believe the suspects
to be two black males
age 15 to 18, roughly 5-
foot-9, and around 160
pounds.
TOYOTA EYES ALABAMA
FOR POSSIBLE SECOND
AUTOMOTIVE PLANT:
Toyota is considering
building an automotive
plant in North Alaba­ma.
Toyota is already in
the process of building
an engine plant in
Huntsville, which is set
to open next spring
employing nearly 350
workers.
According to officials,
Alabama will have to
contend with Ten­nessee,
Mississippi and
Arkansas for the loca­tion
rights in Toyota's
next project.
• •
EDUCATION BUDGET
RECEIVES NEEDED
FUNDS: Gov. Don Siegel-man
recently trans­ferred
$20 million from
two special accounts
directly into the state's
education budget.
According to current
plans, the governor will
shift more funds to the
budget before Sept. 30
to alleviate a $90 mil­lion
shortcoming in the
budget
The Legislature
passed a law earlier this
year allowing the gover­nor
to transfer up to
$82.1 million from a
number of state
accounts to prevent
education budget cuts.
— compiled from
staff reports
Y
ELECTIONS 2002
Carta Merrill — Assistant Photo Editor
Democratic women seek office
By TAISHA PICKETT
Assistant State & Local Editor
On Tuesday at 7 p.m. a forum was held
to hear the democratic women running
for statewide public office speak and gain
support.
The forum featured Susan Parker. U.S.
Senate nominee. Lucy Baxley, lieutenant
governor nominee, Nancy Worley. secre­tary
of state nominee and Marsha Folsom,
executive director of the Alabama Demo­cratic
Party.
Although there were a few men in the
audience the majority of the audience was
women. Megan Waldrep. President of
Auburn University College Deocrats, said
the forum was to. "motivate women to
become interested in politics."
Folsom opened up the forum and dis­cussed
the importance of voting.
"I can not think of a better way to exer­cise
freedom than to vote and encourage
others to vote," she said.
She also talked about how, "it is demo­cratic
belief that we are for the people.
"I believe that God gave women an
extra little gene because they are going to
be mothers and grandmothers so they
would be nurturers. I think that our coun­try
needs to be nurtured," Baxley said.
In regar'ds to other issues Baxley said,
"it is imperative that we adequetly fund
education."
Gibson talked about the need to keep in
compliance with standards so that there
is more money to spend in other places.
"The state auditor is the custiodian of
the state's property and equipment." Gib­son
said. "I need your help in November
and yes, I am an Auburn fan."
"Education is my heart, it's where I've
been," Williams said.
She has 25 years of experience in all lev­els
of education, and is the founder and
director of the Southeast«Uabama Educa­tion
Outreach Center.
"I don't want higher education pitted
against K-12, I think that's a crime,"
Williams said.
"Women run for more personal reasons,
men run for power. Women come to run
as a concern about an issue not a concern
about a position ... we do things differntly,
but we do get things done." Parker said.
"We love men, we don't mean to be men
against women, we mean to be together."
Worley congratulated the men who
attended the forum stating "they are very
forward thinking men."
" If it's not of the people and by the peo­ple,
then it's not for the people." she said.
LEE COUNTY
State inmates stay
in county jail system
ELECTIONS 2002
By HEATH LOFTIN
State & Local Editor
A number of state officials
met in Montgomery last
Wednesday to discuss possible
solutions to an incredible
backlog of state inmates in
county jails
statewide.
Circuit Judge
William Shashv
has given officials
until Sept. 12 to
develop and sub­mit
a plan to the
court aimed at
alleviating the
approximately
1.350 state
inmates held in
county jails
around the state.
When asked if
Lee County faced this prob
lem, Lee County Sheriff Jay
Jones' answer was direct.
"I can answer that one —
Yes."
Jones said the Lee County
jail was retaining 74 state
inmates.
"Of those 74, the majority
are past the 30-day window
where, by the order of the
\
court, they are required to be
accepted by the State Depart­ment
of Corrections prison
system," Jones said.
Jones said while the County
receives $1.75 per day per
inmate, the actual cost per day
per inmate is nearly $30.
The $1.75
from the state is
applied to food
costs for inmates,
while the rest of
the money comes
from the sheriff's
budget which, in
turn, comes from
the Lee County
general fund.
To alleviate some
of the problems
„ , . _ of overcrowding,
— Bobby Cannon f. , . e
. . r ' there have been Lee County Commissioner „
talks going on for
some time to possibly add on
to the existing Lee County Jus­tice
Center jail facility.
The long-run goal of such an
expansion would be to consol­idate
all detention services for
the County at the one site.
The Sheriff's Department is
already under contract to han-
> Turn to COUNTY JAIL, A4
"Mostpeople don't
want you to tell
them the Lrulk
Tliay want you to
lie to them If you
tell them the truth,
they are probably
not going to vote
foryoul'
Auburn becomes
third party hotseat
By ERIN GRIFFIN
Staff Writer
Auburn is one of the fastest
growing political hotbeds in
the state.
Yet, it's not the Democrats
having a growth spurt, or even
the Republicans. Instead,
Auburn . has become
home to an increasing
number of Libertarian
activists.
Dick Clark, president
of the Auburn Universi­ty
Libertarian organiza­tion,
wants to
"encourage people to
consider libertarian as viable
option in politics."
Based on the number of
Auburn residents who have
already declared support for
the Libertarian platform, many
people consider Libertarian
not only viable, but essential to
political involvement
The Alabama Libertarian
mailing list consists of about
1,000 names; about 10 percent
of these addresses are located
in Auburn.
The University organization
now has an e-mail list of about
180 people. As of last spring,
the Auburn Libertarians met
Sophocleus
three to four times each week
at Foy Student Union to discuss
activities, progress and other
business.
At five to six of these meet­ings.
Libertarian candidates
and statewide activists spoke.
Libertarian gubernatorial can­didate
John Sophocleus spoke
last year, as did Roderick
Long, the faculty advisor
for the group, and Scott
Kajr, a recent Auburn
graduate.
"The university town
is a good setting for new
ideas, like free markets,"
Sophocleus said.
Regarding the relatively large
number of Auburn libertarians,
Sophocleus credits the active
student organization, saying,
"it helped plant the seeds."
Several Auburn students are
even running for office on the
Libertarian ticket — Gorge
Crispin for U.S. Congress and
Adam Gilman for Lee County
Commission District 5 are
among them.
Campaign meetings for
Sophocleus are held near the
Auburn campus every Thurs­day;
Rooster's is a popular loca-
> Turn to LIBERTARIANS, A4
Thursday. Sept 12,2002 A3
CONSTITUTIONAL
REFORM
Citizens
review
state laws
By EMILY McCANN
Staff Writer
"Alabama has a horse-and-buggy
constitution in the
space age." said Secretary of
State Jim Bennett at Monday
night's Alabama Citizens'
Commission on Constitution­al
Reform meeting.
This was the second in a
series of meetings for the
commission, which Bennett
chairs.
The meeting's purpose was
to report on the executive,
legislative and judicial articles
in the constitution. The previ­ous
meeting discussed home
rule, the idea that counties
should be able to manage
their internal affairs without
intervention or interference
from the state legislature.
On Monday, former Associ­ate
Justice of the Alabama
Supreme Court Jane Shores
discussed the successes and
failures of the 1973 attempts
to reform the judicial article.
Brad Moody from Auburn
University-Montgomery and
Bill Stewart, emeritus at Uni­versity
of Alabama, discussed
the weakness of the executive
article.
They suggested requiring
the lieutenant governor and
governor to run on the same
ticket to prevent future politi­cal
bickering.
Other topics discussed were
increased veto power for the
governor and the possibility of
appointing rather than elect­ing
specialized state posi­tions,
such as state auditor
and state coroner.
The legislative presentation
was made by Jesse Brown of
Athens State University.
Twenty-eight people from
the crowd addressed the panel
during the morning's presen­tations.
Only four objected to
the proposed reforms, claim­ing
they were contrived to
raise taxes, especially on pri­vately
owned lands.
The 24 who spoke in favor
of the proposed reforms were
diverse not only in their
makeup, but also in their stat­ed
opinions.
Most said the constitution
is a source of shame for Alaba­ma,
miring it in a past of inad­equate
representation of
women and minorities, racist
laws (that have since been put
out of practice), an oppressive
tax code, poorly funded
schools and environmental
distress.
Through these meetings,
the ACCR hopes to build pub­lic
support for their efforts to
revise the constitution.
The ACCR is "an
autonomous commission to
study (the) current constitu­tion,"
Bennett said.
The commission researches
the two major options for
reform. It plans to report its
findings to the governor and
the legislature in January. The
governor and the legislature
are neither required to listen
nor to take action based on
the committee's findings.
However, Bennett and
Kathryn Bowden of the ACCR
•- Turn to CONSTITUTION, A4
HEATH LOFTIN, EDITOR •(334)844.9109 •NEWS@TTHHEIP LAINSMAN.COM 7
WHAT IS GOING ON?
Find out at
nM.theplainsiM.eoni
A4 Thursday, Sept. 12,2002 Clje auburn fflaingman
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CONSTITUTION
>• From Page 3
said they feci now, more than ever, is the time
for reform.
"Most people don't make a connection
between our state's problems and the constitu­tion,"
Bowden said.
There have been several attempts at reform
in one form or another since the constitution's
adoption, all of which have ultimately failed to
produce wide-reaching results.
"Alabama has been slow to bring about
change," Bennett said.
However, recent Alabama Supreme Court rul­ings
have made the process for revision more
clear. As it stands, the constitution would have
to be revised article by article. The public
would have to vote on each revised article.
By amending the constitution, a constitu-
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tional conversation could be held. The rewrite
could be done all at once and the final product
submitted for voter approval.
"The voters would have to say either way,"
Bennett said.
He said he feels support is strong regardless
of the the choice made; he cited a recent poll in
which 61 percent of those questioned across
the state were in favor of reforms.
The elections in November will play a role in
the ultimate success of the reform movement.
Both Bennett and Bowden were encouraged
that gubernatorial candidates Bob Riley and
Gov. Don Siegelman have espoused reform in
their campaigns.
The commission plans to continue its meet­ings
with a session in Mobile Oct. 21 and one in
Auburn or Opelika Dec. 9.
COUNTY JAIL
>• From Page 3
die all of Auburn's detention
services since Auburn shut
down its city jail last Decem­ber.
Jones said funding for the
project could come from exist­ing
funds, additional tax rev­enue,
bond issue or a number
of different courses of finance.
"1 believe the state should do
more, absolutely," Jones .said
when asked if the state was
doing enough of their part in
the issue. "Currently Lee
County citizens are footing the
bill for state inmates in the
Lee County jail."
By law, the Alabama Depart­ment
of Corrections is respon­sible
for these individuals.
Bobby Cannon, member of
the Lee County Commission
said, a large part of the prob­lem
is that it revolves around
money, taxes and politics.
"It's the same problem that
we're dealing with with
schools and highways and a lot
of other issues." Cannon said.
"The state is in dire need of
some money.
"None of the state legislators
want to deal with that issue."
he said. "It's not politically
favorable to start telling peo­ple
you need to raise their
taxes. They won't deal with the
fact that there is not enough
money to run this state."
Cannon said he believes, as a
conservative, that he pays
enough taxes already, but he
doesn't pay them to the state
and local government. Instead,
he pays a large amount of
taxes to the federal govern­ment.
Cannon said the main way
to raise money for the jail situ­ation
is to raise state taxes.
According to Cannon, many
of the proposals by state legis­lators
and officials, including
"The state of Alabama
cannot continue to
ignore this problem We
cannot dodge this bullet
any longer
the controversial education
lottery, arc just ways to skirt
around the issue of taxes.
"All the state legislature is
interested in is looking good.
It does not look good to go up
on people's taxes," Cannon
said. "The state legislature in
general is derelict in their
duties.
"It's more politics than it is
sub­stance,"
he said.
"They
come in
there,
they pass
these sub-laws
and
they beat
their
chests so that everybody brags
about how tough they are on
crime. When you say, 'What
are you gonna do about these
prisoners that need locking
up,' they say, 'Lock them up
and throw away the key.' You're
essentially passing an unfund­ed
mandate."
An unfunded mandate is a
resolution passed by a higher
level of government without
giving a lower level govern­ment
the funds to carry out
the order.
Cannonsaid he believes that
the issue is addressed by many
Legislators in a way that will
be popular with the populace
and positive for their tenure in
office.
"Most people don't want you
to tell them the truth. They
want you to lie to them. If you
tell them the truth, they are
probably not going to vote for
you," Cannon said. "That's the
reason we keep electing the
same people every year in the
state legislature. They stay in
office A0 years and they don't
do a thing."
However Sen. Ted Little, D-Auburn,
said that he is taking
an active stance on the jail sit­uation.
Little has proposed a bill
twice in the State Senate that
would free up space in state
penitentiaries. His bill didn't
make it through the Senate
either time, though.
"Our prison population is
aging and staying in prison
longer. That leaves us in a situ­ation
where our
state needs to make
some tough deci­sions,"
Little said.
His plan calls for
aging, and deathly
ill inmates whose
families show will-
— Sen.Ted Little ingness to provide
D-Auburn for them as well as
watch them closely
to be released into the families
care. This would free up more
space and allow the state peni­tentiaries
to accept back-logged
state inmates in the
county jail system.
Little said he believes that
what will need to be done in
the near future is to come up
with some type of modular
housing to allow for more
inmates in state peniten­tiaries.
There have even been some
talks about setting up a
fenced-in, high-security tent
structure for housing less vio­lent
prisoners.
"The state of Alabama can­not
continue to ignore this
problem. We cannot dodge
this bullet- any longer." Little
said. "We are lucky that we
have not had some prison
riots."
Little said that while a num­ber
of new prisons have been
built, many counties do not
want to have a new state
prison built in their county.
"Every county would like an
Auburn University," Little said.
"But not every county wants a
penitentiary."
LIBERTARIANS
> From Page 3
tion for the gathering. Clark is in charge of the
gubernatorial campaign.
Many of these Auburn Libertarians recently
participated in Operation Politically Homeless
outside of Haley Center to gain support.
In areas of high traffic, the University Libertar­ians
carry large cardboard signs covered in the
World's Smallest Political Quiz. The quiz is sup­posed
to give those who are "politically home­less"
a place to belong. Made up of 10 short yes,
no or mavbe questions, the nuiz places the nor-son
taking it in a diamond-shaped political spec­trum.
The left is still home to the liberals, who cham­pion
civil rights and liberties.
To the right are the conservatives, demanding
economic freedoms as well as social controls.
Authoritarians support government controls
of all kinds and are at the bottom of the political
spectrum. Clark said this political mindset is
currently running the United States government.
The libertarians are at the top of the political
diamond. They advocate individual freedoms,
focusing mainly on economic freedoms.
Libertarians take part in other local events as
well. A few of these include an Earth Day con­cert,
a tax day protest and, most recently, a
statewide protest in response to the exclusion of
Sophocleus from the Aug. 5 gubernatorial
debate.
Sophocleus failed to gain enough popular sup­port
to participate in the debate. Clark said the
two independent poles used to decide candi­dates'
statewide popularity did not even list
Sophocleus as a choice.
Many libertarians attribute their growing
numbers to the proximity of the Ludwig von
Mises Institute. The establishment is a research
and educational center for classical liberalism
and the Austrian School of economics.
The Institute sponsors publications, programs
and fellowships that promote the free market
economic theory, the Austrian School of eco­nomics
as advanced by Ludwig von Mises.
Although the Institute is not itself politically
affiliated, it attracts academics, politicians, and
o t h e r i n d i v i d u a L - f r n m o r r x ' n H * u ~ M i n itc
location on West Magnolia Avenue. Libertarian
platforms practically parallel the Austrian School
of economics, making many of these visitors
active Libertarians.
The abundance of active Libertarians drawn to
Auburn by the Institute combines with the uni­versity
campus atmosphere to create the hotbed,
Clark said.
Individuals unite around the principles of pri­vate
property, a free market economy, and the
absence of government intervention in economic
and social issues. Sophocleus said one of the Lib­ertarians
current main goals is to change the
mindset of the two major parties: he said he
believes "Democrats and Republicans think they
don't have to do a good job" to receive votes.
Sophocleus thinks the increasing third party
voice will change this for the better.
MORE INFORMATION:
> visit www.self-gov.org/quiz.html
t - I
C|)c Auburn plainsman Thursday, Sept. 12,2002 A5
Habitat provides
housing for humanity
By SHANNON CAHILL
StaffWriter
Otherwise known as the Blitz
Build, Habitat for Humanity
will begin its construction of
three houses in an 11-day time
period Saturday.
The organization is a volun­teer
service composed of local
volunteers who give back to the
community by giving up their
time and effort.
Volunteers will meet for the
first day of the Blitz Build in
Opelika, where one house will
be built, and in Auburn, where
two houses will be built adja­cent
to each other.
"People sent in written let­ters,
e-mailed us and called,
and all the applicants' informa­tion
was put into an enrollment
file," said Megan Harvell, a
Habitat for Humanity volun­teer.
"We take the enrollment file
to a selected committee who
chooses for whom we will build
the houses. It's a fairly lengthy
process," Harvell said.
Habitat for Humanity origi­nated
in 1983 and has progres­sively
grown into what it is
today, though only recently has
the idea of a Blitz build been
put into practice.
"When I heard about it, I
thought it was a wonderful
idea. I needed a house after my
divorce, so I applied for this
year's Blitz Build," said Kim
Allen, a selected applicant for
the upcoming Blitz Build.
"There were so many appli­cants,
I felt like a needle in a
haystack. I knew of another
woman who had applied five
times," Allen said. "She was
finally chosen. But this has
been such a blessing for me."
Allen was notified of her
selection in October 2001 and
has been anticipating it for
nearly a year now.
"I've just had to be patient,
and now it is finally here. I'm so
grateful to the Habitat for
Humanity," she said. "I still can't
believe they are really going to
build three houses in 11 days."
Although the city of Auburn
is no stranger to Habitat for
Humanity services, 2002 will
mark the first Blitz Build in Lee
County.
Those interested in volun­teering
can contact Andrew
Bell, the executive director of
Habitat for Humanity or simply
show up this Saturday at either
of the building sites.
On Sept. 29, after 11 days of
labor and the completion of
three houses, a dedication cere­mony
will be held in Auburn to
honor the hard work of those
making the Blitz Build possible
and to reward the selected
applicants their new homes.
MORE INFORMATION:
>• Habitat for Humanity will host an auction Thurs., Sept. 12, in
the AU Hotel and Conference Center from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m.
Original art, vacation get-a-ways and dinner parties are
among the auction items.
Other items include meals, shopping sprees and services from
area merchants. Vintage jewelry will be offered on a cash-and-
carry basis.
The event is open to the public with no admission fee. Wine
and appetizers will be offered.
For more information and directions call (334) 745-2123.
Plant provides jobs, links Auburn to BMW
the best
incentives
that the
state has"
By ERIN GRIFFIN
StaffWriter
A new production plant in Auburn will
provide not only new jobs for the city, but it
will also link Auburn to a brand new BMW
convertible.
Sept. 4 marked the grand opening cele­bration
of Hoerbiger Hydraulics in -n• ..„_ ..c
Auburn.
The plant is located at 284
Enterprise Drive, in Auburn Tech­nology
Park South.
"Hoerbiger Hydraulics, Inc. is
another example of the city of
Auburn's commitment to recruit
high-technology automotive sup­pliers,"
Mayor Bill Ham said in a
press release.
According to Jim Hampton, production
supervisor at the new Hoerbiger Hydraulics
plant, 15 to 16 new jobs have already been
filled. Eight of these positions are hourly
and focus on assembly work.
Other positions include sales representa­tives,
business managers and supervisors.
Many of the engineers currently employed
at the new plant are from Germany.
Hoerbiger is an international company
based in Germany. The company wanted to
expand their hydraulics division and, as
Hampton said, 'Alabama had nice opportu­nities."
Ed Gardner, Auburn business develop­ment
council member, credited the Alaba­ma
Industrial Development Training
organization for the recruitment.
"It's one of the best incentives that the
state has," Gardner said.
AIDT is an organization that
works with new companies and
local Alabama communities to train
new employees for specific jobs. All
but one of the new hires at Hoer­biger
Hydraulics went through the
AIDT program.
g J QwAnmr AIDT advertises future job oppor-
Auburn Business tunities in the region. AIDT then
Development works with the new employer to
offer free training to those interest­ed
in applying for the new positions.
The classes are taught at night and the
sessions last for three to six weeks. All class­es
are free to participants because taxpay­ers
fund AIDT.
State employees as well as personnel
from the new company teach the classes.
Hampton taught some classes for the Hoer­biger
Hydraulics trainees that went through
AIDT. The state reimburses the new
employer for lost time and expenses.
Cary Cox is the regional AIDT coordina­tor
and travels on recruitment trips with
the business development council.
Another major factor in the decision to
locate in Auburn was the presence of
another Hoerbiger company, Hoerbiger Dri-vetech.
Hoerbiger Drivetech makes clutches
and brakes as well as other car parts.
"There was already a relationship with
the company," Gardner said. Hoerbiger Dri­vetech
has been in Auburn for about five
years.
Recruitment for Hoerbiger Hydraulics
only took about nine months, which is rela­tively
quick.
Hampton noted a good work force, a nice
area and a good deal on a building lease as
incentives. "The University is always a huge
selling point." Gardner added.
The new Hoerbiger Hydraulics plant
makes the hydraulic pump for convertible
tops. But not just any convertible tops. The
tops are specific to a new model BMW that
will premiere at the Paris car show next
month.
Gardner predicts that about 50 jobs will
be created over the next three years by the
new company's growth. Within the next
few months to years, Hampton expects a
total of 50 to 60 job opportunities to open
in Auburn.
New city councilors learn their roles
By BROOKE MCCARLEY
StaffWriter
The votes have been counted
and the election is over, but the
five new city council members
and four incumbents will not
have power until Oct. 15. Until
then the new councilors will go
through a time of orientation.
The present City Council will
meet three more times before
the new City Council takes
power.
Sept. 25 is a day of orienta­tion
and briefing.
"We take the new councilors
and let them meet with public
figures,"said Mayor Bill Ham.
"They spend all day getting
familiar with the city."
1 he new members will spend
the day meeting with people in
charge of different boards and
committees.
The new councilors will be
sworn in on Oct 7 and will gain
power on Oct. 15.
"No official action will be
taken until Tuesday 15," Ham
said.
The new city councilors are
looking forward to gaining
power and learning.
"I'm looking forward to it,"
Roberta Jackel said. "There are
things I have to learn but I am
excited about it."
"The reality is setting in.'
Sheila Eckman said. "There is a
whole lot to learn."
Along with the day of brief­ing,
new city councilors will
also learn from returning coun­cilors.
"I will be relying on expertise
from older members who have
been there and done that," Eck­man
said.
City Manager Doug Watson
is responsible for the orienta­tion.
Watson makes sure the
new councilors have enough
background information on
ongoing projects, financial
planning and future goals.
"I provide them with infor­mation
to make choices so they
are ready for power on Oct. 15,"
Watson said.
"There is a lot to learn and to
understand," Matthews said. "It
does take time."
"We need to understand the
growth we're experiencing and
how to plan for it," Matthews
said.
Auburn has been financially
strong in the past and the
returning councilors would like
to see that continue in the
future.
"We need to maintain our
strong financial position," said
returning councilor Logan Gray.
Oct. 15 will be the first City
Council meeting the new coun­cilors
will officially take part in.
CTHE AUBURN
IRCLE -844-4122 /w, AUBURN'S GENERAL INTEREST MAGAZINE
YOU DESERVE RECOGNITION!
F A L L SUBMISSION DEADLINE IS SEPTEMBER 2^-TH!
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• NONFICTION • INDUSTRIAL DESIGN
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• ENGINEERING DESIGN • ESSAYS
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SUBMISSIONS ARE DUE BY 4:30 ON TUES., SEPT. 24TH.
ENTRIES CAN BE BROUGHT TO THE CIRCLE OFFICE OR SENT
BY E-MAIL TO AC1RCLE@AUBURN.EDU. THE CIRCLE
OFFICE IS LOCATED IN THE STUDENT PUBLICATIONS SUITE
IN THE BASEMENT OF FOY. FOR MORE INFO., GO
ONLINE AT WWW.AUBURN.EDU/CIRCLE.
A6 Thursday, Sept. 12,2002 Cbr Auburn plainsman
1-65 project receives top-10 award
By JOSH KELLEY
StaffWriter
The reconstruction project for a col­lapsed
bridge on Interstate 65 in Birming­ham
has won an award as one of the top 10
outstanding projects in Alabama over the
past 150 years.
The American Society of Civil Engineers
awarded the project that was a joint venture
between Brasfield & Gorrie and The Morris
Group.
The Alabama Department of Transporta­tion
gave the two general contractors 90
days to complete the project. They finished
in only 37 days, and according to Juan Car­los
Ospina. project manager for Brasfield &
Gorrie, this was the main reason for the
award.
The bridge was the 1-65 South connector
that runs over the top of 1-65 North. On Ian.
5, an 18-wheel tanker, traveling north on 1-
65, struck a support of the bridge when the
driver swerved sideways to avoid hitting a
passenger car.
The tanker exploded, causing the bridge
to buckle and sag.
"It was a pretty amazing thing to look at,"
Ospina said.
The interchange where the bridge
exploded is known as malfunction junction
in Birmingham because of the heavy traffic
it receives. Because of its importance, the
DOT placed a high priority on the speed of
the project and the two companies suc­ceeded
in surpassing the DOT's goals.
Ospina said the two companies had
resources available at each working area
simultaneously, along with cranes at both
abutmen<None>s and people working 24
hours a day, seven days a week
"We were very lucky that the weather
wasn't worse." Ospina said. "We had a cou­ple
of bad days with freezing rain."
The project would have taken five to six
months to complete at normal speed for a
construction project, Ospina said.
He said contractors usually have no
incentive to go faster because rules finan­cially
penalizing companies for tardy com­pletion
of projects are too leniently
enforced.
In this project, the DOT awarded the
companies a $25,000-per-day bonus for
completing the project early.
Duncan Morris, an Auburn graduate and
project manager for the Morris Group, said
that the DOT worked great with them from
an engineering standpoint, and in the modi­fication
process. The Morris Group, which
specializes in bridge building, is a smaller
contractor than Brasfield and Gorrie, a
large general contractor with 2001 revenues
of $954 million.
"It was unlike anything I had been a part
of," said Walter Morris, president of The
Morris Group. "Even months after the proj­ect
is over, we're still trying to catch our
breath from the whole thing."
The Morris Group helped the DOT ini­tially
in the demolition of the damaged
bridge. The DOT then awarded The Morris
Group and Brasfield & Gorrie the project on
Jan. 16.
Morris and Miller Gorrie, president of
Brasfield & Gorrie, are friends and decided
to go into the project together.
The two contractors rebuilt the bridge
that was originally two lanes, but it now has
the capacity for three lanes of traffic.
The extra space is only a shoulder of the
road for now but eventually could be used
as another lane in future expansion proj­ects
on malfunction junction.
CITY COUNCIL
Council approves
Water Board facility
By MAGGIE GRIMM
StaffWriter
The Auburn City Council
approved the start of construc­tion
on the foundation of a
new, consolidated building for
the Water Board.
"This is the last of the pro­posed
upgrade to the facilities
for the current council's term,"
said City Manager Douglas
Watson.
The 11,000 square feet facili­ty
will be located on the corner
of West Samford Avenue and
Shug Jordan Parkway and will
be completed by December
2003.
In exhange for this property
the city owns, the Water Board
will deed land it owns at Lake
Wilmore to Auburn to be used
for a park in the future.
"A benefit to this is the new
green space we will pick up, it's
kind of ironic we're swapping
what was once a water source
with the Water Board," said
Mayor Bill Ham.
During t h i citizens commu­nications
part of the meeting
concerns about group homes
in Auburn arose.
Lindburg Jackson and his
family run a home for abused
and mentally handicapped
children in Opelika, one of 15
in the city.
They returned to the council
seeking permission to relocate
children to a facility proposed
for Auburn, that has no such
homes now, because of chang­ing
policy at the state's Depart­ment
of Human Resources.
The council voiced support
in aiding in the ongoing
process to assist the Jacksons'
effort.
questions Humane Society policies
Nicole Coleman— Photo Staff
The Lee County Humane Society takes in more than 6,000
animals per year. After a seven-day waiting period, t h e ani­mals
are made available to the eligible public for adoption.
By KEITH SAUNDERS
StaffWriter
When Stacy Griffin, an
Auburn resident, contacted The
Plainsman about her black cat
Edgar, it was unclear what she
was mad about.
It started to make more sense
when she claimed that an
employee of the Lee County
Humane Society, whose name
she didn't know, told her, "we
would rather kill your cat than
give it back to you."
Griffin said after her cat had
been missing for four days, she
decided to look at the Humane
Society.
When she found her cat
there, she was told that she
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would have to pay a $53 bill for
boarding and processing.
Griffin was unable to pay the
amount to get her cat back, so
the employees told her she
could have it deferred to vet
bills if she got her cat neutered.
She said she couldn't afford
to have that, done and she didn't
want to have her cat neutered
anyway, so she left her fee
unpaid and her cat at the cen­ter.
This is when Griffin claims
the Humane Society employee
told her that they would rather
kill her cat.
"I can't imagine anyone at the
Humane Society saying that.
We do everything in a humane
and caring manner.," said Jack
Fisher, Executive Director of the
Lee County Humane Society.
Fisher insisted that they fol­low
state laws as well as their
own policies in every case.
He said they work with many
pet owners who have financial
problems paying the fees to
retrieve their pets, because they
want the pets to be with their
owners.
Fisher didn't know whether
this particular cat had been
adopted, but he does know that
it did not have the rabies vacci­nation
required by the state.
More than 6,000 animals per
year are brought to the Lee
County Humane Society from
animal control units, Lee Coun­ty
residents and students.
The facility adopts out
unclaimed pets kept past the
state-required seven-day wait­ing
time, and those not adopted
are eventually euthanized.
Fisher insists that it is not
something that they like to do,
but because of the uncontrolled
pet population the Humane
Society has no choice but to
euthanize them.
The Humane Society is an
open-admission facility, which
means they will take any ani­mal
given to them because they
are afraid of what might hap­pen
to that animal if they do
not.
Fisher said owners must be
responsible for their pet vacci­nations
and boarding.
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Stye Auburn $Iains:man Thursday, Sept. 12, 2002 A7
SACS: Commission will review report of investigator, Auburn can respond to report
• From Page I
named Bradley, managing partner in the Colum­bus
law firm Bradley and Hatcher, as an inde­pendent
investigator. Bradley is a member of the
American College of Trial Lawyers and former
president of the State Bar of Georgia.
"We normally send in a visiting commission, a
commission of peers similar to Auburn, and they
perform the investigation," said James Rodgers,
executive director of SACS.
"Basically, instead of sending in a team, the
judge has decided to send in an individual from
the legal field," Rodgers said.
The plan was drawn by both parties and
agreed to by the judge. The three complaints
Bradley will be investigating include the follow­ing:
- • current compliance with criteria for accredi­t
a t i o n concerning board and administration
responsibilities. The criteria specifies that the
board's function is limited to setting broad poli­cy,
while administrators are in charge of daily
' business.
• current compliance with criteria for accredi­tation
requirements concerning majority control
of Auburn's governing board. This criteria pro­hibits
the board from being controlled by a
minority of board members.
• current business dealings among members of
Auburn's Board of Trustees and the University.
Trustee Lowell Barron has had more than
$500,000 in business dealings with the University
by way of his businesses, Fyffe Construction Co.
and All Temp Glass.
Bradley is to review those complaints via
records and interviews with campus officials,
including members of the Board of Trustees, this
fall.
The accreditation group was scheduled to
investigate the University in November 2001
after Auburn group sent a letter to SACS with 10
specific complaints listed regarding the Auburn
University Board of Trustee's relationship to the
faculty and the University.
Before the review was conducted, then-Inter­im
President Walker filed a lawsuit against the
agency, claiming it had a predisposed position
and was not abiding by its own rules.
That law suit has delayed the investigation
With the consent order, Walker said he was
satisfied with only one investigator, and believes
that Bradley and the commission are unbiased.
"You can make arguments for one or two or
three (investigators)," Walker said. "The big
FACULTY: Resolution passed on majority of voice votes
> From Page I
ing a faculty seat on the board.
An amendment to this reso­lution
was passed by majority
vote, which states, "that it is
the view of the faculty at
Auburn University that the
jelected chair of the University
faculty or another faculty
member elected by a direct
vote of the entire faculty
should serve as faculty repre­sentative
from this campus."
"1 felt uncomfortable with
the original resolution. With
this amendment, it expresses
a strong voice," said Jim
Bradley, former University
Senate chair and professor.
"The Board of Trustees has
spent the past few months try­ing
to improve their image,"
said faculty member Glenn
Howze. "I do not think this is
the appropriate time to praise
the Board of Trustees."
The resolution passed by a
majority vote.
The second resolu­tion
was also passed
by a majority vote,
which commended
the board, the presi­dent
and the admin
"It's like a
husband
visiting his
battered wife
istration for the in the hospital all trustees in Associ
faculty salary and bringing ation of Government
r Boards and trustee
training and orienta-choe.
olat.es"
at the close of the meeting
about the Joint Assessment
Committees recent proposals.
The four recommendations
include:
•utilizing the SACS
for assessment of
board performance
• no official revision
of original complaint
participation by
increase.
"It's like a husband
visiting his battered
wife in the hospital
and bringing her
chocolates," said
Howze, who opposed
both resolutions and said they
should be passed after the
SACS review.
Bradley updated the faculty
tion workshops
• establishment of a
— Glenn Howze shared governance
Agriculture professor roundtable, com­prised
of trustees,
administrators, a SGA repre­sentative,
staff council, alumni
and faculty.
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-U-advantage
is that it is easier to handle the logis­tics
to one person and I think had we proposed
half a dozen we would still be arguing about the
identity of that group. We could analyze that
until the cows come home."
SACS was satisfied the investigation will
begin.
"SACS is pleased to be able to finally move for­ward
to ensure that Auburn University complies
with SACS' accreditation criteria, which is noth­ing
more than it requires of any of its 800 mem­ber
institutions," the association said in a
statement.
Bradley is permitted to use any SACS' staff or
personnel as he deems appropriate, but cannot
use any personnel with a conflict of interest.
The court ruling has received criticism by
some Auburn faculty members because records
of the investigation, including names of sources,
and those identities are to be provided to the
counsel of record for Auburn, but not the public
if the investigator believes their names should
remain confidential.
The court requires that Auburn will not take
adverse action against any person who cooper­ates
with the investigation or provides informa­tion
to the investigator.
After completing the investigation, Bradley
must write a report and submit it to Auburn
within 30 days. Within 60 days of receiving a
copy of the report, Auburn may submit a report.
The investigator report and University report,
if any, are to be forwarded to one of SACS' Com­mittees
on Criteria and Reports, a standing
review committee, which will have authority to
either accept or reject the findings of the investi­gator
in whole or in part, according to the order.
In addition, the Criteria and Reports Commit­tee
could conduct additional interviews with
Auburn after it receives the investigator's report,
if it is deemed necessary. They will then make a
recommendation to the Executive Council of the
Commission on Colleges.
Ultimately, SACS' elected 77-member Com­mission
on Colleges will decide whether Auburn
complied with SACS accreditation criteria, and
what action should be taken if violations are dis­covered
during the investigation.
The University may then appeal to the com­mission
to the Appeals Committee of the College
Delegate Assembly pursuant to the written poli­cies
and procedures of the Commission on Col­leges.
The University joined the voluntary accredit­ing
agency in 1922 and has maintained an
accredited status since then.
GAME DAY
> From Page I
take us more than five min­utes
to get them in," Jackson
said.
Stofer said that the AUDPS
will still be checking bags,
purses, and coats and advises
students to arrive early.
"I would encourage students
to arrive early to the games to
prevent missing the game or
the kickoff," Stofer said.
While there aren't any major
changes for next week's game,
there will be three more card-readers
at the student gates to
allow students to get into the
stadium more smoothly and
quickly.
"Even with just the 11 (card-readers)
we were able to get
the students through the exte­rior
gates faster than they
could get into the interior part
of the stadium," Jackson said.
WALKER
> From Page I
continues to draw students
while other schools in the
state and region are begging
for students," Walker said.
He said the downside, of
course, is that we had to take
emergency measures to make
sure we could provide classes
for the new students.
"Since we had projected a
class of no more than 3,800,
we have now stretched this
university almost beyond its
capacity and that simply is
not acceptable. We will
therefore make every effort
to insure that enrollments in
the next few years are suffi­ciently
contained that we
can be sure we can accom­modate
the students we
have."
Walker's goals for 2002-
2003 include:
Initiating national
searches to fill positions, at
the level of provost and
deans,
addressing Auburn's
image of itself and the man­ner
in which it projects that
image
• strengthening the Univer­sity
on the principles pro­posed
by Bill Weary, a
consultant hired to hired to
help with the presidential
search
• having a successful capi­tal
campaign
• looking for a similar 12
percent increase of tuition
for next year to increase
scholarship funding
• playing a more prominent
role in helping Alabama eco­nomically.
"I believe that a research
university, such as Auburn,
can serve as a hub from
which spokes of economic
development can grow,"
Walker said.
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A8 Thursday, Sept 12 2002 2The Auburn piatiufman
COMMENTARY
W^t Auburn ipainsiman
FOUNDED IN 1893 AS THE ORANGE & BLUE
Volume 109. No. 3
SALLY TIDWELL
Copy Editor
ROSS MOORE
Campus Editor
LINDSAY EVANS
Intrigue Editor
EDITORIAL BOARD
ADAMJONES
Editor
HEATH LOFTIN
State & Local Editor
TIM RITTER
Sports Editor
JUSTIN SMITH
Managing Editor
FRANK DILLARD
Photo Editor
DANIEL MOORE
Art Editor
OUR VIEW
Time to move on
Agreement with SACS not the best, but
investigation is the best opportunity
DANIEL MOORE
In April 2001, Auburn was alive
with political turmoil.
Students had staged a walkout in
protest of the Board of Trustees. Nine
campus groups voted no confidence
in the board. A group of newspapers
were filing a lawsuit claiming the
board were breaking state law by
meeting in secret.
There were problems with alumni
because of a failed takeover of the
Alumni Association board by trustee
supporters. The governor was
appointing trustees University con­stituents
disagreed agree with.
It was in this atmosphere that a
group of faculty, staff, alumni and stu­dents
sent a list of 10 complaints to
the Southern Association of Colleges
and Schools, the accrediting agency
for universities in the Southeast.
The purpose of the complaints was
to get SACS to threaten Auburn with
accreditation sanctions, which could
cost Auburn millions in research
grants. If SACS came down on the
board, saying it is a hindrance to edu­cation,
either radical change or
trustee resignations would follow.
Or so it was thought
What happened was President
•William Walker suing SACS in federal
court, claiming SACS not only was
biased, but could not investigate all
complaints legally.
And so we waited. Then a federal
judge ruled in favor of Auburn. SACS
appealed.
And so we waited. Meanwhile, the
situation at Auburn hasn't gotten bet­ter.
Financial ties to Lowder were
revealed. The board tried to bypass
traditional alumni avenues of com­munication
by forming the Alumni
Advisory Council. The trustees were
found guilty of meeting in private.
Top administrative positions
became vacant. A presidential search
was on halt, but the trustees appoint­ed
Walker president anyway.
Now an agreement has been
reached between SACS and Auburn.
It's not the best, but it works.
One man will compile the report
for SACs instead of a committee of
educators from peer institutions. It's
quite a role for a Georgia lawyer.
What he gives to SACS is key to the
ruling.
The normal way is the better way.
But that's what a compromise is —
second best.
The main faculty contention is, and
has been, confidentiality of inter­views.
That's understandable. Those
who speak out against Bobby Lowder
and the board aren't treated fairly.
Yet, this is the best and perhaps
only chance faculty have to let an
organization with power know the
situation at Auburn.
If things here are bad, now is the
time to speak. SACS can still rule on
serious issues like micromanaging
and personal ties on the board.
No doubt the report will reflect
poorly on trustees. SACS will rule
unfavorably on Auburn if there are
employees who aren't afraid to speak
out.
The political turmoil may have qui­eted
some since spring 2001, but
those who can be in the report must
not.
Manners
Weird headline on the front page.
"Faculty thanks trustees."
Never thought the day would come.
Have the trustees changed their
ways? Has the situation improved?
Not really. The trustees still want
control of the University. Now they
just have a better paid faculty repre­sentative
on the board.
The faculty was right to commend
the board for listening to its com­plaints.
The way pay raises were
going to be handled was wrong and a
public relations nightmare for the
board. Also, the faculty, after years of
trying, have a non-voting seat on the
board.
If the faculty is going to censure
bad, then praise good. Like a spoiled
child, let the board know when good
things are done.
But the board shouldn't take this as
the end. All the faculty is not on the
same page as trustees. The trustees
should continue to listen to faculty
and resign from their positions.
Only with new blood on the board
will the turmoil will be behind us.
A good trustee
This Friday the Auburn chapter of
the American Association of Universi­ty
Professors and the Auburn Trustee
Improvement Political Action Com­mittee
will hold a public forum. The
discussion will focus on what makes a
good trustee.
This discussion is important, as
three trustees' terms expire in January,
which is the reason the forum is being
held.
Why are they holding this meeting
when Auburn has the model of what a
trustee should be?
A trustee should:
Be a man.
Be white.
Be a businessman. Background in
education confuses the issues.
Be a football fan.
Use the University jet to get to
Auburn when he just can't clear his
schedule for the frequent trustee
meetings.
Have financial ties to Bobby Lowder.
Be a graduate of a university, even if
it's not Auburn.
Ignore faculty opinion, except in
carefully crafted public relations
moves.
Try to meet in secret when possible.
Ignore student opinion, especially
when it's about the location of build­ings.
This list could go on, but it's a good
start for Friday's meeting.
OUR POIJCY
The opinions of The Auburn Plainsman staff are restricted to these pages. The unsigned editorials
are the majority opinion of the nine-member edUorml board, and are the
official opinion of the newspaper. The opinions expressed in columns, pulures and letters
represent the views and opinions of their individual authors and do not necessarily reflect tlie
Auburn University student body, faculty, administration or Hoard of Trustees
~^7??yr
U.S. GOVERNMENT AND GOD
U.S. based on belief in creator
Some people don't know how to
quit when they're behind.
The debate about whether to keep
"Under God" in the Pledge of Alle­giance
and "In God We Trust" on
U.S. currency is nothing new.
The ACLU and other organiza­tions
such as Freedom from Reli­gion
and American Atheists
mistakenly think they have the right
to stamp out those phrases from
our culture.
This summer, the Ninth Circuit of
the U.S. Court of Appeals upheld
Michael Newdow's claim the Pledge
of Allegiance cannot be recited in
public schools because it contains
the words "Under God."
Who do they think they are?
Arthur Hayes, a Quinnipiac Uni­versity
law professor, called the deci­sion
a "well-reasoned opinion that is
certain to enrage the Christian
right." (Thanks to The New York
Times for this).
There's a no-brainer. Their argu­ment
is flawed. They say the reli­gious
quotations were put in the
Pledge and on currency to differenti­ate
the U.S. from "atheist commu­nist"
nations like the USSR.
Whatever.
This country was founded upon a
belief in God. If you don't believe it,
check out the Declaration of Inde­pendence.
Guess what it says?
"We hold these truths to be self-evident,
that all men are created
JUSTIN
SMITH
smilh@theplainsman.com
equal, that they are endowed by
their Creator with certain unalien­able
rights."
"... to assume among the powers
... which the Laws of Nature and of
Nature's God entitle them ..."
"We, therefore, the representatives
of the United States of America ...
appealing to the supreme judge of
the world ..."
That is right out of the very docu­ment
from which our freedom and
existence is derived.
Here's something from the Consti­tution:
"Done in convention by the unani­mous
consent of the states present
the seventeenth day of September in
the year of our Lord one thousand
seven hundred and eighty seven and
of the independence of the United
States of America the twelfth."
President Washington added "So
help me God" to the inauguration,
and every president has followed
ever since.
Today, the Navy flies church flags
above the U.S. flag to acknowledge a
higher power than our government
After the Court of Appeals handed
out its ruling (which has since been
overruled), the Senate unanimously
condemned the ruling and members
of Congress sang "God Bless Ameri­ca"
on the steps of the Capitol.
So, don't even think about trying
to say the United States government
does not acknowledge a belief in
God.
Because you're fooling yourself to
think otherwise.
Back to the Pledge, a few liberals
have no right to take what I consider
to be a sacred phrase out. No, my
faith isn't grounded in the Pledge,
but it's still important
If you don't believe in God, and if
that phrase in the Pledge offends
you, I have something to say — stick
your fingers in your ears and hum
real loud until it's over, because it's
here to stay.
Now, I can't make you believe in
God or acknowledge His power, but
neither can you make me give up my
belief.
If you don't like the Pledge, then
don't say it. If "In God We Trust" on
currency offends you, then don't
look at it.
Because every day, I see stuff that
offends me, and I don't cry about it
Justin Smith is managing editor of
The Auburn Plainsman. You can
reach him at 844-9108.
Faithful need no help worshipping
Most discussions about the pres­ence
of religious figures in govern­ment
activity begin by trying to
figure out exactly what America's
founding fathers meant when they
wrote the First Amendment.
While any interpretation of the
moral intentions of these men is
innately irrelevant it is impor­tant
to note that nowhere in this
country's supreme document —
the Christian, Catholic, Calvinist
and pagan-inspired U.S. Constitu­tion
— is there any mention of a
higher being, with the exception of
thp rprpmonial "year of our Lord."
For all the flaws of Jefferson,
Madison and Company, they at
least understood the First Amend­ment
guaranteeing religious free­dom
and prohibiting its
establishment would be instantly
violated by mentioning God in the
same text.
Despite their clear efforts to keep
God and government separated,
throughout history others have
tried to intertwine the two for
superficial and political reasons.
"You hypocrites ... This people
honoureth me with their lips, but
their heart is far from me."
— Mark 7:6
I always find it humorous when
folks refer to our founding fathers
on moral matters. For all of their
preaching about equality, justice
and freedom, there was an equal
amount of thievery, rape and mur­der
present in their lives.
Any reference by the founding
RYAN
LEE
leeryan@auburn.edu
fathers to God or the creator refers
to the exploitative construct of a
God that permitted them to com­mit
inhumane and evil acts against
those they deemed subordinate; let
us neither forget these acts were
done solely to achieve worldly
pleasures and privileges.
Few are condemned harsher in
the Christian Bible than the hyp­ocrite,
yet in our country we are so
quick to grant reverence and pious­ness
to the Independence-era icons.
How sad is it that we overlook their
kidnapping millions of people, their
sexual exploitation of their female
captives and their enslavement of
even those who were conceived dur­ing
these rapes — their own chil­dren?
Such a relationship between mod­ern
people who identify as Chris­tians
and the blasphemous authors
of the Constitution suggests Ameri­ca
may not truly be the God-fearing
country many citizens pretend it is.
In reality, we are a nation whose
hallmarks are superficiality, arro­gance,
exploitation and oppression
— all non-Christian concepts.
As those within the Christian
community gather arms to defend
against "attacks" on their religion,
they are actually degrading their
God with their blind faith.
The terms "In God We Trust" and
"Under God" were both incorporat­ed
into our society for purely politi­cal
reasons. As Justin Smith points
out, "Under God" was an attempt to
prove our moral superiority to the
communist Reds. How weak is the
faith that requires a comparison to
the "other" for validation?
The reason thesp terms have been
allowed to remain in government
institutions like currency and the
pledge is because the Supreme
Court has said the term "God" has
been reduced to a ceremonial term
with no spiritual value.
As a Christian, it is disheartening
to see so many people who claim
the same faith committed to ensur­ing
our majestic and powerful God
is nothing more than an empty and
meaningless catchphrase.
Honest self-evaluation is neces­sary
for those whose faith is so frag­ile
it is threatened by removing
non-spiritual constructs from gov­ernment
institutions.
Faith, or lack thereof, is a wholly
personal experience, and those with
it do not need our government's
help solidifying it.
Ryan Lee is a columnist for The
Auburn Plainsman. You can reach
him at 844-4130.
»
&bc Auburn gtoingmgn Thursday, Sept. 12,2002 A9
COMMENTARY '_
Good news about Auburn shouldn't overshadow
Of course there is good news at
Auburn, and we are all glad there is.
But that's not the point.
There are those that at Auburn
who are trying to get members of the
Board of Trustees to resign. Extremes
have been taken, even asking
Auburn's accrediting master, the
Southern Association of Colleges and
Schools to investigate Auburn.
But those who want change at
Auburn still work hard to better
Auburn, despite the board.
Before the football game last week­end,
University Relations ran a video
on the jumbolron. The video's pur­pose
was to tell fans about some
good news at Auburn. Most likely, a
different video will run each week.
This week's video was about the
University's increasing enrollment.
The video proclaimed the high num­ber
of incoming freshmen proudly
and mentioned the efforts made by
faculty, staff and administrators to
offer a full course load.
This isn't new. Although, I believe
in the past the segments have high­lighted
a professor. They may again in
the future.
The intent of the video is, like all
public relations, to make people feel
good about something. The only time
many alumni around the state read
or hear about the educational side of
Auburn is when the board tangles
with faculty and alumni.
The videos do serve a purpose. As
does University Relations.
But there seems to be an attitude
in the good news not present in many
other universities. It's almost like
Auburn is waving good news in the
face of its detractors.
"Ha. Auburn is doing good despite
your nitpicking. Auburn is excelling
ADAM
JONES
jones@theplainsman.com
despite your divisive attitude. Na na
na boo boo."
The funny thing about it is many of
the good news items come from the
very detractors it taunts.
The University would never admit
the good news is there to rub it in the
faces of those opposed to the board,
and it's not there for that.
Still, those who support the board
tell good news with one eye fixed on
detractors to see what the reaction
will be.
The board has conjured this myth
that if you oppose them and their
policies, you oppose Auburn.
In fact, it's the opposite. Those who
oppose the board believe the board is
the anti-Auburn faction.
No one wants Auburn to crumble.
Calling in SACS is an emergency
measure warranted by the board's
ingnorance to educational concerns.
Auburn has many positive things
about it now, but there are just as
many negative news items.
The University still holds high its
U.S. News & World Report rankings,
even though it's dropped every year
for the past few years.
And that enrollment video. That
can easily be bad news. It's great
Auburn is the popular university in
Alabama right now, but high enroll­ment
is not good when money is
tight-
University Relations exists to put
as positive a spin on news as possible.
There's been more bad news coming
from Auburn than good news the
past few years, but, of course, the
University won't put that on the Web
site.
So, no, detractors of the board
don't cringe when good news is told.
Why should they?
Auburn has too many good people
working for it and supporting it for it
to become mediocre. The board has
brought this University through the
mud. and it still produces some great
news items.
The point is the bad news is to seri­ous
to be ignored.
Adam Jones is editor of The Auburn
Plainsman. You can reach him at
844-9021
VIEW
Architecture students deliver
results
Editor, The Auburn Plainsman:
I read a letter to the editor by Nick
Davis in Thursday's Plainsman and
see that he feels some of us graduated
from the School of Architecture by
slipping through the cracks and have
returned to Auburn as "practitioners
to adorn the campus with their tragic
misunderstandings of their own edu­cation."
It is also interesting to note that
Nick feels we are dominated by the
Board of Trustees and that the "facili­ties
platoon" also "missed or ignored
the essence of their five years" at
Auburn.
Professor Davis' latest rant seems to
I be a lot of the same old wind. He
' threw in his obligatory shot against
• the trustees, swung at the facilities
group, and seems to be saying that
some of us are backdoor architects
that did not quite get an education
during our college experience on The
Plains. Personally, I think professor
Davis should drop his Don Quixote
siege against the trustees, ease up on
a facilities group that in my estima­tion
does a good job, and let time and
public perception be the judge of the
design of the new poultry science
building.
It is my opinion and prediction that
the design of the poultry science
building will be well received by the
general public, faculty and student
population. I also feel that the test of
time will deal kindly with the build­ing.
It is also my opinion that the high­est
and best purpose of architecture is
to deliver a building that meets the
budget and program needs of the
client while simultaneously creating a
structure that is beautiful. The skill of
our profession lies in how we handle
the marriage of structural systems,
HVAC, electrical, data, plumbing, life
safely, building codes, program
requirements, budget restrictions,
block, brick, mortar, concrete, steel,
site ramifications, environmental con­cerns
and other construction materi­als,
methods and physical issues. We
are artists that must deal with very
real physical and functional realities
in our art. The most noble truth we
can express in any age in our profes­sion
is beauty As architects we owe
that to the communities and the soci­ety
in which we live and practice. That
is our duty and the expression and
voice that the public deserves to hear.
I have no apologies or regrets about
the design of the building in reference
that is being constructed for a Univer­sity
that I love dearly. I feel that the
vast majority of the people that expe­rience
the structure will be pleased
and positive about the design. But
then again, maybe they are underedu-cated
like me and not quite as knowl-
" Terrorist attacks can shake
the foundations of our biggest
buildings, but they cannot
touch the foundation of
America. These acts shatter
steel, but they cannot dent
the steel of American resolve.'
-President Bush
edgeable as emeritus professor of
architecture Nicholas D. Davis.
Mike Hamrick
Alumni. 1981
Columnist not Auburn, racist
Editor, The Auburn Plainsman:
Letter to Ryan Lee,
As a white male, 1 was offended by
your blatantly racist and hostile
remarks. At no point in your entire edi­torial
rant did you present anything
that resembled a concise argument
backed up by evidence. It is pretty clear
by the tone of your article that you
sought not to change anyone's mind or
even at the very least engage in a civil,
political discussion. Instead, you pro­ceeded
by making wild accusations
which I found racist and offensive.
Your argument is characterized by
recognizing percentage compositions
of faculty or other bodies based on
race. You make assessments of the
mindset of the University based on its
racial make-up. Are suggesting that all
white people think the same? Yes you
are. You advanced your argument by
advocating an effort by Auburn to
increase the "diversity" on campus.
First of all, special recruitment meth­ods,
and any artificial methods similar
to your own do little to reduce racial
problems in America. Instead of elimi­nating
standards based on race com­pletely
from all facets of society as
Martin Luther King Jr. proposed, you
favor institutionalizing qualifications
based on race. You, and others like you
who favor special inclusion based on
color, justify these methods with a legit­imate
social goal, but fail to realize the
full implications of such methods.
Racists of the past created similar set
asides or special privileges based on
race in the name of their own social
goal. I am critical of the "good ol' boy"
system as you are. But can you not see
that creating special privileges or hiring
based on ethnicity is the same practice
that the good ol' boy system perpetu­ates.
You seek to employ the same
methods of those racists you attempt
to subdue, in favor of your social goals.
People like you fail to see that creating
classifications based on race (and not
on merit as Dr. King proposed) only
strengthen the divisiveness inside
American institutions such as higher
education.
You make broad, sweeping state­ments
such as "Every level of this insti­tution
perpetuates the patriarchal,
white supremacist foundation used to
establish this school..." But at no point
did you offer a shred of evidence to jus­tify
such an inflammatory claim. The
fact that you are able to publish your
radical ideas says something of the tol­erance
present on Auburn's campus.
"When a virtually exclusive Euro­pean
curriculum is taught by a virtually
all European staff, and the institution is
guided by an overwhelmingly European
administration." Here again, not only
are you holding yourself to a different
standard by being blatantly racist, but
you are making that same mistake by
judging people based on what they are,
not who they are. You are committing
the most basic genetic fallacy, by pur­porting
the assumption that white peo­ple
are less capable of teaching a
multicultural curriculum which you
endorse so proudly as an unquestion­able
social goal. Do you favor hiring
more teachers based on their race,
based on the fact that they are not
white? This judges people based on
their ethnicity, not their merit as a
qualified teacher. The manifestation of
your methods becomes not an egalitar­ian
harmony but instead a state ol
affairs in which race is more important
than ever, and diversity is based on
some kind empirical percentage or
quota the school must keep to demon­strate
its "diversity." You reach a situa­tion
in which teachers and students are
brought in because they are a minority.
Is that not racism?
You fail to demonstrate how Auburn
goes about keeping it a "poster child for
the status quo." Are you suggesting that
DANIEL MOORE — Aw EDITOR
minorities need some kind of special
help to come to school here? When I
filled out an application for Auburn, I
don't remember it offering me any spe­cial
privileges because I am white. In
fact, statistically speaking, black stu­dents
are per capita more likely to
receive not only scholarships because
of athletic ability, but also other types
of aid based on race and financial situa­tion.
Your assessment of Auburn's core
curriculum is amusing. Again, you
make such unfounded and sweeping
generalizations such as: "Auburn's prac­tice
of teaching humanity is dangerous­ly
white supremacist." Or, "according to
Auburn's core, there were no African or
Asian contributions in theatre, philoso­phy
and countless other areas where
exclusively European experiences and
perspectives are offered." First, I do not
think you are qualified to make such a
statement. I'd be interested to know
where you obtained this information. Is
it based solely on your personal experi­ence,
by the small handful of teachers
you came in contact with? Did you sur­vey
the comprehensive liberal arts cur­riculum
and find an overwhelmingly
Anglo-European inclination? Each
teacher has a different teaching style,
and likewise a different focus on their
curriculum. Are your accusations
based on the fact that Auburn's staff is
predominantly white. Because if so, you
are repeating your earlier mistakes of
assuming that Caucasians are inca­pable
of instructing in a manner that is
inconsistent with your prejudiced pre­sumptions.
I personally received a core
education which exposed me to many
different cultures Sure some were
focused on more heavily than others,
but some deserve to be. Furthermore,
teaching students about their own past
has somehow become evil.
It seems that the modern civil rights
movement, of which you are or aspire
to be apart of is far different from the
original struggle undertaken during the
1960s. The early civil rights pioneers
sought equality and an end to judg­ments
based on race.
In your article, you continuously
make judgments based on race. Mod­ern
civil rights movements seem to be
seeking compensatory actions over
seeking equality. Many like you believe
that in order to somehow "undo" past
injustices, we must artificially advance
the descendents of those with griev­ances.
Programs that seek to increase..
"diversity" through the recruitment of
certain classes do not seek equal treat­ment;
they seek special treatment to
right the wrongs of the past. The most
obvious manifestation of this principle
can be seen by the reparations for slav­ery
movement. The more common but
equally obvious examples are things
like Auburn's Diversity Center or other,
artificial programs to specially recruit
members of a certain class. These
efforts will not reign in an era of equali­ty
but will instead create barriers by
emphasizing racial differences over
equality. This in turn will not receive a
warm welcome but will look more like
favoritism and receive hostility from
the majority who will now be on the
defensive.
The preceeding ideas outline the
unfortunate mindset people like your­self
propagate. Your assessments given
about the promotion of what you call
"the white supremacist patriarchy"
within the institutions of Auburn Uni­versity
cannot be taken seriously given
not only the racist overtones but also
the lack of even a shred of evidence
proving this vast conspiracy out to sub­due
all minorities. Your editorial resem­bles
nothing more than the nonsensical
ravings of a loud-mouth malcontent.
Peter Smyczek
Senior, political science
Students shouldn't boo players
Editor, Tlie Auburn Plainsman: /
A few years ago I traveled down to
Baton Rouge to see the Auburn Tigers
led by one of my students, Ronnie
Daniels, trounce the LSU Bengal Tigers.
I was horrified to see some LSU fans
boo their starting quarterback Rohan
Davey, and call for the resignation of
their head coach. I mused to myself that
the LSU fans had no class and some­thing
like this could never happen in
Jordan-1 Iare Stadium. After our last
game 1 must admit I was wrong. I was
shocked to see some in the student sec- '
tion booing our own starting quarter­back
Let's not forget that our student
athletes have very demanding sched­ules,
i.e., hard work These are not pro
players who have large salaries. In the
future, 1 beg our fans never to boo our
own players. Instead, save your boos for
the other team. To be and Auburn play­er
and/or fan is to be part of the Auburn
family. Let's be a class act. War Eagle.
Richard Penaskovic
Religion professor
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AUBURN UNIVERSITY.AL
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Study abroad Italy • Solar house • Feminist scholar speech Campus Thursday, Sept. 12,2002 BI
AEROSPACE ENGINEERING
Auburn technology going to outer space
By JAMES DIFFEE
Staff Writer
Auburn University has trained hundreds to fly
aircraft since the 1930s, established a respected
aerospace engineering department and sent two
men into outer space. What new tour de force
will continue this tradition of excellence and
achievement?
A four-inch box.
Students at Auburn have begun a project to
design, build and launch their own satellite.
Auburn is one of 52 other universities in the
United States and Puerto Rico to take part iii the
National Space Grant Student Satellite program.
The program was instigated by NASA's Space
Grant program to promote interest and participa­tion
in scientific research and to develop a strong
U.S. workforce in science, technology and space
exploration.
Students participating in the program will
design, test, build and launch a small aluminum
box, roughly 10 centimeters in size, known as a
CubeSat.
The long-term goal of the project is to success­fully
launch 52 CubeSats into orbit around Mars.
The team mission is an engineering one. Its
goal is to utilize a novel form of communication
between the satellite and the ground.
Most satellites orbiting the earth relay informa­tion
by one central antenna.
The small size of the CubeSat prevents any navi­gation
equipment from being installed. Once in
orbit the satellite will tumble, making communi­cation
by more traditional means difficult.
To overcome this problem, the team will embed
small antennas into each side of the cube. The
Command and Data Handling System within the
cube satellite will locate the signal from earth and
select the antenna with the best reception to
accept and then return the signal.
The team plans on building a ground station to
track their creation, and hopes to get local high
school students involved.
"I would like to get local students involved," said
Jean-Marie Wersinger, a Space Grant fellow and
faculty adviser to the project.
This week the team is ordering materials for
construction, and hopes to launch a BalloonSat by
the third week of October.
The balloon satellite will be equipped with one
> Turn to CUBESAT, B2
Time of remembrance
Contributed
Auburn University and the City of Auburn began Wednesday's "Day of remembrance" with a flag raising near Samford Hall at 7:45 a.m. Three
hundred Auburn ROTC students were present, including members of the Navy, Army, Air Force and Marines. The event was followed by a
blood drive; programs emphasizing acceptance change and education; a F-16 flyover; and a visit from Tanya Spann, sister of Johnny Micheal
Spann. The full story can be found at theplainsman.com.
CAMPUS PLANNING
Students to help select union village design
By KATY CLAWSON
Staff Writer
Students may spend their entire
Auburn careers looking for a
chance to make an impact, to leave
a legacy behind on the Plains.
A chance has arrived.
Seventeen architectural firms
are scheduled to visit Auburn Uni­versity
today and Friday to present
their proposed plans for a new Stu­dent
Union/Village.
As the firms lobby for the
chance to be Auburn's first choice,
students will have the chance to
STUDENT
UNION DESIGN
SELECTION:
>• Where: Foy Stu­dent
Union Room
217
• When: Thursday
noon till 9 p.m. and
Friday 8 a.m. till
noon.
from noon until 9 p.m.
a.m. to noon Friday at
Union Exhibit Lounge,
Comment sheets w
have a say. able for student opinions and
The input,
firms will Debbie Shaw, director of Foy
be dis- Student Union, and Christine Cur-playing
tis, associate provost for facilities,
informa- said they have been looking at
tion about building proposals for the past
their three weeks.
plans and "We are envisioning three build-discussing
ings facing each other," Shaw said,
them with The area in the middle of the
students three buildings will form a "village"
today and 8 and will be equipped with food
Foy Student outlets, retail spaces and tables,
Room 217. for students to eat outside. The
ill be avail- construction of the two buildings
will take place near Cater Hall.
Shaw said she has high expecta­tions
for the project, saying it
could "serve as a national model."
She also sees this as a special
opportunity for Auburn students.
"It is very important to involve
students in this process," she said.
According to Shaw, this is the
reason that this event has been
organized.
Students can come and see each
firm's proposal and have input
about which firm is chosen in the
end.
* Turn to UNION, B2
STUDENT GOVERNHENT
By ROSS MOORE
Campus Editor
Rumors have spread that senators of the Student
Government Association were paid unnecessarily
this summer, but according to SGA officials no
undue payment was received.
Senators can only be given pay if they attend
classes or work for the University, according lo the
Constitution and Code of Laws of the SGA.
One check was written to Treasurer Nick Wade,
but was»voided, said Tamara Bowden, SGA senate
adviser.
"I intended to take my internship and taken as a
class this summer," Wade said. "1 missed eight
weeks and wasn't supposed to get paid."
Wade said he didn't know a check was written to
him earlier this year, and he picked it up last week
from the College of Business.
He delivered the check to Gloria Stroud, admin­istrative
secretary. Stroud said she sent the check
to accounts payable, were it was voided.
According to the SGA Code of Laws, Wade
should have found a substitute, but said he could
SGA officials: no unearned summer pay
do the work at home without pay.
"The only thing missing this summer was a sub­stitute
treasurer," Bowden said. "They didn't feel it
was necessary to find a summer substitute, and the
SGA could end up saving money."
Wade said he set up meetings for this fall with­out
pay, and Stroud took over accounting.
The SGA president is paid $300 a month, while
the treasurer, vice president and administrative
vice president are paid $250 per month.
Vice President Steven Bobo appointed a replace-
> Turn to PAY, B2
BOARD OFTRUSTKES
Meeting to
establish
criteria for
trustees
By ROSS MOORE
Campus Editor
Two groups concerned about finding quali­fied
trustees in the future are calling on
Auburn alumni, fac-ulty,
staff and stu­dents
to attend a
public forum Friday
at 3:30 p.m.
The event will be
held at Telfair Peet
Theatre, West of
Goodwin Hall on
Samford Drive.
The forum, "What
makes a good
trustee," has bpen
organized by the
Auburn Trustee Improvement Political Action
Committee and the American Association of
University Professors.
"Certainly there has been an obvious prob­lem
with the selection process in the past,"
said Larry Gerber, vice president of the nation­al
AAUP and past Senate chair, who will mod­erate
the forum.
The event is being held in preparation for
the expiring terms of three members of the
Auburn University Board of Trustees — Low­ell
Barron, Charles Glover and Jack Venable.
As early as October 2002, a selection com­mittee,
including representatives from the
trustees, the Alumni Association and the gov­ernor,
can make recommendations for
replacements.
The committee presently has no established
criteria for judging the qualifications of poten­tial
trustees.
Because three trustee terms are expiring
soon and a selection committee has been
established for the first time, "it makes sense"
to hold a public forum and provide a solid
foundation for the selection process, Gerber
said.
Panelists include three AT1P steering com­mittee
members: John Denson, former
Auburn trustee; Bill Porter, immediate past
president of the Alumni Association; Earle
WHAT MAKES A
GOOD TRUSTEE
MEETING:
> Where: Telfair
Peet Theatre
>When: Friday
3:30 p.m.
> Who: Students,
faculty, alumni and
staff are invited
> Turn to MEETING, B2
Update
Auburn's official record-high enrollment
was released Friday at 23,263, the same as
the preliminary numbers reported last week
in The Auburn Plainsman.
Auburn saw an increase from 3,746 stu­dents
last fall, to 4,153 this year, a 10 percent
increase.
The previous record for new freshmen was
3,864 in 2000 and 22,469 total enrollment in
2001.
African-American enrollment rose by 1.6
percent, while the number of new Hispanic
students was up by 13 percent
ROSS MOORE, EDITOR 1(334)844-9104 • CAMPUS@T^PLAINSMAN,COM
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More than
1,200 students
attended the
Freshman Con­vocation
Thursday to
hear motova-tional
speaker
John Gray.
Frank Dilliard — Photo Editor
Motivating freshman class early
By SALLY WINGO
Staff Writer
Auburn has always offered plenty of
entertainment, but this was entertainment
freshman students could learn from.
Thursday, Sept. 5, John Gray, a motiva­tional
speaker came to talk with freshman
students in the Student Activities Center
about a mystery motivational topic. The
title of the seminar was "Black, White and
Gray."
Freshman students poured in by the hun­dreds,
interested and curious about the
message that was going to be given. Gray
sent out the message of learning and teach­ing.
He placed three basic instructional con­cepts
in front of freshman attendees which
included: tell me and I will forget, show me
and 1 will remember and involve me and I
will understand.
Gray's intention was to "give an opportu­nity
for the freshman to visit with self and
look for unity and diversity in learning," he
said.
Gray was not the only prominent speaker
that night, Wess Williams, vice president of
student affairs gave a challenge to the fresh­man
class attending the meeting.
"I challenge you not to go to college but
to go through college." he said.
President William Walker also told the
freshman students what he expected of
them.
"What our expectations are of you are to
grow intellectually: this is a journey that
will take a lifetime but we hope that you do
more growing over the next four years," he
said.
These were not the only challenges that
were placed in front of the freshman that
night. SGA President Heath Henderson
asked the freshmen to "surround yourself
with positive people and positive thinking
people, and learn to manage your time."
Many students came to the motivational
seminar looking for that extra kick to get
them involved at Auburn.
Rachel Harris, a freshman, attended the
event.
"I came here to get motivated and to get
more involved in campus life and activities,"
she said.
Laura Clary, freshman in human sciences
said. "I came here to get academically moti­vated
for the upcoming year."
Birmingham man funds scholarship
By RUSSELL MOORE
StaffWriter
Willie T. Grant searched many accredited universities looking for
a way to reward minority students and Auburn University was the
one he decided on.
Grant, a civil engineer from Birmingham, has given Auburn Uni­versity
$20,000 a year to give minority students a engineering schol­arship.
The Seeds of Love/Willie T. Grant Scholarship Award is estab­lished
through a fund in Birmingham.
Grant graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh
in the 1950s. He said he wants black students to have the opportu­nity
that he had to obtain an engineering degree.
Grant decided to establish a minority fund because of the prob­lems
minority students face today, he said.
"Some students have a great, excellent academic background, but
financially can't afford to go through school at a university," Grant
said.
"All 1 can do is give students a chance to make a difference and
open a door to give them a chance." Grant said.
So how did Grant choose Auburn University over all the other
schools in the nation?
"1 was impressed by the effectiveness of the program at Auburn,
and how it compared in regards to other universities," Grant said.
"The educational process at Auburn is very rich and that was a sig­nificant
factor," Grant said.
Dennis Weathersby is the assistant dean of engineering for
minority affairs and is also director of the BellSouth Minority Engi­neering
Program at Auburn.
He said Grant chose the right university to award the scholarship
too.
"He realized the quality of minority students at Auburn was suffi­cient
for his vision." Weathersby said.
Weathersby said the future of the minority program at Auburn is
looking bright. He has been directing the minority p»ogram since
1996 and has seen the results grow each year.
"Last year we had over 315 enrolled as minority engineers and
that is a great compared to the 200 students that were here when 1
started." Weathersby said.
The minority program at Auburn has a 60 percent graduation
rate and that number is high in regards to the schools in the South­eastern
Conference., Weathersby said.
The Auburn minority program is ranked 13 nationally in reten­tion
numbers, but Weathersby wants to move up the rankings in
the next few years.
"I would love to see the minority program here move ahead and
be No. 1 or 2 in the nation in engineering success," Weathersby
said.
"I want the black community to embrace Auburn University and
make sure we accomplish the vision that Mr. Grant has set forth,"
Weathersby said.
CUBESAT
> From Bl
antenna and will travel to an elevation of
100.000 feet, three times higher than com­mercial
aircraft. Once in position, the com­munications
devices will be tested.
"It is trial and error," Wersinger said.
"There are so many problems to overcome.
No one at Auburn has ever built a student
satellite. We are learning from our mis­takes."
Once the test is complete, the crew will
continue to build and test their creation
until they are satisfied with its performance.
After an independent aerospace company
approves the satellite, it will lay in wait until
the team secures passage on a rocket.
"We are checking all our options,"
Wersinger said. "We'll choose whichever
launcher is secure for our CubeSat. cheapest
and earliest to launch."
The overall cost of the project is estimat­ed
at $70,000. So far. $10,000 have been
secured.
Several business majors are directing
fund-raising efforts. Wersinger has
already written a proposal to NASA, and the
team plans on sending several other
requests to aerospace companies and sci­ence
associations, like the National Science
Foundation.
PAY
> From BI
ment, Parrish King, president
pro tern of the senate, while he
was gone on a mission trip. Bow-den
said. King received $250 for
replacing the vice president.
Administrative Vice President
Trey Lykes received pay the first
two months working as a Camp
War Eagle counselor, but did not
receive pay the third month,
when he did not meet the Code
of Law requirements, Bowden
said.
President Heath Henderson
received pay as he attended
summer classes, Bowden said.
MEETING Auburn University Foundation demic affairs; and Jim Bradley, ate to discuss the issue. 1 hope
Board of Directors. immediate past chairman of this will not be the last discus-
Other panelists include Tay- the University Senate. sion," Gerber said,
lor Littleton, former Auburn "1 think it would be reason-
Williams, president-elect of the University president for aca- able to have the University Sen-
> From Bl
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Che Auburn plainsman Thursday, Sept. 12,2002 B3
CAMPUS CALENDAR
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Co-op Registration Meetings
in Lowder Business Building:
Sept. 12 at 6 p.m. in 129
Sept 13 at 3 p.m. in 129
Sept 16 at 3 p.m. in 129
Sept 17 at 6 p.m. in 112
Sept 18 at 2 p.m. in 112
Auburn Christian Fellowship
meets Tuesdays at 6:45 p.m. for
Bible study, Thursdays at 6 p.m.
for free dinner and Sundays for
Vespers. "Laid-back" worship
time plus small groups, mis­sion
trips, service projects, and
intramurals.
Aug. 2 - Sept 17 - Artwork of
artist Adrian Alsobrook will be
on exhibition at The Coffee
Shop, 36 S. LaFayette Square.
Open Monday through Satur­day,
6 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Silver Wings is a civilian
organization dedicated to
community service and mili­tary
awareness through excit­ing
and rewarding activities!
Please join us for orientation
Sept 16 at 6 p.m. in 146 Nichols
Center.
Eating Disorders Anony­mous
meets the second and
fourth Monday of each month
at 7 p.m. at Trinity United
Methodist Church at 800 Sec­ond
Ave., Opelika. Call 826-
9329.
"What Makes A Good
Trustee?" A joint forum, spon­sored
by ATIP and the AAUP,
will be held Sept 13 at 3:30
p.m. in Telfair Peet Theatre.
Admission is free.
The AU Marriage and Family
Therapy Center provides ther­apy
and premarital counseling
for students and non-students,
couples, families or individuals.
Sliding fees. For day or evening
appointment, call 844-4478.
Project Uplift: Volunteer
training session is Sept. 23
from 4 pm. - 8 p.m. in 2224
Haley Center. You do not have
to pre-register to attend.
Club Meetings
Welcome Back Students.
First Alpha Lambda Delta
Honor Society General Meeting
today at 5 p.m. in 2370 Haley
Center Room. Come get
involved and help plan fall
events.
ON THE CONCOURSE
How do you think the
game-day tailgating went
considering the new changes?
War Eagle Days continue traditions
By ANNA CLAIRE STAMPS
Assistant Campus Editor
Once again, participants in one of
Auburn's newer traditions have invaded the
Plains. High school seniors from all over the
country are coming to Auburn on several
different weekends this semester to partici­pate
in War Eagle Days.
"War Eagle Day is a great opportunity for
prospective students to come in and see the
spirit of Auburn and why we love it so
much," said Jared Smith, a student recruiter.
War Eagle Day, an Auburn tradition since
the mid-1980s, is held on several Fridays
throughout the year. It is an informative day
where prospective Auburn students, usually
high school seniors, can learn everything
they want to know about Auburn and can
also get a taste of what being an Auburn stu­dent
is like.
"I thought it was really helpful," said
Spenser Gober, a potential Auburn student
and War Eagle Day attendee.
"It showed us around the campus, and if I
do come here, I'll already be acquainted with
everything."*
The first War Eagle Day of the year was
last Friday.
The day began with check-in at 8 a.m., fol­lowed
by a welcome session and an admis­sions
presentation. Later, the potential stu­dents
took a walking tour of campus with
the student recruiters.
"The reason I decided to help with War
Eagle Days is because I wanted to... give the
potential students an opportunity to come
tour Auburn and see what it's all about" said
Jessica Lunsford, a student recruiter.
The student recruiters are Auburn stu­dents
in charge of showing around potential
Auburn students and answering any ques­tions
they might have.
"Student recruiters allows us the opportu­nity
to share with each student how much
we treasure and value Auburn," Smith said.
War Eagle Day also gives potential Auburn
students the chance to talk with representa­tives
from approximately 130 different aca­demic
programs of study during a browse
session on the ground floor of Haley Center.
"Our job is just getting the students and
their families here and educating them a lit­tle
bit about Auburn, and also helping them
along in that decision-making process," said
Mark Armstrong, coordinator of Freshman
Year Experience and director of War Eagle
Days.
Potential Auburn students are also served
lunch, and get to listen to students describe
their Auburn experiences.
"We had a nice Q & A with some older stu­dents
who know about Auburn. (The poten­tial
students) can learn more about different
organizations and things to do on campus,"
said Ryan Roberts, president of the student
recruiters.
Potential students also have a chance to
take a housing tour, meet with an admis­sions
adviser, talk with a financial aid coun­selor
and visit the scholarship office.
"I really enjoyed my trip to Auburn. 1 think
I had a skewed vision of what it was going to
be like, but it was a lot different and it was
fun learning more about it" said Julie Cham­berlain,
another potential Auburn student
Armstrong said he hopes that War Eagle
Days will accomplish a lot of things. He says
the important thing is not that potential stu­dents
necessarily choose Auburn, but that
they leave War Eagle Day feeling that they
have a much better understanding of
Auburn.
"We've got such a great campus to see and
for guests to visit," Armstrong said. "It sells
itseir
Overall participant response seemed very
positive.
"This has been a great experience, and it
has made me decide that I would much
rather go to Auburn than Alabama," said
Andi Martin, a potential student and War
Eagle Day participant
HF5 1
"•¥•
"'^K4 i-1 It i
"It went pretty well
They wern't in the way
like last year. There
was less trash around"
Erica Davis
sophomore,
apparel merchandising and production
"It was organized. It was
great, they had so many
trash cans around It
made the campus look
cleaner
Courtney Davis
sophomore,
pre-med/pre-law
"It was interesting see­ing
how much cleaner
the campus was than
last year. I think it was
much more enjoyable"
Arvin McGowan
sophomore,
music education
"It went all right It
didn't seem congested"
Dean Flynn
freshman,
political science
-Photos and interviews by Frank Ddlard
Photo Editor
\
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B4 Thursday, Sept. 12,2002 Wt)t Auburn $lamgman
Solar House design completed
By SAIGE NEWTON
Assistant Campus Editor
Auburn students from the Samuel Ginn Col­lege
of Engineering and the College of Architec­ture,
Design and Construction have completed
the design work of the solar house project.
With only two weeks left before the Solar
Decathlon, the students are hard at work put­ting
on the finishing touches, before they leave
on Sept. 16.
"It has taken since mid-June until now to
build it. We have had to give up a lot of time
with friends and loved ones. It will be fun to
actually see what we have done," said Drew Free­man,
a senior in mechanical engineering.
Between 20 to 25 students from the colleges
will operate the 300-square-foot solar-powered
house for 11 days on the National Mall, a park in
Washington D.C. Thirteen other universities
across the nation are competing in the Solar
Decathlon project.
"This is the largest student-designed project
that Auburn has ever done." said Henry Brand-horst,
deputy director of the Space Research
Institute.
"Auburn will be recognized as a force. This will
boost both the architecture and engineering
folks. Both have learned from their respective
counterparts," Brandhorst said.
There are 10 Solar Decathlon criteria
that must be fulfilled in order to win
the competition.
The contest will test a wide range of
skills including design and livability.
graphics and communication, hot
water, refrigeration, energy balance,
and lighting. Students must also have
an electric car for transportation.
The house design was approved by
professional engineer Steve Taylor of
Biosystems Professional Engineering.
"The architecture students and fac­ulty
already had a good idea of a house,"
Taylor said. "1 did calculations to verify they
were OK and changed some of the materials."
"We are using new products that are slowly
being adopted in houses, such as composite
products, which have higher strength and a bet
ter appearance," Taylor said.
Brandhorst said estimated cost of building
and transporting the house and students to
Saigo Newton — Assistant Campus Editor
Washington is $250,000. All the money has been
raised by private donations.
"We have followed the rules strictly, but we
have used the rules to create a spectacular
design," said Lesley Hoke, 21. a senior in archi­tecture.
"We have colorful glass pieces for
aesthetics and corrogatcd metal on
the exterior as a reminder of the
past," she said.
Hoke said there are 36 solar panels
and 36 batteries to hold the energy
gathered from the panels.
The house is 15-feet in transit,
which fulfills the height requirement.
It also features a sundial, numerous
skylights, a shower area with marble
tile, a futon that will function as a
couch and bed and a carport to max­imize
the roof solar panels, Hoke
said.
"There are 10 LED (Light emitting diod)
lights, which is new technology. It uses less ener­gy
than a standard bulb in remote controls for
TVs," Hoke said.
All appliances in the kitchen came from Sears,
which are more efficient than any other type,
Hoke said.
Students will dismantle the house and return
"We have
followed the
rules strictly,
but we have
used the rules
to create a
spectacular
design"
— Lesley Hoke
senior, architecture
Saige Newton — Assistant Campus Editor
Engineering and architecture students have been building a house for the Solar Decathlon
contest. They will travel to Washington D.C. on Sept. 16 and will return Oct 10-12.
•*, \ > JI
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Saige Newton — Assistant Campus Editor
The Solar Decathlon will begin beginning Sept. 25 and Auburn University will compete
against 13 other universities. The house will be available for public tours Sept. 27 through
Oct. 4.
to Auburn Oct. 10-12. The house will then be
used for further research.
Hoke said there is definitely a chance to win
the competition and she feels so much more
confident about the project than when they
started.
The house will be toured by the public begin­ning
Sept. 27 until the end of the contest on Oct.
4. An estimated 70,000 to 90,000 viewers are
expected.
SEPTEMBER 12
Thursday
5:30-8 P.M.
ULTIMATE AUCTION
AU Hotel & Conference Center
No Admission Fee
Special Cash & Carry Items
All proceeds go to:
%
•
VAV Lee County Alabama f=t
II II Habitat for Humanity- fei
RHM Fitness
Located in Dorm M on the Hill
NOW OPEN
All new equipment
Treadmills
Elliptical Machines
Weight Machines
Free Weights
Bring in this ad for a Free Visit
$100.00 per Semester
$175.00 per year (Sept.-May)
Hours
Monday - Thursday 6:00am - 10:00pm
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
6:00am- 5:00pm
11:00am- 5:00pm*
2:00pm - 10:00pm
Open to all currently enrolled AU Students
We accept Tiger Club Accounts Cards
"Times subject to change on Game Day Saturdays
%
CIjc auburn plainsman Thursday, Sept. 12,2002 B5
Heart program for pet, owner
By JANE WALKER
StaffWriter
Pet owners and their dogs
may soon find themselves
becoming heart healthy togeth­er.
:"
Veterinary student Michelle
Goree and Medical College of
Georgia .student Sarah Matte-son
are working on "Heart to
Heart," a program that allows
people to have their blood pres­sure
checked while their dogs
undergo heartworm treatment
"I worked as a vet tech and
there had been problems with
owner compliance (about med­ication),"
Goree said. "They
would say they were strapped
for cash or they would get
around to it later, and that kind
of never happens."
"The project seemed like a
natural collaboration to me, as
it has often been shown that
caring for pets can improve the
health of people," Matteson
said.
The U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services
puts forth a contest each year
that promotes healthy ideas.
When the winners are selected
in February 2003, their ideas
will be published in different
forms of media. Goree expects
her and Matteson's idea to
break new ground by the end of
the year.
"I think that smaller, more
focused projects like 'Heart to
Heart' could benefit by target­ing
certain populations and
their individual characteristics,"
Matteson said. "In this case, we
are targeting the responsibility
that people feel towards their
pets and encouraging them to
extend that responsibility
towards their own health."
"1 think that public awareness
is on the rise," Goree said. "Peo­ple
take their dogs to get the
rabies shots at health fairs, so
this idea too could be really
popular. It's convenient and
could draw a crowd."
While still in the beginning
stages of getting funds, Goree
advertises the program by send­ing
out pamphlets and posters
to local veterinarians.
Along with this, attempts are
being made at getting published
in campus publications, a
national veterinary technology
magazine and Better Homes
and Gardens.
"I think the best thing we can
do right now is get the word
out," Goree said.
Not only would "Heart to
Heart" be beneficial to the pub­lic
by "improving owner aware­ness,"
according to Goree, but to
vet and medical students who
would be doing the testing.
"I am hoping to stage a trial
session in Augusta, Ga., some­time
this fall, in which vet stu­dents
and med students work
together in a community setting
to check for heartworms and
hypertension," Matteson said.
"I think this is also neat for
future MDs and vets since they
can synergize and work togeth­er,
seeing how similar things are
for each other," Goree said.
Auburn veterinary student
Katherine Tonks agrees.
"1 think it's a novel idea how
they're incorporating human
and animal health," Tonks said.
"I'd volunteer to do it and even
participate because it benefits
both students and pet owners."
As Goree and Matteson work
to promote their "Heart to
Heart" program, local veterinar­ians
have also taken an interest
in the idea.
"If the owner has difficulty
remembering medication, the
program is a good benefit," said
Mary Smith of Auburn Veteri­nary
Hospital on Opelika Road.
"It's a whole new concept to me.
I hadn't really thought about it
before."
"Heartworms are a big threat
in the Southeast so it's impor­tant
to get that preventative
measure."
Dog owners also see Goree
and Matteson's idea as conven­ient,
helpful reminders for
themselves.
"My dog has had trouble with
heartworms so this would be a
wonderful opportunity to take
advantage of the health aspects
of not only yourself, but your
pets as well," said Carrie Jaxon, a
junior in architecture.
Goree and Matteson hope
that free clinicals would be
available with medical students
assisting the humans while vet­erinary
students administer