2005-11-10 The Auburn Plainsman

              SICK AS A BIRD
Fears of a bird flu epidemic spread
across the nation, A3
HOLE IN ONE
Women's golf team swings into victory
at Derby Invii
A Spirit That Is Not Afraid
e Auburn $ttain£m
Nov. 10,2005
rPlain uick
State & Local
Twisters plague Alabama
Alabama is ranked eighth out
of the 20 most tornado-prone
states. Mississippi is ranked
No. 1 for the second year in
tornado frequency. A3
Campus
New associate provost named
Auburn named Overtoun Jenda the
associate provost for diversity and
multicultural affairs Friday. Jenda
has served as an associate dean in
COSAM since 2000. Bl
Celebration leaves big mess
K *?i *»q After a victory on
the field, Auburn
fans enjoy rolling
of Toomers cornet
But maintenance
workers must deal
with cleaning up
the toilet paper. Bl
Making cars energy efficient
The last in the series on alternative-fuel
vehicles, researchers at Auburn
and around the world are looking
into, the possibility of a hydrogen
fuel cell vehicles. Cl
Going to college with kids
A mother tells her
story of getting her
undergraduate
degree in English
and raising her 7-
year-old son at the
same time. Cl
Sports
Swappin'words
The Souths Oldest Rivalry isn't just
played on the field. The Phinsmans
Matt Shelley and University of
Georgia's The Red & Black go head-to-
head in print Dl
Burn the Bulldogs
The Tigers roll
into Athens this
weekend for
their last game
on the road to
take on the
Georgia Bulldogs. Dl
www.theplamsman.com
Last week: This week:
Do you agree with Do you think date
animal dissections rape is a common
for educational occurrence at
purposes? Auburn?
No: 10.2%
Yes: 89.8%
Inside
Crime ReporU....A2 Classifieds B7
Complainsman..A2 Crossword, C3
Our View..! A6 Jane Random C7
Letters A7 Scoreboard... 1)2
Calendar. B3 Tree M D4
Election laws revised
By JESSICA OTWELL
Assistant Campus Editor
The future of elections at the University has
been altered as a result of the SGA Senate
meeting Tuesday night.
The Code of Laws, which governs the
Auburn student body, received changes to Title
VII, the portion of the code that deals with
election law.
Code of Laws Chair Max Coblentz, Secretary
of Political Affairs Todd Stacy, Director of
Elections Sarah Marie Parks, Assistant
Director of Elections Matt Hinshaw and
Elections Board members, who supervise the
student elections process to ensure fair and
efficient results, have been making changes
since the beginning of the semester.
Two bills passed in Senate last Tuesday
night that changed the Code of Laws. One bill
went into effect immediately after the 29-0
vote, and the other bill will take effect after
spring elections.
When Coblentz presented the bill at Senate,
> Turn to SGA, A4
MICHAEL NELSON —
BtOTOEOrrOR
SPEAKING OUT:
Laura Steele,
senator-at-large,
offers a
friendly
amendment to
the Code of
Laws change at
Senate Monday
night
College students are lured into
compromising actions when date-rape
drugs are slipped into their drinks
By KATHY TAYLOR
Associate Intrigue Editor
At a crowded bar on a Saturday
night, dressed to a T, sipping on
the night's special, the last
thought on
EDITORS NOTE:
> This is the
second In a
three-part series
on STDs, rape and
coping with both.
a college
s t u d e n t ' s
mind is
protecting
his or her
drink from
date-rape
drugs.
But Paula Carnahan, program
director for Safe Harbor, said pro­tecting
one's drink should be a
priority for college-age men and
women.
"The biggest thing we teach is
order beverages capped and never
set your beverage down,"
Carnahan said. "We
know this lim- _w»^§|§§
its you, but it's <
the only way to
know you're safe."
She said in the
past three years, Safe
Harbor, Auburn's sexual
assault assistance and
awareness program for students,
has seen a rise in individuals
affected by date-rape drugs and
rape.
"Date-rape drugs are mak­ing
a significant
impact on the coun­try
and on college
campuses, but what's
different here is we talk about it
and we're trying to do something
about it," she said.
- niOTO ILLUSTRATION SI MICHAEL NELSON AND AMANDA SIIIPMAN
Carnahan said date-rape di-ugs
render victims incapacitated and
impair their judgement.
Carnahan said incapacitation
causes not only women to be vic­tims,
but also men.
"Men think they can't be
drugged, but they can be just
as easily," she said.
She said men are
often drugged because a
male attacker wants to rob
the victim or steal his date.
However, she said women are
the most commonly targeted
victims.
"Primarily, we've seen young
women be drugged through
any kind of liquid, not necessar­ily
alcohol," she said. "Some
date-rape drugs are colorless and
tasteless, so they can even be
slipped in water without
the victim knowing."
Carnahan said the most
commonly used substance for
> Turn to RAPE, A4
Cost to stay warm increases
ByTESSHOLLIS
State & Local Editor
With colder temperatures creeping into the
Opelika-Auburn area, natural gas consumers will see
a hike in their monthly gas bill.
According to Alabama's natural gas provider,
Alagasco, the higher prices are a result of the contin­ued
tight supply and demand situation caused by pro­duction
and processing problems in the Gulf of
Mexico.
Part of the disruption of natural gas production on
the Gulf Coast was caused by hurricanes Katrina and
Rita.
Alagasco officials said a 37 percent increase is
expected for gas customers in the area.
"We want to work with our customers to help them
get through this difficult period," Alagasco President
Dudley Reynolds said. "One way we can do this is by
letting them know in advance how much more they
> Turn to GAS, A4
Student
attacked
at home
Auburn police responded to a 911 call Nov. 1
from an Auburn student residing in the 100
block of East Samford Avenue. The victim
reported a break-in, physical assault and a
stolen vehicle.
Andre Buchannan, 34, of Auburn, was
arrested and charged with first-degree rob­bery,
theft of property in the first degree and
second-degree assault. He was placed in Lee
County Detention Center, and Jiis bond was
set at $600,000. "W ~
The Auburn Plainsman'fs following this
story as it develops, but because the cOurt
processes are still pending, the defendant's
attorney believes itwould.be inappropriate to
discuss the case. Updates will be made as
more information becomes available.
— staff report by Jessica Otwell,
assistant campus editor
Trustees
targeted
by SACS
By MEGAN SMITH
Associate Campus Editor
i
A six-page document recently released by the
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
^{SACS) indicates concerns about Board of
Trustees members' involvement in the gover­nance
of the University.
The report stated Auburn was in compliance
with accreditation requirements, but SACS did
raise issues about the board's involvement with
Interim President Ed
Richardson's evalua­tion,
which was com­pleted
earlier this
year.
The report included
concerns that the
evaluation, which was
performed by a spe­cial
committee com­prised
of only board members, was not com­pletely
accurate or thorough.
"The special committee could not find any
individual group, on or off campus, other than
the three designated board members who had
input into the assessment of the president," the
SACS report said;
Trustees did not include input from faculty,
even though it was offered.
While the special committee said it took into
UPDATE:
> Check
theplalnsman.com
for updates on
SACS' findings and
the University's
responses.
> Turn to SACS, A4
A2 3TI)t Auburn $laitufman Thursday, Nov. 10,2005
fEfce auburn Blatiutotan
A SPIRIT THAT IS NCttflUlD
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The
LomPlainsman
Helping you let off steam, one week at a time
Weather woes
"So it's Nov. 8, and we're
experiencing record highs. It
was 80 degrees today, a balmy
80 degrees. Once again, it is
Nov. 8 ... and the thought of
wearing a sweater and scarf is
miles away. I hope the weath­er
does a reverse and changes
to cold quickly for the Bama
game, or else it will feel like an
early season Jefferson Pilot
game."
Ludacris concert
"I don't want to sound like
Bill O'Reilly on this one, but
why in the world are we — the
students of Auburn University
— paying $80,000 to bring a
rapper to Auburn that will
more than likely bring with
him people from Columbus,
Opelika and Macon County?
A free concert, even though
tickets will be distributed,
will only bring other rap fans
from cities around Auburn
trying to view his perform­ance.
And why would we pay
$80,000 to a loathsome indi­vidual
such as Ludacris? How
many other good bands or
performers could we have
brought to Auburn for that
money?
Three years ago, the UPC
brought in Nappy Roots ...
now they're playing next
weekend at a fraternity
house. Even Bone Thugs in
Harmony is playing that
weekend at a frat house.
Ludacris, I hope you save
all that money you get from
UPC, because in a couple
years, your act may be stale,
but a fraternity house here at
Auburn could always bring
you back."
UGAfatu
"I'm glad DJ. Shockley will
be back for the Auburn vs.
Georgia game. I don't want to
give UGA fans any reason to
complain when we beat
them"
— Call 844-9109 to sound off
about anything. It can be good,
it can be bad or it can be
ugly. The Plainsman
reserves the right to edit
for grammar, length
and inappropriate
or libelous material.
Crime
Reports
Nov. 4 — Nov. 7
NOT. 4, The Edge
Apartments — Burglary
and larceny reported. A
wooden doorframe was dam­aged
and 20 Miller and Bud
Light beers were reported
stolen. The total amount of
damages was $70.
NOT. 5, 445 Martin Ave. —
Theft reported. One black
plastic mailbox with the
numbers "445" on both sides
was reported stolen.
NOT. 5, Sterling University
Arbor* — Criminal mischief
reported. One Michelin tire,
valued at $100, was reported
damaged.
NOT. 6, Saint Michael's
Catholic Church —
Unattended vehicle reported.
A silver 2004 Honda Accord
was left unattended and
damaged at a value of $780.
NOT. 6, Arbor* at
M e a d o w b r o o k
Apartments — Harassment
was reported around 8 p.m.
NOT. 6, Aeropostale —
Theft reported. One pair of
pants valued at $30 was
reported stolen.
NOT. 7, Tamarack
Apartments — Burglary
and theft reported. A key-making
machine was report­ed
stolen. The value of the
machine was $500.
NOT. 7, Sears — Theft
reported. One Kidvantage red
and black shirt, one orange
and blue shirt, one pair of tan
pants and two pairs of jeans
were reported stolen. The
total value for all items stolen
was $33.
NOT. 7, Highland
Condominiums — Burglary
and larceny reported. A Dell
Inspiron 8600 laptop com­puter
valued at $2,500 was
reported stolen.
NOT. 7, Firehouse Subs —
Larceny reported. At 10 a.m.,
$818 was reported stolen.
Reports provided by the
Auburn Department
of Public Safety
Elsewhere in the SEC
University of Florida
Independent Florida
Alligator—
Maddie felt a cool breeze
on her wet nose, watched
dark clouds roll in and cud­dled
close to her family as
Hurricane Charley blew over.
University of Florida junior
Kate Allinson illustrated the
true story of the pug and her
family's encounter with the
hurricane — all told from the
dog's perspective.
"Maddie's Great
Adventure," published
Monday, was authored by
Amy and Matt Allinson,
Kate's mother and brother.
"Illustrating the book was
a good experience for me to
have, and I really enjoyed
doing it," Kate, a digital arts
and sciences major, said.
"My mom offered to pay
me, but of course I said no."
One page of the rhyming
children's book reads,
"Thunder roared with a huge
downpour, as I hid my face
upon the floor. Lights went
out and the house grew dark.
The only thing I could do was
to bark!"
Amy plans on contacting
elementary schools and vol­unteering
to start reading
the book to young children.
The book is 24 pages long
and targeted for ages 0
through 7 years.
Louisiana State
The Reveille —
The Student Government
Senate rejected a two-part
resolution Wednesday that
would have discouraged fly­ing
the purple and gold
Confederate flag and asked
Louisiana State University to
give more money to minority
cultural departments.
The senate, like most of
campus, stood divided
Wednesday night during an
almost two-hour debate over
the issue of flying the flag.
Some members said the res­olution
discriminated
against those who fly the
flag, while others argued it
would help unite campus
because the flag causes hos­tility.
Eric Melancon, the arts
and sciences senator who
authored the flag/funding
resolution, said race rela­tions
and minority funding
are related, so he put both
issues in the same resolu­tion.
But the majority disagreed.
Most senators were not
against increasing University
spending on multicultural
programs and said part of
the resolution would have
passed had it been presented
separately.
A vote of 13 for, 23 against
and five abstentions blocked
the resolution's passage.
University of Mississippi
Daily Mississippian —
Countless businesses and
organizations in Mississippi
were crippled in the wake of
Hurricane Katrina, but one
industry is expected to sur­vive
locally at least:
Christmas trees.
While much of
Mississippi's tree industry
suffered damage in August
from the hurricane's brutal
winds and rain, several
Christmas tree farmers in
northeast Mississippi say
their seasonal crop with­stood
the harshest brunt of
the storm.
Vondell Smith, a friend of
Smith's Christmas Tree Farm
in Moselle, a small town in
Lafayette County, said
they've had to take meas­ures
to minimize Katrin's
impact on the trees.
"We had many trees blow
over in the wind," Smith
said. "We had to stake them,
but now they're doing just
fine."
Farms in other areas of
Mississippi were not so for­tunate.
Frequent summer rains
had produced a healthy crop
until Hurricane Katrina
blew many of them over.
To make matters worse,
an ensuing drought prevent­ed
some growers from being
able to right affected trees.
University of Alabama
The Crimson White —
Whether you enjoy the
fine, sweet taste of liquor-mixed
drinks or you simply
want to get crunk, the state
of Alabama can claim some •
responsibility for some of
the more popular names on
the menu.
Several mixed drinks,
shots and strange brews
have found their birthplace
and home in the state, some
even in Tuscaloosa. Either
way, the drinks still get their
common .mission accom­plished:
to make people
laugh, cry, sweat, puke and
laugh and cry about puking.
Many people are familiar
with drinks such as the
Alabama Slammer, the
Yellowhammer, the
Alabama Riot,'the Alabama
Fizz and the now-famous
Bucket at Harry's.
The little shot that's made
the most noise over the
years has to be the famous
Alabama Slammer, which
originated at the Capstone.
The drink's popularity,
while sizeable, seems to
only circulate among out-of-towners
nowadays. Johnny
Hammock, owner of The
Booth on the Strip, said the
drink isn't as trendy among
Tuscaloosa people as it is
visitors on game weekends.
Weekly Weather for Auburn University < ^ 5
today
Sunny
69/38 Buy a cat
Chance of Rain 20%
Fri Nov. 11
Sunny
69/41 Skip that test
Chance of Rain 20%
f Sat Nov. 12
': Sunny
• 72/51 Whip the'dogl
i Chance of Rain 20%
Sun Nov. IS
Mostly Sunny
75157 We want sno\
Chance of Rain 10%
MOM Nov. 14
Isolated T-storms
76157 Hug a t-storm
Chance of Rain 30%
TueNov. 15
Mostly Sunny
77/59 Go jogging
Chance of Ram 20%
Wed Nov. 16
Few Showers
76143 Walk your cat
Chance of Ram 30%
ThuNov.17
Sunny
64/42Read The Plainsm\
Chance of Rain 10%
Commentary by: Thunderboomer
tTOrje Auburn ipiatnaman
A Editorials
Commentary
Letters
State & Local
IN BRIEF
Shug Jordan Parkway lane
Multiple lanes on Shug Jordan
Parkway, between Samford Avenue
and Wire Road, will be closed until
tomorrow for Alabama Power line
upgrades.
Campaigns kick off for local
representatives
The 2006 campaign season
officially began Monday when local
Democrat Carolyn Ellis announced
plans to challenge Rep. Mike
Hubbard, R-Auburn, for the
District 79 House seat
Couple robbed at gunpoint
in Auburn
A married couple was robbed at
gunpoint Sunday afternoon while
walking near the corner of Shell
Toomer Parkway and Mill Creek
Road. The couple was robbed by a
woman in a "reddish" SUV
Moore files brief in favor of
Boy Scouts
Former Alabama Chief Justice Roy
Moore filed a brief in federal
appeals court in Chicago
supporting a Congressional statute
allowing the military to help the
Boy Scouts of America hold a
National Jamboree every four years.
INSIDE
Web site gives information
on health insurance
The Alabama Department of Public
Health has been given $50,000 in
federal grant money to develop a
Web site containing basic
information about health
insurance. The site will mainly help
those in the Black Belt who need
insurance. A5
Drivers look out for bikes
"What we need to do is
educate motorists on
what to do when they
see cyclists on the road"
-David Watkins
Auburn City Manager
STATE&LOCAL Next Week
Gov. Bob Riley
boycotts national
travel to Aruba.
Nov. 10,2005
THIS WEEK
NOT. 10,1972
Southern Airways Flight 49 is
hijacked on a flight from
Birmingham to Montgomery. Three
armed men wanted by Detroit
police demanded a $10 million
ransom. The hijacking resulted in
heightened security measures at
American airports, including
required use of metal detectors.
S&L STAFF
TESS HOLLIS
Editor
thollis@theplainsman.com
MATTHEW DISCHINGER
Assistant Editor
mdischinger@theplainsman.com
MICHAEL J. THOMPSON
Assistant Editor
mthompson@theplainsman.com
334^844-9109
Auburn welcomes 130 new jobs
By MEREDITH MCCAY
StaffWriter
Auburn Technology Park is welcom­ing
a company that will provide new
jobs to the city of Auburn within the
next year.
Nikki Co., a Japan-based producer of
fuel systems and components, has
signed with Briggs & Stratton Corp. to
establish a new venture company that
will manufacture fuel systems for
Briggs & Stratton and other customers.
The company, Nikki America Fuel
Systems, will provide jobs once it
reaches full production.
Jim Nesmith, the plant manager for
Briggs & Stratton, said the relationship
between these companies has been
strong and long-lasting, making it easy'
for the companies to join forces.
"Nikki has been a supplier for us
since the early '90s, and we feel it is
important to continue to foster the
relationship between our companies,"
he said. "We want to help Nikki by
making sure they have good support,
and, naturally, we want to help them
with this opportunity to come to the
United States."
Nesmith said the companies are
looking to bring the plant to the con­sumers.
"We are looking to increase business
for Nikki," he said. "Briggs & Stratton is
their largest customer, and the majori­ty
of the customers both companies
serve are in the United States. Of those
customers, the majority are in the
Southeast, so we want to bring the
operation closer to its biggest con­sumers."
According to a statement released
by Gov. Bob Riley's office, "Briggs &
Stratton is the world's largest producer
of air-cooled gasoline engines for out­door
powered equipment Briggs &
Stratton designs, manufactures, mar­kets
and services these products for
original equipment manufacturers
worldwide. The company's plant in
Auburn employs nearly 1,000 workers."
Nikki produces carburetors and
electronic fuel systems in Japan and
North America, according to the state­ment
Nesmith said Nikki America Fuel
Systems will try to mirror local indus-
> Turn to JOBS, A5
Auburn
receives
bike award
By MATT DISCHINGER
Assistant State & Local Editor
The Auburn City Council was honored Nov. 1 with
the Bicycle Friendly Community designation.
The League of American Bicyclists presented the
award to Mayor Bill Ham last Tuesday night
"Auburn stands out as a beacon for communities
that are encouraging more people to cycle," said
Andy Clarke, executive director of the league, in a
press release. "We applaud Auburn for its willingness
to invest over the long-term in creating a better,
more livable environment for its citizens."
This is the third Bicycle Friendly designation for
the community. Auburn received honorable men­tion
in 2003 and bronze-level recognition last year.
Auburn is the only city in Alabama to receive any
type of distinction from the league and bne of only 52
applicants across the nation to be granted the desig­nation.
The city received the award because of its Re-cycle
a Bike Program, strong education initiatives, out­reach
programs and excellent maintenance of bike
facilities.
Auburn City Manager David Watkins said the city
is proud to receive the award.
"Over the years, Auburn has promoted the riding
of bicycles," Watkins said. "We've put in bike lanes,
we've put in bike paths, and we've worked to receive
grants for billboards promoting bicycle riding."
Watkins said the city is always in favor of more
cyclists in Auburn because they help relieve traffic
and parking problems.
Ham agreed bicycle riding is an energy-saving way
to get around, but he urged riders to use caution
while riding through downtown Auburn.
Ham's warning comes just weeks after two nearly
fatal bicycle accidents in downtown Auburn.
Watkins said he thinks bicycle accidents are unre­lated
to the city's promotion of bicycle riding.
"What we need to do is educate motorists on
what to do when they see cyclists on the road,"
Watkins said.
Ham said all riders need to wear some kind of
reflective gear as well as a helmet
TORNADO TROUBLE
Alabama is ranked as the
eighth most tornado-prone
state among 20 other states
ByTARAOWEN
StaffWriter
Alabama is ranked eighth in the VorTek annual
list of the top 20 tornado-prone states. The list is
based on National Weather Service data for tor­nado
activity from 1950 through 2004.
"We put this list out each year," said Frank
Tatom of VorTek. "We take all months of the year
into consideration when we do the calculations."
For the second straight year, Mississippi is
ranked the most tornado-prone state.
VorTek uses the Seismic Detection of
Tornadoes (SDT) system, which is based on eye­witness
accounts combined with chance seismic
recordings. The program, which utilizes the Site
Assessment of Tornado Threat (SATT) software,
is designed to lead to a new way of detecting
when a tornado is on the ground, based on tor-nadic
seismic signals (TSS).
VorTek also released a compilation of the top
AalaHifagtigfeMfttfc&ft
20 most tornado-prone cities in the stat
Huntsville ranks second, while Birmingham
ranks eighth.
According to the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), approxi­mately
1,000 tornadoes are reported yearly in the
United States, causing 80 deaths and more than
1,500 injuries.
Although tornadoes can occur at any time of
the year, most are reported during respective
peak seasons.
The peak season for southern states is March
through May, while the peak season for northern
states is the summer months.
"The reason the seasons are different for north­ern
and southern states is due to the contrasts in
air masses," said Dennis Feltgen, a meteorologist
with NOAA "As the spring air moves north, so
does the risk of tornadoes. This is why we have
tornado seasons. However, this is not to say we
can't have tornadoes at any time of the year, but
generally we find them occurring within the sea­son."
Tatom said Alabama has a secondary tornado
season in November.
> Turn to TORNADOES, A5
Nation prepares for possible flu epidemic
AMANDA SH1PMAN —DESIGN EDITOR
GROWING EPIDEMIC: The avian flu epidemic mainly affects
chickens and roosters such as the ones pictured above. As of
now there have been no cases reported in North America.
There have been 127 reported human cases.
By MICHAEL J. THOMPSON
Assistant State & Local Editor
On Nov. 2, the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services released a detailed
plan on how the Bush administration plans
to fight the avian flu epidemic and outlined
how cities and states will receive vaccines
and medications to alleviate the threat in
the general population.
The threat of scarce vaccines and ques­tions
of where to place the projected hun­dreds
of thousands of patients that could
overcrowd hospitals if there is a flu crisis,
has left cities and states waiting for
President George W. Bush's $7.1 billion plan.
Concern is growing in the medical com­munity
that a strain of the bird flu virus,
known as H5N1, could mutate and spread
quickly among people.
Of the 127 reported cases in Southeast
Asia since 2003, the virus has killed more
than 70 people, the majority of the cases
involving people who handle poultry regu­larly.
So far, the H5N1 virus has not shown it
can spread easily from person to person. .
"The disease has not found a way to make
the jump to person-to-person transmissibil-ity,"
said state health officer Dr. Don
Williamson.
Included in the presidents agenda is $1
billion for the drugs Tamiflu and Relenza
that can treat and prevent the flu infection
in some cases. The plan is to have.enough of
this medicine available for 44 million peo­ple,
and preventative medicine is also head­ed
into a federal stockpile that could help six
million, others.
Another $100 million has been set aside
for state preparations, including how to
deliver stockpiled medicines directly to
> Turn to FLU, A5
wururfrlionlaniaman raim
A4 . W)t Auburn Painsfman Thursday, Nov. 10,2005
RAPE
> From Al
date-rape on college campuses is alcohol.
"GHB and ecstasy make the headlines,
but 90 percent of rape cases on college
campuses have alcohol involved," she said.
Other than alcohol, the three most popu­lar
date-rape drugs on college campuses
are GHB, Rohypnol and Ketamine.
Thomas Petee, professor in criminology,
said GHB, or gamma-hydroxybutyric acid,
was developed as an medical anesthetic.
"GHB acts as a depressant for the body. It
induces sleep and puts the user in a state of
euphoria," Petee said.
He said GHB, also known as liquid ecsta­sy,
is usually in liquid form.
Carnahan said there are more than 3,000
recipes for the drug GHB, which makes it
one of the most unpredictable drugs for
side effects.
"GHB is frightening because we don't
really know how different people react to it
and if it is deadly when combined with dif­ferent
prescription drugs," she said.
Rohypnol, also known as roofies,
roachies and mexican valium, is similar to
GHB.
It's a fast-acting drug that "causes relax­ation,
confusion, memory impairment and
can lead to temporary paralysis," Petee
said.
Rohypnol is in a pill form that varies in
color and size.
"In the latest manufactured version of
Rohyphnol, they inserted a dye in it, so it
has a color if your try to dissolve it into a
drink" Petee said.
Ketamine is referred to as Special K,
Green and Super K.
Petee said Ketamine is a heavy-duty
anesthetic.
"It keeps the victim in a state of mind to
where they're aware of what is going on but
cannot do anything about it," Petee said.
Ketamine is usually in powder form.
Carnahan said no matter which sub­stance
is used, college-age men and women
find the most pain out of the amnesia-like
effect of the date-rape drugs.
"Rape, regardless of how it's committed,
has a significant, long-term effect on a per­son,"
Carnahan said. "They might not know
what truly went on, and that's painful for a
person."
To find out more about how to cope with
rape, pick up next week's Plainsman.
GAS
> From A1 .
can expect to pay so they can start planning for their winter heating bills.
The sooner customers begin preparing, the better."
The typical bill for 2000 was $578. Starting October of this year, the annu­al
Ml is expected to be $1,279.99.'
Last year's average cold weather bill of $135 will increase by $49.95 this
year, making the gas bill $184.95 for most customers.
According to Alagasco, costs for natural gas could rise as much as 70 per­cent
in the north and upper midwest regions where temperatures drop dra­matically.
The biggest factors affecting a customer's bill is not only the weather, but
individual usage.
Alagasco encourages customers to practice energy conservation.
Energy conservation tips and ways to heat your home can be found at
www.alagasco.com.
Alagasco recommends keeping house temperatures warmer for the elder­ly
or ill.
Alagasco also encourages customers to sign up for the company's budget
plan.
The budget plan reduces the customer's payment during the winter
months when consumption is higher and increases the payment during
summer months when consumption is lower.
"We have a long history of working with our customers," Reynolds said.
"We simply ask our customers to give us an opportunity to work with them
before a bill payment problem occurs."
SACS
> From A1
account the efforts made, to create a new policy of evaluating the presi­dent,
it wasn't adequately Mowed through, the report said.
"The new assessment instrument specifically calls for a presidential
self-assessment," the report said. "In his submission of material, the
president acknowledges that what he provided was not a self-assess­ment,
although it did contain some relevant materials."
These questions from SACS don't concern anything the board hasn't
defended in the past
In December 2003, SACS placed Auburn on probation. Part of the
reason for probation was speculation that certain board members had
too much influence.
SACS lifted the probation last December, and the University has been
monitoring the situation since.
The University has until Nov. 14 to submit its response to the SACS
report
Auburn spokesperson David Granger said no decision had been
made.
"The bottom line is the visiting committee found Auburn is in full
compliance with SACS's principle accreditation," Granger said.
The full report will be released at the SACS December 2005 meeting
which will decide if any further reviews need to be conducted or if any
additional steps need to be taken.
"We look forward to what we believe will be the final resolution of this
matter in December," Granger said.
SGA
>• From Al
he asked members of Elections Board to help
him present the bill to the senators.
"I feel very confident, and everyone involved in
this project feels very confident about (these
changes)," Coblentz said.
The Code of Laws has contributed to a lot of
grief in the SGA, and the changes were "a long
time coming" Stacy said.
"These changes are not to be taken lightly," he
said. "Elections are where it starts, and it's
important that rules reflect free and fair elec­tions."
Some of the major changes include the gover­nance
of elections. The SGA will delegate the
director and assistant director of elections to
govern all administrative functions of the elec­tions
process, taking pressure off of the remain­ing
members of Elections Board.
Stacy said Elections Board members have
been brainstorming ideas for reorganization
since May, but the changes began to take effect
this fall. The members of Elections Board all
wanted one thing: separate administrative and
judicial functions.
"There are biases everywhere,
and no one can be completely free
of bias, but if the elections them­selves
are causing bias, we need to
reform the process, and I think we
are taking steps in doing that,"
Stacy said.
Other changes in the Code of
Laws deal with election campaigns.
This year, voting will only be
allowed on election day, and run-off
elections, if needed, will take place
the Friday after elections.
The second bill, which will take
effect after spring elections, allows
candidates to claim any party name that has not
been used in one year.
Some senators were not as enthusiastic about
the changes as Stacy and other members of
"Elections are
where it starts,
and it's
important that
rules reflect
free and fair
elections."
— ToddStacey,
secretary of
political affairs
Elections Board.
"I am certainly concerned with the mainte­nance
of the party system," said Laura Steele,
senator-at-large. "I believe in tradition, and I feel
it is important that regardless of
how difficult or time consuming it
may be, an effort should be made to
maintain certain aspects of the
Auburn SGA party tradition within
the Code of Laws as well as within a
handbook of precedence.
"The change passed today does not
fully maintain this tradition because
it doesn't deal with the logistics of a
party changing hands," Steele said.
The bill that immediately took
effect was set on a deadline to pass
Tuesday night so all candidates run­ning
in the spring elections would
have a clear set of rules to abide.
The next step in the process of elections is for
all candidates to submit a letter of intent by 4
p.m. Nov. 14 in the SGA office.
www.theplainsman.com
THE HONOR •aS Sp SOCIETY OF
PHI KAPPA PHI
Nominations — Fall 2005
Students in the top five percent of their classes have been invited into Phi Kappa Phi Membership for the 2005 Fall Semester. If your name is on this list and you have not received a letter
of invitation, contact Rebekah Pindzola, Membership Secretary by Email at PhiKappaPhi@auburn.edu
AGRICULTURE
Christopher M. Bagents a)
Taylor V. Boozer
Kyle M. Creamer (J)
Kiley R. Harper
Alyson L.Johnson Q)
Mary Katherine
Krothapalli (J)
Joshua L. Smitherman (J)
Sara Katherine Tatum (J)
Nicholas R. Williams
ARCHITECTURE,
DESIGN &
CONSTRUCTION
Bethany L. Klausing (J)
Luke C. Newell
Sydney M. Smith
MacKenzie M. Stagg 0)
Cory A Varden
BUSINESS
Cyrus G. Beasley, Jr. (J)
Tyler H. Brannon (J)
Elizabeth A. Brown
Morgan T. Busby
Andrew J. Cole
Aften N. Copeland
Erin E. Cork
Steven E. Cunningham
Karan E. Dean
William D. Earle |
Emily L. Guthrie 0)
Kennedy L. Horner (J)
Raymond B. Hunt
Sarah C. Kemppainen Q)
Brandie A. Kirkland 0)
William H. Landrum
Paul B. Leaver
Kathryn A. Lemoine (J)
Charles M. McGufrey
Leslie D. Newton
Andrew T. Newton (J)
Katherine A. Sanders
Abby E. Schenk
David R. Schreck •
Heather N. Taylor
Erin L. Taylor 0)
Lauren E. Wall
Ashley B. Winters (J)
Samantha K. Ycager (J)
EDUCATION
Emily Rose Alley
Katherine Lynn Allocca
Chelsea K. Chandler (J)
Sarah Lynn Cowart
Tammy Marie Feely 0)
Amy Lora Giddens
Holly Suzanne Hicks
Casandra Shea Keith
Jennifer Louise King
Kira Lisctte Ledbetter (J)
Laura Ann Livingston
Amanda Jill Overstreet
Ceila Nicole Pender
Kasey LeClair Pcttus
Jennifer L. Short (J)
Hannah K. Tucker (J)
Amy S. Voss
Erin Stephanie Weil
Hclene Baroody Whaley
Andrea A. Williams 0)
ENGINEERING
Thomas R. Baker
Ryan W. Best
Nicole Renee Burrell .
Timothy J. Calloway
Daniel L. Edwards
Dustin Labron Edwards
Richard Shawn Farmer
Jeffrey D. Glover
Tye Damien Green
Benjamin Russell
Hamilton
Jonathan C. Harris
Kristin L. Hermann
David W.Hodo
Justin Scott McDonald
Daniel T. Milton
Jarad B. Sims
Lee Andrew Talmadge
Bradley R. Treadwell
Matthew Hins Wagner
FORESTRY &
WILDLIFE
SCIENCES
Brandon N.Jones
HUMAN SCIENCES
Crystal Jillane Clark
Stephanie M. Ditmer 0)
Erin A. Golden 0)
Tara N. Hudgins
Erin Marie Mathews
Paty Lynn Reynolds
Ashley N. Wilson 0)
LIBERAL ARTS
John D. Arnold
Annah G. Barclift 0)
Maren S. Brown 0)
Kevin Chamberlain
Jaclyn N. Cremisi 0)
Michael A. Davis
Erin L. Dinan
Elizabeth L. Elmer 0)
Rachel E. Evans 0)
Bo Michael Gattis
Lauren C. Gloor 0)
Kelly D. Hammond
HaydenB.Headley0)
Victoria C.Hollis0)
Errol K Hylton
Ashley Imsand 0)
AsheleyD. Kelly 0)
Kellcy A. Kendrick 0)
Nicole Klein
Adrienne M. LaBudde 0)
Teresa S. Lee 0)
Stephen G. Lock 0)
Jessica A. Mottc
Gabor Z. Pelva
Dana I. Perez
Haley M. Pierce 0)
Pamela J. Reisel 0)
Shannon M. Reynolds 0)
Robert C. Ring
Jennifer M. Ross
Melanic K Schmermund
Lauren R. Spotts 0)
Frances M. Stafford 0)
Karyn C. Stahl 0)
JadaJ. Stewart
Laura A. Tomlinson
AshleyE.Tunell0)
Elizabeth Williamson 0)
Alanna M. Windham
Anne H. Womack 0)
SCIENCES &
MATHEMATICS
Frederick A. Boyer 0)
Aleia K. Crim
Lauren D. Duerk 0).
Annie C. Gilliland 0)
Andrew R. Grucza 0)
Griffin A. Guice 0)
Kristen M. Hamilton 0)
Kristen Harris 0)
Matthew R. Irvin 0)
Kacie E.Jackson 0)
Joshua R.Jarrell
Steve A. Klein 0)
Jacqueline N. Lacey 0)
Nathaniel T. Layfield 0)
Merri C. Maddox 0)
Clayton H. McEntire 0)
David C. Necly 0)
Ashley M. Nemec 0)
Chris C.Ncwlin0)
Luke J. Powell 0)
Joshua P. Ricciardone 0)
Allan M. Seibert 0)
Emily B. Tapley 0)
Lauren E. Wood 0)
VETERINARY
MEDICINE
Erin Y. Akin 0)
Jason A. Burcham
James M. Caldwell
Amy C. Delano
Josh N. Harvey
Lori A. Hoe 0)
Alison B. Howe 0)
StaceyJ. Hutchison 0)
Paula M.Jude
Barbara K. Krum 0)
Blake J. Malone
Jared L. Newcom 0)
Rebecca S. Robinson
Kelly S.Shanlcy
Anna K Simpson
Kerri L. Teague 0)
Kristin R. Varga
Brian A. Ward 0)
Barrett E. Wingard 0)
Justin E. Woolscy 0)
GRADUATE
SCHOOL
Joshua P. Adams
Shannon L. Allen
Bradley S. Bailey
Sandra S. Baird
E'ryc .S.Barnes
Philip W. Bell
Sarah K. Benefield
Christopher J. Black
Joy L. Branch
Connie J. Buskist
Patrick P. Carone
Laura B. Cooper
Gregory L. Crettol
Robert L. Daily
Melanee D. Erwin
Lance M. Flood
Owen D. Foster
Yi Sheng Goh
Megha G. Gore
Robert J. Griffith
Clayton H. Harris
Graci E. Hartman
Jun Huang
Hyunjoo
April A. Krumnow
Mary M. Lehman
Xuejun Liu
Joshua D. Lyall
Jeremy W. Mitchell
Emilia A. Moore
Jacob B. Morcman
Travis D. Morris
Jennifer H. Nabois
Kristen J. Navara
Jennifer M. Pinson
Charmaine L. Porter
Warren B. Potts
Angela L. Priest
Whitney A. Quails
Petra Rcdinger
Ayddin Reisi
Joysee M. Rodriguez
Damian R Rositch
Kripa Sarangapani
Jon E. Schoonover
Rahul A. Shah
BasharW.Shahcen
Katrina R. Shockcy
Lisa M. Taylor
Neil M. Tocher
Cayc&G. Van Horn
ChaoWang
Brett L.Wilks
Summer B. Williams
Fall 2005 Initiation and Awards Ceremony: Thursday, December 1,2005, Foy Union Ballroom
Membership Acceptance Deadline: Friday, November 18,2005
, f ^
Thursday, Nov. 10,2005
FLU
> From A3
affected people.
Keith Nicholls, a
University of South
Alabama professor, said
estimates predict, should
the virus mutate as many
fear it will, as much as 5
percent of the US. popula­tion
could be killed.
However, no cases have
been reported in North
America.
More information on this
can be read on the govern­ment's
pandemic flu site,
www.pandemicflu.gov.
WQI 2foburn $laingman A5
TORNADOES
> From A3
Tornadoes are also most likely to occur between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m.
"Its very important to know what time of day tornadoes in your area §
are most likely to occur so that you can plan accordingly," Tatom said. I
According to NOAA, a dark and sometimes greenish sky, a wall cloud, 1
large hail and a loud roar are all signs that indicate the possibility of a 1
tornado.
A funnel extending partially to the ground may or may not be visible 1
because of rain or clouds.
According to NOAA, if a tornado warning is issued in the area, people 1
are advised to move to a pre-designated area, such as a basement
If a basement is not available, seek an interior room or hallway on the I
lowest floor and stay under a well-supported piece of furniture away 1
from windows. If you are in an automobile, leave it immediately and 1
head for lower ground.
Tatom said it is unwise to try to outrun a tornado.
DO TIPS
> Tornadoes,
Hsoatty oecur
botwoes 3 p.m. ad
9 p.m.
> If you are In aa
automobile do not
outrun a tornado.
Uavctho vehicle
and need for lower
gronnd.
> Alabama's peak
season for
tornadoes Is March
through May.
JOBS
>• From A3
try in the structuring of its staff, but it is still
too early to determine exactly what the
company will be looking for.
"We will require a minimum of a high
school education for operators, and as you
get higher up toward management-type
jobs, a college degree will become more
important," he said. "It's early to know the
skill set we will be looking for, but the
paperwork will begin processing on Nov. 9,
and we should be ready to determine what
will be needed for production by Jan. 1,
2006. We should be ready to start produc­tion
by next December."
Nesmith indicated there might be some
Home of the Famous Momma's Love
opportunities for college students to seek
employment, but was not certain what
those opportunities might specifically be at
the time.
Holly Holman, a graduate assistant for
Student Employment at Auburn University,
was uncertain how the company might
offer jobs to students, but did have some
suggestions for how the company could let
students know what they have available.
"We have a link where the company
could post any off-campus positions they
offer," she said. "Students can look for jobs
based on what the companies list on that
Web site.
"We also have a link to help companies
find recent graduates from Auburn who
may be looking for a job called 'Tiger
Recruiting.' Students have to pay for posting
their resumes on that site, but it is a good
way for employers and students to check
each other out and match up the skills of
the student with the jobs available."
Nesmith said the jobs created by Nikki
America Fuel Systems will range in skill
level, but the majority of workers needed
will be operators.
"Most of the jobs will be operator jobs —
building, machining and assembling carbu­retors,"
he said. "But there will also be engi­neering
jobs available, as well as business
jobs where employees would work on
things like planning and scheduling."
Nikki America Fuel Systems should be up
and running by the end of next year, but if
students are looking for jobs in the mean­time,
www.jobs.auburn.edu lists what is
available now.
Health insurance Web site aides black belt
By SHANE SEALY
StaffWriter
The Alabama Department of Public
Health (ADPH) has been given $50,000 in
federal grant money to develop a Web site
containing basic information about health
insurance.
Both the Insurance Directions for Every
Alabamian, or IDEA Project, and the health
committee of Gov. Bob Riley's Black Belt
Action Commission will have a hand in the
site's creation.
The American Institute for Research will
help the other two organizations in publiciz­ing
the site.
Although $50,000 may seem a little expen­sive
for a Web site, Gayle Sandlin, director of
the children's health insurance program of
the ADPH, explains the number is a ceiling,
and more than just the price of the site will
factor into the cost
"We have a grant, which has been given to
us to help address the needs of the unin­sured
in the state," Sandlin said. "The Web
development wouldn't necessitate spending
that much money, but we may need to do
some testing of the Web site, and we will be
bringing in some folks to help publicize this
information so people know it's available."
The need for such an informational tool
became apparent after findings from several
surveys and focus groups revealed a large
number of Alabamians, specifically those in
the Black Belt region — a group of mostly
rural counties that stretches across the
south-central portion of the state — did not
have basic knowledge about health insur­ance
and did not know how to obtain it
The six focus groups were conducted on
behalf of ADPH through its contractor,
Southeast Research, in Black Belt counties
to determine why so many people in the
area remain uninsured.
The focus groups were made up of small-business
owners and uninsured employees.
"Pinpointing the number of uninsured in
the region and finding ways to provide them
with the coverage they need fits directly into
the mission of the Black Belt Action
Commission," said Rep. Artur Davis, D-Ala.,
chairman of the Black Belt Action
Commissions health committee, in a press
release on the commission's Web site.
ONLINE:
> Check theplalnsman.com to read
the full story.
From the information collected by these
groups, officials determined Alabamians,
specifically residents in the Black Belt need
to be educated on areas including the finan­cial
and health benefits of having health
insurance, how and where to get health
insurance, information on various plans and
the meaning of basic health insurance
terms.
"People in Alabama don't have the infor­mation
they need about health insurance," .
ADPH representative Fern Shinbaum said.
Shinbaum said many people don't under­stand
terms enough to know the difference
between deductibles, premiums and co-pays.
Also, many employers don't realize the
tax consequences of providing health insur­ance.
"What we want to do is develop a Web site
where both employers and individuals can
find out about health insurance in
Alabama," Shinbaum said.
vtairm
Happy Hour
Weekdays from 4:30-6:30
$ 1.25 Bottle Domestics
$3.00 Glasses of House Wine
$4.50 Pitchers of Domestic Beer
$2.50 Well Drinks
Daily Drink Specials!
-Drink Specials run until 9pm !*~
Monday
Doggy Day- Martini and Wine Specials
Free Doggie Biscuits!
Tuesday
Trivia
1
Wednesday
$8 Import Pitchers
$3 Glasses of House Wine
Thursday
$3 Margaritas
$1.50 Mexican Beer and Red Stripe
i i~
Voted #1 by a Student Poll!
Momma's Love
Roast beef, ham, smoked turkey,
and Muenster cheese
(Reg. $3.89)
$2.09
(with purchase of Large Drink, No deliveries)
Void after November 10,2005
COUPON
BREAKFAST
2 Slices Bacon, 2 Eggs, Grits
& 2 Slices Toast $1.99 (No Delivery)
Void after 11 /I7/2005
ICOUPON
Open Monday - Sunday
7a.m. to 2 a.m.
Bring your Mends and enjoy a delicious Momma Goldberg's
sandwich with all the fibrins and enjoy the atmosphere In
Auburn's oldest locally owned restaurant!
Come Join Our Marriott Team
We are seeking individuals who are outgoing,
energetic, and have aggressive hospitality skills
for the following positions
Housekeepers - PT/AM- $7.25
Banquet Servers - PT/Flex - $2.15 + Tips
Conference Service Set-Up - PT/Flex - $7.50
Restaurant Host/Hostess - PT&FT/AM&PM - $6.50
Restaurant Servers - PT/Flex - $5.15
Dishwasher - FT/AM - $7.25
Entry Level Cook - FT/AM&PM - $7.00
Highest Paying Hotel Employer in the Area!
We also offer excellent benefits, which include medical
dental, and 401 (k) plan, plus room discounts and other
benefits
Qualified candidates may apply at
The Marriot at Grand National
Human Resources Office
3700 Sunbelt Parkway, Opelika, AL 36801
between 8AM - 5PM, Mon-Fri
APPLICANTS subject to drug screen
An EEO Employer M/F/V/D
Harriott
A6 COMMENTARY
Founded In 1893 As The Orange & Blue
Vol. 112, No. 12
Thursday, Nov. 10,2005
KATIE BRUMBELOE
Copy Editor
SARAH BROCK
Campus Editor
Editorial Board
YUNMIYI
Online Editor
APRIL JO LOVE
Editor
LANDON BROWN
Business Manager
TESS HOLLIS
State & Local Editor
ASHLEY HUNGERFORD
Managing Editor
MATTHEW STROTHER
Intrigue Editor
AMANDA SHIPMAN
Design Editor
Our View:
One board, now two parts
Elections Board redefines Code to ease controversy
After the SGA Senate Monday night,
the structure of one of Auburn's most
controversial boards changed.
After amendments to the Code of
Laws, the Elections Board starting
next year, will now be divided into two
parts — one to handle administrative
duties and another to serve as a judi­cial
body, ruling on violations and
other election discrepancies.
The director and assistant director
of Elections Board will only play
administrative roles by overseeing the
process of the elections.
The other seven members of the
board will vote during hearings and
rule on items such as contestion of
election results.
The new structure certainly stream­lines
the process and clearly delegates
responsibilities.
And if there's anything SGA could
use more of, it's clarity and efficiency.
But can the new structure really
take away the continual controversy
surrounding the board?
The past problem didn't appear to
be a lack of efficiency. The problem
has always been a lack of transparency.
It's difficult to see how the new sep­aration
will remove the alleged "bias"
E-Board has shown before.
In the past several years, action
taken by the Elections Board has
directly affected the outcome of the
election, proving that maybe the board
actually is as powerful as it pretends to
be.
Perhaps this is a step in the right
direction, but please forgive us if we're
holding our breath.
When members of Elections Board
have connections to other campus
organizations, particularly Spades, it is
easy to see how conflicts of interest
can arise.
And with a small town like Auburn,
where everyone knows each other, the
conflicts are even more magnified.
Furthermore, one member of the
board not only votes on the board, but
helps decide the members on the
board.
Is it fair that someone gets to vote
and select his or her fellow members?
Those selected may feel a certain loy­alty
to the ones who helped give them
the job.
Considering the composition of the
board changes every year, the people
who serve cannot be blamed; it is the
set-up and process that are flawed.
Maybe steps have been taken in the
right direction for a change, but there's
still a good chance we'll be running
the same old headlines about elections
as the board continues to come under
fire.
Too old for time-out
SACS suggestions imply cut out whimpers, whines
At what point does time-out no
longer bring the desired effect of stop­ping
the offending action?
In the latest report from Southern
Association of Colleges and Schools
(SACS), Auburn appears to comply
with accreditation criteria, but busi­ness
deals among the Board of
Trustees members still waver on the
thin line of controversy.
University probation was lifted last
December, but the board members'
financial ties that helped place
Auburn on probation just can't seem
to disappear from SACS representa­tives'
minds.
The University hired two outside
consultants to evaluate the board's
possible conflicts of interest but found
no action to suggest a breech of the
board's Code of Ethics.
The SACS' report, however, suggest­ed
the evaluation could have fallen
short because only trustees were
interviewed. No outside sources were
questioned.
Once again, the University must
have its hand held during every step
back to a trusted, stable accreditation.
We were grounded. And then our
punishment was lifted.
We knew we would have to call
home every 15 minutes to say where
we were, and yet we insisted on push­ing
just enough buttons to annoy, but
not enough to get grounded again.
At some point, SACS will realize its
actions are defining precedent for the
governing body's future.
They won't always give us a second,
third or fourth chance to get it right
So instead of turning on that
Southern attitude, let's turn on that
Southern charm.
Let's pretend, for once, that we
aren't right, that we have issues and
that we understand why people might
whisper when we walk into the cafete­ria.
Let's stop complaining about more
reports and more recommendations,
and let's seize this opportunity to set a
precedent of our own.
We will have to do more evalua­tions,
and not just with those being
evaluated. We'll have to admit to
potential biased business connec­tions,
and even accept that outside
perception may need to govern our
actions to regain the respect of our
peers.
In that perfect world, we would
come together... but, nevermind, who
are we kidding?
Lowder still will never leave the
board.
Our Policy
The opinions of The Auburn Plainsman staff are restricted to these pages. The unsigned
editorials are the majority opinion of the nine-member editorial board, and are the
official opinion of the newspaper. The opinions expressed in columns and letters
represent the views and opinions of their individual authors and do not necessarily reflect
the Auburn University student body, faculty, administration or Board of Trustees.
Staff Opinions
Sophomoritis strikes the Plains
A teacher of mine in high school
once told me sophomore year is the
hardest year.
During that year, you are starting to
see the real world ahead of you, with
internships and job interviews, but
you do not have your life together,
and it is certainly not where you
thought it would be at the age of 19.
My freshman year flew by, and I
seemed to be focused and ready to
take on the world.
I was also naive and oblivious to
everything going on around me.
I had no idea what beer pong was,
and an I-Pod was a new wave of tech­nology
I would never understand.
But now that I am almost in the
middle of my sophomore year, I am
starting to notice changes at Auburn I
never noticed before.
I know I am not the only person, or
girl, who thinks they will never get
married or find that perfect guy.
I am certainly not at Auburn to get
my Mrs. degree, but I am a traditional
Southern gal who believes in mar­riage,
preferably before the age of 25.
By this time in my college career, I
expected to have at least a 3.2 GPA
and I also expected to know what
internship I wanted.
Of course, I know what I want out
of life, but the road to get there is a lit­tle
hazy right now.
But I certainly do not have a 3.2
GPA and I have no idea when or
TESS HOLLIS
tholUs@thepuunsman.com
where I will do my internship.
For a while, I thought I was alone in
my year of sophomoritis, but I real­ized
I am not
This is the year of transition, and
it's comforting to know there are oth­ers
out there struggling with me.
The following are a few things I
think every sophomore in college
should know.
High school is over, so get over it!
Issues you had with people in high
school do not matter anymore. The
best way to get over high school
drama is to not revisit i t It's not cool
to go to high school football games
and hang out with the class of'08.
Ladies: You are not 12 years old, so
having a size 0-2 waist does not count
as attractive. It doesn't look natural to
weigh 110 and be 5-foot-7. Don't be
afraid of gaining a few pounds. It's col­lege
— you aren't supposed to stay the
same weight you were when you were
15. And running excessively only
makes you feel worse. If a guy can't
see how truly beautiful you are, then
he is worthless.
Insecurity is not attractive. This
goes for guys as well. Conforming is
the best way to have a horrible time at
college. You are over the awkward
freshman phase of making friends.
They should love you no matter what
by now, so be yourself.
Don't worry about finding your per­fect
mate right now. Enjoy your time
with your friends because they are the
ones who will always be there for you.
It is also very unlikely you will find the
girl or guy of your dreams at Auburn
University.
Although it's tempting to stay out
late, even when you have an 8 a.m.
class the next day, try not to slack too
much. The only way to revive that
freshman GPA is to take easy classes
and actually go to class your sopho­more
year.
Do not ever, no matter how drunk
you may be, discuss politics or reli­gion
at a party. There is bound to be
another drunken idiot at the party
who is radically different than you. It
only makes for humiliation to those
who are not so inebriated.
And the No. 1 rule is to have fun. If
you aren't having fun, then you
shouldn't be at Auburn.
Tess Hollis b state & local editor of The
Auburn Plainsman. You can reach her at
844-9109.
The burning of the fifth Republic of France
<
On April 20,1968, the British politi­cian
Enoch Powell made a historic
speech where he stated, "Like the
Roman, I seem to see the River Tiber
foaming with much blood... Whether
there will be the public will to demand
and obtain that action, I do not know.
All I know is that to see, and not to
speak, would be the great betrayal."
It became known as "The Rivers of
Blood" speech. He was referencing the
hundreds of thousands of new immi­grants
who had arrived in England
from its colonies and how this frac­tured
the social fabric of Great Britain
and could lead to violence.
Flash forward nearly 40 years to this
summer. Bombs blast in a London
subway, the perpetrators — British
Muslims — the children of immigrants
from the former colonies. The Madrid
bombings, the ritual murder of Theo
Van Gogh in broad daylight in
Holland, both perpetrated by the chil­dren
of immigrants.
Powell stated eloquenUy in his
speech, "It is like watching a nation
busily engaged in heaping up its own
funeral pyre." His speech may have
been directed to the English people,
but can now be viewed as a distinct
warning to the people of Europe, as we
all watch the destruction of France
unfold on television.
As I write this, the riots have lasted
for 15 nights and have spread to more
than 274 French cities, including Nice,
;\ <
MICHAEL J. THOMPSON
thompmj@auburn.edu
Cannes, Dijion, Bordeaux and
Strasbourg. Thousands of cars and
buses have been torched, buildings
firebombed and indigenous
Frenchmen and women attacked by
rioters, who are of Arab and African
descent and Muslim.
These rioters may be French citizens
by law, but they have not lost their dis­tinct
ethnic identity and have never
assimilated into the culture of France
nor society at large.
News reports state the rampage
began Oct 27 when two Arabs, trying
to evade what they erroneously
thought was a police pursuit jumped
onto powerlines and were killed by
electrocution. Regardless, 20 million
people of African and Islamic descent
live in Europe, five million in France
alone, and these people have shown
they wish to remain proud Algerians,
Muslims, Moroccans.
Around Paris and other major
French cities, the immigrants live in
government (i.e. taxpayers') subsidized
t
housing called cites.
Thedore Dalrymple wrote of these
cites in 2002, saying, "A kind of anti-society
has grown up in them — a
population that derives the meaning of
its life from the hatred it bears for the
other, 'official,' society in France."
He writes that "reported crime in
France has risen from 600,000 annually
in 1959 to four million today, while the
population has grown by less than 20
percent Where does the increase in
crime come from? From the public
housing projects that encircle and
increasingly besiege every French city
or town of any size, where an immi­grant
population numbering several
million live."
These riots will continue, possibly
getting worse by the time you read
this. Luckily, only one death has
occurred as of this writing, but a
greater tragedy has already passed.
In 1968, Powell tried to warn us all.
No one of any consequence listened.
Now, France burns. The violence and
rioting spreads to Germany and
Belgium and other parts of Europe. An
old Chinese proverb reads, "May you
live in interesting times."
And so we do. Across the Atlantic,
far from the riots, we can only look on
with disbelief.
Michael]. Thompson is associate stale &
local editor of The Auburn Plainsman. You
can reach him at 844-9109. i
Thursday, Nov. 10,2005
When
Every relationship has its ups and
downs, and even the most unlikely
couples can often surprise friends
and family by finding common
ground to make a successful happily '
ever after.
Relationships are everywhere, and
they can spring up in the most
unusual places.
There are the typical meetings —
"A friend introduced us," "We met at
work," "We danced at a bar."
Then there are those slightly more
impressive stories — "She fell into
my arms when she tripped on the
Concourse," "Our eyes locked during
a discussion of First Amendment
rights in a political science class,"
"He spilled his bourbon and Coke on
me at the game."
After a lot of thinking and a cou­ple
of parking tickets, I've decided
my love story is going to trump
them all.
I'm going to meet my Prince
Charming after falling into one of
the campus construction pits.
I will gracefully topple head first
and wind up a tangle of arms and
The "One" will help me out and
pretend he doesn't notice the horri­ble
mix of blood and red dirt on my
clothes. It'll be the most graceful,
romantic moment of my life.
If my true love doesn't fish me out
of a hole, then we'll meet while
exchanging insurance information
in the parking lot behind Foy
Student Union and Tichenor Hall.
Both of us will think we're going
the correct direction as we turn
opposite corners of the torn-up
parking lot. And then Cupid will aim
his arrow and send us into a head-on
collision.
I have no doubt it will be a story
to share with children, grandchil­dren
and great-grandchildren.
At that time, some 60 years from
now, I'll look back on the headaches
this construction caused — the near
wrecks, the twisted ankles and, once
again, the parking tickets — and I'll
smile.
I'll have a beautiful family to show
APRIL JO LOVE
editor@theplainsman.com
for it, and I'll appreciate Fate's funny
little interjection.
Until then, however, we need to
give a little TLC to another promi­nent
relationship on Auburn's cam­pus
— construction and safety.
Every additional bulldozer and
pile of dirt students have to dodge
crossing campus at night is another
open opportunity for a predator. Not
only do you increase the potential
hiding places, you decrease the vic­tim's
ability to escape.
SGA, the Facilities Division and
others have organized night walks in
the past. Groups of five to six people
wander the campus after hours to
love at first sight
determine potential danger spots.
Night walks are like marriage
counseling for construction and
safety. Construction gets to stand as
the strong, silent type while safety
figures out what needs to be done to
fix the problem.
Obstacles get removed, lights get
added and alternative paths get
marked.
Night walks put students' interests
first and their concerns at ease.
Unfortunately, even with the con­stant
ground-breakings, we have yet
to hear mention of a scheduled walk
this year. It's time for one.
Also in the interest of safety, we
need to recognize it can't be daylight
all the time, and construction will
affect parking.
We'll go along with construction
and pretend like we understand, but
if we aren't parked in such a way
that hinders safety, give us a break.
It's a lose-lose situation. Do you
walk home at night knowing that
every extra minute is extra time
exposed, or do you donate $50 to
Auburn's "it goes to something" fund
because a cement roller is parked in
a legal spot?
Keep us safe, but remember some
situations aren't black and white.
If we're parked on a handicap
place, ticket us, but if we're against
an unmarked curb not causing prob­lems,
then give us a break.
No one knows better than Auburn
that everything is about perception,
and regardless of the number of
yearly assaults, rapes and attacks, if
students do not feel comfortable,
then it's a situation the University
should seek to resolve.
Construction and safety, a married
couple that's weathered a few
storms, always seems to make it
through hand-in-hand, but this odd
couple have apparently made a per­manent
home on the Plains, and it's
time we paid a little more attention
to our neighbors.
April Jo Love is editor of The Auburn
Plainsman. You can reach her at
844-9108.
Your View
Editorial cartoon insult­ing
to women
Editor, The Auburn Plainsman:
When we opened the Oct 27 edition
of The Plainsman, we were disgusted
to find that a newspaper published by
a campus that works to promote diver­sity
and equality would present us with
a cartoon that so blatantly reduces
women to little more than blond proto­types
who care about nothing but get­ting
married.
The cartoon, drawn by Jerel Ely and
featured in the commentary section,
pictured a guy stating "I got my Ph. D.
from Auburn University!" with a girl
following along behind him with the
statement, "I got my MRS degree from
Auburn University!"
To add to the incredibly insulting
statement that girls only care about
getting married and aren't serious
about their educations, the caricature
of the girl is an impossibly tall, thin
blond with no eyes, an APRON
(absolutely ridicu­lous),
and a huge
diamond on her fin­ger
(and not even on
the correct hand... if
you're going to make
fun of us, do it right).
If someone con­tributed
a drawing
that implied that
white men get their
Ph. D.s from Auburn
and black men
become Auburn's
janitors, there would
have been outrage.
You should take your
gender issues just as
seriously.
If a guy or a girl wants to be married,
there is absolutely nothing wrong with
that Furthermore, if a guy or a girl is
not interested in getting a degree, that
is perfectly fine, too. Suggesting that
women do not value their educational
purposes at Auburn, however, is com­pletely
unfair and untrue. We are here
to take classes, to get degrees and to
get jobs and demand respect from peo­ple
like Mr. Ely, who think we only care
about marrying a man who can pay for
us. Women are brilliant, too. We ask
that you stop aiding in the perpetua­tion
of an unfair stereotype.
.The Auburn Women's Organization,
Letters! We want
letters! We want stacks
and stacks of letters!
Got something to say?
Then say it.
Send your letters to B-100
Foy, or e-mail us
at letters^)
theplainsman.com
on behalf of every woman
on the Auburn campus
Is cute and fuzzy vs. was
cute and fuzzy
Editor, The Auburn Plainsman:
The issue of animal rights has. been
around for years, but has it ever hit the
Auburn campus? If not, should it?
Probably not, seeing as how Auburn
offers meat packing classes and things
of the sort, but I'll give it a shot
I just have a few unanswered ques­tions,
and I'll try my best not to get all
PETA about everything, but seriously,
sometimes I just don't get it
For example, I leave class the other
day and notice a group of students just
gazing into a box with sad faces. I walk
up and notice that in this box lies a
baby squirrel. Apparently, the squirrel
hadfallen from a nest in the tree up
above. Of course, seeing as how the
squirrel is cute and fuzzy, everyone is
determined to seek
help for this poor
specimen and to care
for it All I could say
was, "What's the
point..... you'll just
end up eating it"
I'm not saying
everyone eats squir­rels
or that everyone
there was a carni­vore,
but most peo­ple
do eat other crea­tures.
Now why is it that
while animals are in
their cute and fuzzy
stage, lots of people
don't want to see them die, but when
animals get older and less attractive, it
is perfectly fine?
Maybe it is because people don't put
the face with the meat Could it be that
to most people, animals are one group
and meat is a whole different one?
The only thing I'm trying to say here
is why show sympathy when ultimate­ly,
you take part in the killing of mil­lions
of innocent animals each day? Is
it just something the average person
doesn't think about?
Are we brought up thinking that
being vegetarian/vegan is not the cor­rect
way to live your life? In my opin­ion,
compassion should be shown
toward all species that we share the
Want to help The Plainsman
and get (sort of) paid for it?
Applications for spring staff are available in The Plainsman
office in B-100 Foy next to the Student Publications Suite.
Open positions include writers, editors and photographers!
> Applications are due to the office by Nov. 18.
> Interviews will be scheduled Nov. 17 and 18.
> Spring staff will be announced Nov. 28.
NO EXPERIENCE IS NECESSARY, but priority is often given to students who have
written for The Plainsman. To get started, interested writers should come to the
Wednesday meeting at 7 p.m. in The Plainsman office. Photographers' meeting begins at
8 p.m.
For information, contact editor April Love at 844-9021 or loveapr a auburn.edu.
earth with, and not just to an at-the-time
cute and fuzzy creature or your
domesticated cat or dog.
CCWebb
Auburn
Tax cuts making United
States debt worse
Editor, The Auburn Plainsman:
Last week Mr. Randall Graham
wrote in to discuss the benefits of
"trickle down"economics. He talked
about how t he Bush tax cuts have
led to more jobs and various other
GOP talking points.
Trickle down economics works on
the assumption that if you cut the
taxes on the rich, then they will hire
more poor people and produce more
goods; therefore it helps the rich
because they make more money, while
being benevolent enough to give the
poor jobs.
The problem is this: it hurts the
impoverished. Do you honestly think
that Bill Gates is going to take his tax
cuts and hire new people? No. Will
Donald Trump? No.
They're going to stick it into the
bank.
For the first time that we know of in
the history of civilization, a govern­ment
has cut taxes in a time of war.
That's outright unpatriotic.
We're having a difficult time getting
our troops the materials they need, but
we can repeal the estate tax (which
would have brought in $290
billion over a decade, or enough for a
few more months in Iraq).
That shows where this administra­tion's
priorities are. College tuition
is going up. Healthcare premiums are
skyrocketing Most importantly,
our troops aren't properly equipped.
This appears to me to be a trickle-down
travesty that not only drastically
favors the rich (whose kids usually
don't fight in wars) but is also, without
a doubt, more unpatriotic than anyone
could claim Michael Moore of ever
being.
Republicans talk of fiscal responsi­bility
and downing the deficit When
was the last time a Republican presi­dent
had a budget surplus?
Republicans believe in increased
spending along with decreased taxes,
and if I remember my math classes
correctly, when you have increased
expenditures with smaller revenues,
ONLINE:
> For more letters to the editor,
check out www.thtplaiMinM.coni
you go into debt very quickly.
Republicans will claim "the tax cuts
spur the economy so that we can pay
down the national debt" I don't think
they realize that private businesses
don't pay down the debt
Right now, America borrows more
money, mostly from southeast Asian
countries (including China) than the
rest of the world saves every day. Right
now, China controls $200 billion of US.
debt What happens when they
demand payment?
Our nation is at the crossroads
where we need to decide if we're going
to continue to pass the current and
accumulating debt onto our children,
or if we are going to make the buck
stop here, bite the bullet pay higher
taxes for the time and give our children
and grandchildren a brighter future. So
far, the Bush administration has not
had a buck stop there since taking
office, perpetuating nothing more than
a conservative culture of corruption.
Brandon Costerison
President, College Democrats
\)
How to contact iis
By mail: B-100 Foy Student Union
Auburn University, AL
36849-5323
By E-mail: tottert@theplainsntan.com
By Fax: (334) 844-9114
The Auburn Plainsman welcomes letters from
students as well as from faculty, administrators,
alumni and those not affiliated with the
University. Letters must be submitted before 4:30
p.m. on the Monday for publication. Letters must
include the author's name, address and phone
number for verification, though the name of the
author may be withheld upon request
Submission may be edited for grammar and/or
length.
*
UPC PRESENTS:
Open Mic Night
This Tuesday, November 15th
Time: 6-8 pm
Come out to watch or perform!
10 min. limit. Bring your own instruments!
Location: Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art
For
AU Students
Only!
Tickets available:
Mon. Nov. 14 - Thurs. 17th 8am-4:30pm
In Foy, 2nd Floor - Bring valid Student ID
I AT HIIRELL I
For more info
visit: www.auburn.edu/upc or call: 844-5292
t-Rated m«
Gates open @ 7PM
starts® 8PM : (t
WANT TO SEE YOUR DESIGN ALL OVER AUBURN?
Enter the UPC
SPRING MAGNETIC CALENDAR
DESIGN CONTEST CASH PRIZE OF $75!
Entries Due:
Monday, November 14th in Foy 3 16
For specific information visit Foy 3 16 ASAP!
So you think you can dance?
Enter the UPC
DANCE
Competition!
November 29th
Cash Prizes awarded to top 3 winners!
Applications DUE Nov. 14th
in Foy 316
Dance must be original and can be of any genre4
For more information on these events,
Visit: www.auburn.edu/upc or call 844.5292 AUFiURN™UNIVERSITY*
UNIVERSiTY PROGRA M C O U N C IL
I i I
B Classifieds
Campus Calendar
Back-in-History
TOe Hubum jpiainaman
CAMPUS Nov. 10,2005
Tube Tied
Students gather
weekly to watch
their favorite
TV shows, B8
Campus
IN BRIEF
Auburn voices to perform
annual fall concert
The University Concert Choir and
Men's and Women's Choruses will
perform their fall concert at
Lakeview Baptist Church Nov. 13 at
2:30 p.m.
Recycling program coming
soon to a desk near you
The Desk Side Recycling Program
began this week. Offices will have
trash bins to be used for recycling.
For more information, visit www.
auburn.edu/recycle.
New amphitheater swoops
into Auburn Nov. 16
Auburn's Southeastern Raptor
Center will dedicate its new
amphitheater Nov. 16 at 3 p.m. The
center will hold free educational
programs at 10 a.m., noon and 2
p.m. For information, call 844-6943.
Parking services drives
home reminder
AU Parking Services reminds
students that cars with C-zone
permits cannot drive on central
campus from 7 am. to 5 p.m. on
class days.
INSIDE
Auburn student snags most
votes, becomes Mr. October
Sophomore Greg Boudreaux won
CosmoGIRLfs monthly "Battle of
the Boys" for October. Boudreax
was dubbed Mr October and will
now compete for the tide of
"Hottest Guy in America." B4
English Center eliminates
help for other subjects
The English Center is no longer
assisting students with papers in
any subject except world
literature and English composition.
The limited help is forcing students
to look for other avenues of aide. B5
One drink, two drinks
"Binge drinking is
usually considered as
four or more drinks for
females and five or more
drinks for males in one
sitting.''
- Chris Correia
supervisorfor HBAC
CAMPUS STAFF
SARAH BROCK
Editor
sbrock@theplainsrnan.com
MEGAN SMITH
Associate Editor
msmim@theplainsrnan.corn
CHASE MITCHELL
Assistant Editor
cmitdieU@meplaiasman.com
JESSICA OTWELL
Assistant Editor
jotwell@theplainsman.com
334-844-9118
New associate provost takes office
By AMY GORDON
Assistant Intrigue Editor
The University has named Overtoun Jenda the
new associate provost for Diversity and
Multicultural Affairs.
The appointment will be effective Jan. 1,2006.
Jenda, a professor of mathematics, previously
served as associate dean of the College of Sciences
and Mathematics.
"I've been at Auburn for 17 years, so I know
Auburn," Jenda said. "I know faculty, I know staff, I
know students. So I feel I'll be able to get everyone
to work together for a more diverse campus."
Jenda said his goal as provost is simple.
"I think the major goal would be to to see that
the campus is more diverse," he said.
Jenda said different colleges require different
tactics.
For example, the College of Engineering has a
low number of female students.
Therefore, he will focus on getting more female
students to explore engineering majors, Jenda
said.
Jenda's responsibilities as provost include devel­oping
programs relating to diversity, working to
implement the University Strategic DiversityPlan,
advising senior administration and working with
the colleges on campus to recruit a more diverse
student population.
H will also work with Human Resources to pro­vide
diversity programs, serving on committees
dealing with diversity and multicultural issues,
working with the academic staff to ensure that
> Turn to JENDA, B5
.MK1IAEL NELSON — PII0T0 EDITOR
CORNER CLEANUP: Workers spray down the Toomer's Corner tree the Sunday after it was rolled
for the victory over Kentucky. Depending on how big the game is, the amount of cleaning time
varies.
Toomer's Corner creates memories
for fans, cleanup for others
By BETHANY KIRBY
StaffWriter
Auburn faithful make the pil­grimage
every time the Tigers
win an athletic victory.
They come bearing their one-ply,
AU-wrapped toilet paper,
ready to send those rolls sailing
into the limbs of the large live oak
on Toomer's Corner.
They stand at the base of the
tree, waiting for another roll to
come hurtling down to the
ground, and once it has landed,
at least five fans fight to snatch it
up.
By the end of the night, the tree
is covered in white. Another
Auburn tradition lives on, and all
the fans head home without giv­ing
that old tree much more
thought
Early Sunday morning,
though, while most students are
still asleep in their beds, Patricia
Sullivan drives from
Montgomery to Auburn, bring­ing
along her crew of eight to 10
people to clean up Toomer's
Corner.
Sullivan works for Rite Way
Services Inc. in Montgomery, a
janitorial company responsible
for cleaning Toomer's Corner.
The workers begin the tedious
process by using pressure wash­ers
to spray down the toilet
paper. Then they rake it up and
bag it to send to a trash dump,
Sullivan said.
Sullivan said the mess varies
with each game.
"It's according to who you play
> Turn to TOOMER'S, B2
Organization reaches out
ByDANAJAFFE
StaffWriter
It's 3:30 on a Tuesday afternoon, and Hannah
Flora is breaking out the moves to Usher's
"Yeah." But she's not brushing up on her dance
»skills to prepare for a night out at Highlands.
Flora, like many Auburn students, is involved
with Project Uplift, a program where volunteers
are paired with children to spend a minimum of
three hours a week together.
Whether it's leading dance classes for chil­dren,
Uke Flora does, or hanging out at the park,
going to dinner or carving pumpkins, Project
Uplift is uplifting to the spirits of both the chil­dren
and the students involved.
"The whole purpose of Project Uplift is to give
the children an older person to look up to, keep
them out of trouble, help them with their home­work
and, hopefully, just provide somebody
that they can feel comfortable enough talk to,"
said Jenn Miranda, a junior in early education
and a Project Uplift volunteer.
The idea for Project Uplift was developed in
1966, and the doors to the program officially
opened in 1973.
"We are always actively recruiting to pair
children with positive role models," said Chris
> Turn to PROJECT, B2
Walker plans
retirement
By MEGAN SMITH
Associate Campus Editor
William Walker, former University President, will
retire from the University Dec. 31.
Walker, who was president of the University from
December 2001 to January 2004, was
known for leading Auburn in creating
more diversity.
He was also known for being on the
infamous plane to Louisville.
"He was extremely smart and gen­uine,"
said Willie Larkin, former
University Senate chair.
Walker has served as a professor in Walker
the Samuel Ginn College of
Engineering for the past year.
Larkin said he appreciated how Walker encouraged
diversity among students and how he had an open-door
policy.
Conner Bailey, University Senate chair, recalled an
incident when-a fraternity had a Halloween social in
2001 and some incriminating photos surfaced of broth­ers
wearing offensive Halloween costumes.
Bailey said he was impressed with Walker's reaction
• > Turn to WALKER, B5
Fund honors
bomb victims
By CHASE MITCHELL
Assistant Campus Editor
A tragic bombing that rocked Birmingham more
than four decades ago will soon be remembered at
Auburn in the form of a scholarship.
The Four Little Girls Memorial Scholarship was
created to honor Denise McNair, Addie Mae Collins,
Cynthia Wesley and Carole Robertson, who were
killed on the morning of Sept. 15, 1963, when a Ku
Klux Klansman set off an explosive outside Sixteenth
Street Baptist Church.
The Civil Rights-era act of terrorism was also the
subject of the 1997 Spike Lee documentary "4 Little
Girls."
The scholarship is the brainchild of Claude and
Sylvia Gossett, a husband-and-wife pair of former
Auburn professors.
Both taught in the music department. Claude
served as faculty adviser for nine years, during which
> Turn to SCHOLARSHIP, B2
BANAJAFFE — PHOTOSTAFF
SHAKIPTIT:
Hannah
Flora, a
junior in fine
arts,
participates
in Project
Uplift by
dancing vtifh
children. The
program was
open in 1973
and is
devoted to
pairing up
students with
children in
need.
- A> 4V *?
B2 Che auburn $lamgman Thursday, Nov. 10,2005
PROJECT
> From Bl
Nunn, volunteer coordinator for Project
Uplift. "Our main goal is to help children
develop constructive, happy lives, so
delinquency in our county will decrease."
Flora, who was involved with the pro­gram
last year, took over teaching the
dance classes this year.
"I hope through the dance class that
I'm providing a positive environment
that allows these girls to just be them­selves,"
said Flora, a junior in fine arts. "I
think the giris like being with girls their
own age, being with the Project Uplift
big sisters, learning a dance and just get­ting
to let loose."
The program is an excuse
for both the Auburn stu­dents
and the children
involved to take time out of
their busy schedules just to
have fun.
"It kind of gives you a
break from school work,"
Miranda said. "Miya
(Miranda's Project Uplift
child) and I always look for­ward
to the time that we get
to spend hanging out with
each other during the week."
Project Uplift children and
their volunteers get to enjoy a variety of
events put on by various campus organi­zations.
Just this year, the schedule has
included a Halloween haunted house,
Aubie Spirit Day and the Fall 5K Run,
and coming up this month, they can
enjoy a movie night, a book fair and a
Beat Bama cookout
"Our agency is really honored by the
kindness shown by various organiza­tions
on campus and around the com­munity,"
Nunn said. "They are the ones
who actually sponsor the events for us."
While students like Miranda know
that Project Uplift will directly help with
their future careers, Auburn students in
"We are
always actively
recruiting to
pair children
with positive
role models."
—'Chris Nunn,
volunteer coordinator for
Project Uplift
any major will find something to gain
from their participation.
"I hope to be a parent one day, and it
has prepared me for that, but also, it has
just shown me how I will react to the
many kinds of situations in life," Flora
said. "Natalie, my little girl, has been a
huge teacher to me. I don't want to be
naive to think that the life that I live is
the life that everyone lives. Project Uplift
has introduced me to lots of different
types of people, with different types of
backgrounds."
For those interested in becoming a
mentor, Project Uplift provides 20 train­ing
sessions throughout the year to learn
more.
"All people who are interested in
becoming a volunteer with our program
must attend the four-hour
training" Nunn said. "Also,
they must complete an
interview, pass back­ground
checks, have a car
with liability insurance and
be willing to spend three to
four hours a week with the
child for at least one year."
Since this is strictly volun­teer
work, a perk is that
many local businesses give
back by providing dis­counts
to those involved.
Red Lobster, Auburn Bowl,
AU Athletics, Brick Oven Pizza, Niffer's
Place and O'Charleys are just a few of the
businesses who do so.
"Our purpose is to spend time and not
money" Nunn said. "It's great that busi­nesses
will allow our volunteers to bring
their kids to their establishments and
actually reward the volunteer instantly
for mentoring a child of our community."
Miranda said the program needs more
volunteers to get involved.
"There are over 200 young children
who are looking for a mentor," Nunn
said. "Why don't you consider the
impact that can be made on a child of
Project Uplift?"
SCHOLARSHIP
> From Bl
he was heavily involved with the
gospel choir.
"That gave us a chance to get to
know a lot of the black students on
campus," Sylvia said. "We became
very close to some of them."
One of the students, Kim McNair,
was the younger sister of Denise
McNair, who died in the bombing.
"Through Kim, we got to know
her family," Sylvia said, adding that
she and Claude were even invited
by the McNairs to attend the pre­miere
screening of "4 Little Girls."
Getting to know the family and
learning about the tragedy inspired
Claude and Sylvia to start a memo­rial
scholarship.
Once they retired, Claude in 1998
and Sylvia in 2000, the couple
moved to Tennessee for a year, then
ended up in Lindale, Texas.
"We sort of settled here," Gossett
said, "and it was just a time when
we said 'OK, we've been saying for
years that we wanted to do this, and
this is it. Now we do it.'"
The Gossetts donated $10,000 to
the cause, but the fund will need to
reach $25,000 within five years or
the money will be lumped in with
the general scholarship fund.
Carole Anne Fowler, director of
development for the College of
Liberal Arts, said the scholarship is
different because it is an endow­ment
fund rather than an annual
scholarship.
"We've been trying to
find other sources to
help fund it as soon as
possible," Fowler said.
"An endowment
means that we never
spend the principle,"
she said. "You build the
endowment to $25,000,
and then each year
you've got the earnings
from that. The princi­ple
never goes away,
which is a good thing."
The higher the prin­ciple,
the more the fund earns. And
once it reaches $25,000, the sky is
the limit
"Hopefully, it won't stop at
$25,000," Fowler said. "(If) people
will continue to give to it, it could
grow to $50,000 or $100,000."
"This couple
has cared so
much about
the memory of
these four
little girls."
— Carole Anne Fowler,
director of development
for the College of
Liberal Arts
"We're hoping that other people
will want to donate," Gossett said.
"It's very new, so at this point, we're
getting the word out"
Any student in any major will be
able to apply for the scholarship,
but preference will be given to
minority students, Gossett said.
That's because one goal of the
scholarship, she said, is
to increase diversity in
Auburn's student body.
Black students cur­rently
make up only 8
percent of the under­graduate
population.
Gossett said when she
and her husband were
teaching here, that
number was even
smaller.
She said she hopes
the scholarship will
encourage more black
students to enroll.
Fowler said the Gossetts' scholar­ship
is a noble cause.
"This couple has cared so much
about the memory of these four lit­tle
girls," she said. "We certainly
thank them for their donation to
the University."
TOOMER'S
> From Bl
and what the score was,"
Sullivan said.
Sullivan said the mess is
the worst after football
games, but those aren't the
only times a crew comes.
"We go up there for every
game that Auburn wins,"
Sullivan said. "For basket­ball,
swim meets, any spe­cial
event"
Randy Rogers, an
employee of Auburn
Building Services, said the
University has a contract
with Rite Way for a year.
The company is obligated
to come whenever the cor­ner
needs to be cleaned.
Lori Arthurs, who works
in athletics, said the cost of
the contract is split evenly
between the athletic
department and the facili­ties
division.
Arthurs said each time
Toomer's is cleaned, it
costs $3,500.
Rite Way doesn't clean
the corner for smaller
events or wins. If it's just a
few rolls, the University
Facilities Division has pres­sure
washers to spray the
tissue down. Rogers
decides whether Rite Way
should do the cleaning
Sullivan said some peo­ple
on the crew are Auburn
fans, and some aren't
"My supervisor, who is
the head of the crew, (is an
Auburn fan). So far he's pre­dicted
every time they win,"
Sullivan said.
Even though the work
can be hard and the hours
long, Sullivan said she loves
her job.
Rite Way employee
Vanessa Davis said the
company is basically a jani­torial
company that does
custodial work in buildings
such as the RSA Tower and
courthouses in
Montgomery.
Toomer's Corner is con­sidered
a special project for
the company.
ng
eorgia?
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CAMPUS CALENDAR
For daily calendar events, visitusonlineatwww.theplainsman.com. Campus Calendar is provided to University-chartered organizations.
Submit announcements on forms to The Plainsman office between 7:30a.m and4:30p.m, no later than the Monday prior to publication.
Limit 30 words. May be edited for pertinent content
ANNOUNCEMENTS
International Student Organization
Social Hour will be held from 4 p.m. to 6
p.m. tomorrow on the Foy Student Union
Balcony.
The film "Smoke Signals" will be at
the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine
Art tomorrow from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The film is a dramatic comedy about a
young Native American man, Thomas,
who is a nerd in his reservation and is
paired with a tough young man, Victor,
to go on an adventure in search of
Victor's father's remains. It is directed by
Chris Eyre and written by Sherman
Alexie.
The AUMN Second Annual Debate
on World Attitudes on the Ethical
Standing of Embryonic Stem Cell
Research will be in Foy, Room 246 from
6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. A
panel of students representing various
countries will debate the ethical stand­ing
of embryonic stem cell research. The
panel will accept questions from the
floor,
SGA and the American Red Cross
Beat Bama Blood Drive will be Nov. 16
from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Foy Union
Ballroom.
Talks on Southeastern Native
American History and Culture will be
from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 13 at the Ralph
Brown Draughon Library Auditorium.
For more information visit
http://www.auburn.edu/administra-tion/
center_diversity_race_relations/na
tiyefest/native05.html.
MEETINGS
Auburn Christian Fellowship will
hold free dinners on Thursdays at 6 p.m.
on 315 S. Gay St. Call 821-3963 or go to
www.auburnchristianfellowship.com for
more information.
Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship
meets every Thursday at 7 p.m. in Foy
Room 217.
Auburn Christian Fellowship wor­ship
will be held Tuesdays at 8:05 p.m.
on 315 S. Gay St. Visit www.auburnchris-tianfellowship.
com or call 821-3963 for
more information.
EVENTS
The annual Prisoner of
War/Missing in Action Awareness Day
will be today on the Concourse. T-shirts
are for sale and it's sponsored by the
Arnold Air Society. E-mail Melanie Lutz
at lutzmel@auburn.edu for more infor­mation.
The Auburn Symphonic Band
Concert will take place from 7:30 p.m. to
9:30 p.m. today in the Auburn High School
auditorium.
A production of "The Shape of
Things" by Neil LaBute will be at the
Auburn Telfair Peet Theatre on Nov. 13
from 2:30 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. It is directed by
Auburn theatre professor Daydrie Hague.
Tickets cost $20 for general admission,
$18 for faculty and staff and free for stu­dents.
The doors will open at 2 p.m.
Alicia Carrol will present "Afterlife:
Alabama Quilts as American Elegy"
from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Jule Collins
Smith Museum of Fine Art Nov. 15.
Carroll, an English professor, will talk
about these triumphant, tattered, and
sometimes sorrowful quilts that are
acquiring new public meanings.
Open Mic Night will be from 6 p.m. to 8
p.m. at the Jule Collins Smith Museum of
Fine Art.
Refreshments will be provided and par­ticipants
will have 10 minutes to perform.
Sign up at the door and bring blankets and
chairs.
Sketchbook Saturdays will be from 10
a.m. to noon at the Jule Collins Smith
Museum of Fine Art It's open to ages 7
and older. Stephanie Burak is the curator,
and all art materials will be provided.
The Auburn Campus Band Concert
will be in the band hall of Goodwin Music
building Nov. 14 from 7:30 p.m. to 8:45
p.m.
A production of "Defying Gravity" by
Jane Anderson will be performed in the
Telfair Peet theatre Nov. 16 from 7:30 p.m.
to 9:15 p.m.
The production is directed by Auburn
theatre professor Lisa Channer. Ticket
prices are $20 for the general public, $18
for faculty and staff and free for students.
Doors will open at 7 p.m.
ON THE CONCOURSE
What is your favorite
Toomers Corner memory?
"ProbablyGeorgia
weekend lastyear. That
was ridiculous. Of me
nationalchampkmMp!
junior,
civil engineering
"Auburn vs. Alabama
game of 2003. We stole
an economy-size roll (of
toilet tissue) from the
dorms"
freshman,
pharmacy
January 2005. We had the
perfect season. I never saw
tfiatmuch toilet paper
before'
sophomore,
aviation management
• interviews and photos by Michael J. Thompson,
assistant state and local editor
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PRIDE OF THE PLAINS
Daniel Dixon, a senior
in software
engineering, won first
place in the NACIS
Student Web Mapping
Competition.
• About the Honor: The award is given out
by the North American Cartographic
Information Society.
• Head of the Class: He won the award for
designing the interactive campus map
featured on Auburn's Web site. Dixon created
the map in 2004 while co-oping with the
Office of Information Technology.
• Workin* Hard: Dixon is the technical
director for Eagle Eye News and a member of
Alpha Kappa Lambda. He is also the
president of the University Association of
Computing Machinery.
• Play in' Hard: Dixon is a big fan of
computer graphics and animation. He enjoys
computer programming for fun, and he also
likes spending time at church.
• All in the Family: Dixon hails from
Fairhope, He has an older brother, Luke, who
is a graduate student in civil
engineering, and a sister, Elizabeth, who is in
high school.
• A Few of His Favorite Things: His favorite
movies are "The Incredibles" and "Monsters
Inc."
• Looking Forward: Dixon's dream is to one
day work for a large computer animation
studio like Pixar or Blue Sky.
Model student strikes pose
By MEGAN SMITH
Associate Campus Editor
Who's that shining star? It's not a bird,
or a plane, but even better: CosmoGIRL!
magazine's Mr. October.
Greg Boudreaux, a sopho­more
in pre-medicine, was
voted Mr. October by
CosmoGIRL! online.
"Everyone calls me Cosmo,"
Boudreaux said.
The idea began when
Boudreaux's girlfriend,
Elizabeth Wales, a freshman in
communication, entered him in the con­test
this past summer.
After Wales submitted his photo, she
didn't hear anything back from the mag­azine
until she checked the CosmoGIRL!
Web site in October.
"We laughed all day long because it
was on the Web site," Wales said.
Beginning Oct 10, when Boudreaux's
picture was put on the site, he had to
compete against one other guy every
day throughout October. To claim the
title of Mr. October, he had to have the
majority of the vote against his competi­tion.
To be able to win the majority every
day was no small accomplishment
"His whole fraternity and my whole
sorority would vote every day. He has a
fan club and Facebook group," Wales
said.
Boudreaux, a Louisiana native, had
friends and relatives voting for him to
ensure landslide wins.
"When I went home one weekend, I
was walking down the street and one of
my family's neighbors was driving by
and yelled to me that they had voted for
Mr. October
me that day," Boudreaux said.
Boudreaux said the voting took on a
life of its own, becoming an addiction
for his friends and family. Wale's mother
even initiated a campaign to ensure
more votes.
Ben Baldwin, a sophomore in
mechanical engineering, said he
voted often for his fraternity
brother, even during moments
he wouldn't normally do such
activities.
"It was weird because I was
watching the Wodd Series and I
thought I'm the only guy voting
on CosmoGIRL! while watching the
World Series," Baldwin said.
"It's been a chain reaction," Boudreaux
said.
So far, the title hasn't gone to
Boudreaux's head, even though he said
he's been recognized around campus.
"There's so many rumors. 11 heard I
was in a photo shoot and a calendar,"
Boudreaux said.
Two important people in Boudreaux's
life have not been informed of his title:
his parents.
"I'm scared to see what they would
say," Boudreaux said.
The next title Boudreaux is up for is
the ultimate title: Hottest Guy in
America. While Boudreaux has not been
informed by CosmoGIRL! about the
details for this contest he is preparing
to compete.
"I'll probably cut the curbs and hit the
gym," Boudreaux said.
Overall, the experience has given
Boudreaux something to look back on
when he's older.
"It's the kind of thing I'll laugh about
when I'm 40," Boudreaux said.
Military 'brats' endure transient childhoods
By JESSICA SMITH
StaffWriter
A group of students can pack
up everything they own in five
minutes. They have lived more
places than some will travel jn a
lifetime, and they have an appre­ciation
for the diversity of the
United States.
These students call themselves
"military brats."
"The best definition I can
come up with (of a military brat)
is a military child who is
extremely proud of their
parent(s) being a part of the mili­tary
— someone who doesn't
look at the lifestyle as something
difficult but as an opportunity to
learn more about other cultures
and to explore the world," said
Aaron Williams, a junior in elec­trical
engineering
Williams was raised in a mili­tary
family.
He has resided in seven differ­ent
places, including Okinawa,
Japan, for three years.
"The hardest part of moving is
leaving your friends, although
the shock of moving to a new
area can be difficult as well,"
Williams said. "It's hard to learn
where everything is, adjust to
having a new home and deal with
the disruption in your daily life
that moving causes."
Most students cannot imagine
the difficulties of packing up and
leaving their home every couple
of years.
However, the military provides
families with the
option of living on
base to help ease
the pain of moving.
Williams said
living on the base
provided him with
friends who shared
a similar lifestyle to
his own.
"The advantage
to living on base is
that there is very
little that the par­ents
have to worry about so it
wasn't uncommon for us to wan­der
all over the base with our
friends for four to six hours every
dayr Williams said.
Even the advantages of living
on base do not help with the
strain the military lifestyle has on
relationships.
"I'm not scared
to put myself
out there and
meet new
people or go
new places."
— Sarah Young,
undeclared freshman
"As you get older, your rela­tionships
tend to become deeper
than when you were a child,"
Williams said. "There have been
some times in the last few years
that I actually hated my lifestyle
because of the friends I was
forced to leave behind. No matter
how much you try, your relation­ship
with that person will disap­pear
in a few years
because you both
realize that there's
really no chance of
you seeing that per­son
again."
But psychology pro­fessor
Virginia
O'Leary said the
"military brat" expe­rience
has benefits.
"Most of the stu-.
dents from military
families like the
exposure to new people and even
to other cultures ... and the
advantages far outweighed the
disadvantages," O'Leary said.
Williams said he believes one
of the many positive advantages
of moving is the chance to expe­rience
life in other parts of the
United States and the world.
"Okinawa was my favorite by
far," he said. "If you stand on a tall
hill, you can see the Yellow Sea
and the Pacific Ocean at the
same time. The coral reefs are
breathtaking the water is crystal
clear and there are tropical fish
everywhere. The Japanese people
are great as well. They are some
of the most polite and traditional
people I've ever seen."
Sarah Young,'an undeclared
freshman, is also from a military
family.
She feels the military lifestyle
has helped her adapt to new sur­roundings.
"I'm not scared to put myself
out there and meet new people
or go new places," Young said.
And even though military
brats like Young and Williams
are constantly moving, they
always have a home.
"Home, to me, is really wherev­er
my family is," Williams said.
"Home isn't the house that you
live in, it's the people that are
constants in the chaotic shifting
of military life. Just knowing that
wherever we go, our family will
still be together is enough to pro­vide
that sense of'home' for me."
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Thursday, Nov. 10,2005 gfc Auburn ff laingman B5
WALKER
> From Bl
to the photos.
"Dr. Walker led a campus protest against
that kind of behavior" Bailey said.
Bailey also said Walker promoted diversi­ty
within certain curriculum.
"Dr. Walker took a pro-active stance on
diversity issues by establishing a program
supporting minorities in engineering.
Walker faced turbulent times during his
presidency..
Arguably the biggest controversy was in
November 2003 when Walker, former athlet­ic
director David Housel and Board of
Trustees' members Earlon McWhorter and
Byron Franklin took trustee member Bobby
Lowder's private jet to the University of
Louisville to meet with head football coach
Bobby Petrino, without informing Auburn
head coach Tommy Tuberville.
"He was in the wrong place at the wrong
time. That was the piece that caused him to
fall as president," Larkin said.
Walker will leave behind both praise and
criticism, but will be remembered as a
leader in Auburn.
"Of all the administrators in recent years,
Dr. Walker is the one person who has had a
commitment to diversity and putting the
resources behind it," Bailey said.
JENDA
>• From Bl
program curricula meets the
needs of all students and man­aging
budgets and staff.
Jenda said implementation
of the Strategic Diversity Plan,
which outlines specific goals
and tactics to achieve diversi­ty
on campus, would be an on­going
process.
"We have a plan, and we
cannot implement.the whole
plan in year one," Jenda said.
"It'll take us a couple years to
get to where we want to be."
Jenda said the plan would
continually be evaluated as it
is being put into practice.
Administrators are trying to
find out what matters to staff,
students and faculty, Jenda
said.
Jenda said one of the most
important reasons to stimu­late
diversity on campus is for
recruitment.
"There are more and more
women and minorities in
schools. We're trying to get
these students to come here,"
he said. "What we want to do
is work with those students."
Jenda said some time will be
spent on discussion of prob­lems
with diversity so that
appropriate solutions may be
found.
• Despite his new responsibil­ities,
Jenda still wants to
teach, if possible.
"I like to work with stu­dents.
I don't see how I cannot
teach," he said. "I may not
teach every semester."
Jenda said he's happy to
have this opportunity.
"I'm really excited about it
I've been doing diversity at
Auburn since 1993," he said.
"I've been doing that at the
college level, so I'm excited to
be doing that at the adminis­trative
level."
Center turns students away
By BRANDON FINCHER
Staff Writer
Students accustomed to getting help
from the English Center when writing
papers will have to go somewhere else.
At the beginning of fall semester, the
English Center stopped assisting students
with papers for classes other than world lit­erature
or English composition.
English Center Coordinator Isabelle
Thompson said it came down to a problem
of numbers.
"Because we're so busy, we don't have
time to help with other subjects,"
Thompson said. "Last year we conducted
more than 4,000 sessions, and this year
there are 500 more freshmen than last year.
It makes me very sad. We have 42 tutors,
but we don't have room anymore. We've
outgrown our space."
The English Center, located in Haley
Center Room 3183, offers students a free
opportunity to work with tutors to help
brainstorm for ideas or to revise drafts.
Students can also chat online with an
English Center consultant
Hannah Wilkerson, a sophomore in the
College of Liberal Arts, used the English
Center last fall for a paper in her composi­tion
class.
"The session really helped me with my
paper," Wilkerson said. "My tutor just read
it and told me different ways to make it bet­ter,
and we worked on some things like sen­tence
structure."
Wilkerson thinks the center should try to
help students with papers in all subjects.
"Students need help in subjects other
than just English," Wilkerson said.
Thompson suggested that students
needing help with papers in other subjects
go to Study Partners.
"Study Partners will go over papers with
students and will make suggestions about
the writing, but cannot help with the con­tent
of the paper," said Tamara Bowden,
program adviser for academic support
Thompson said she hopes to allow stu­dents
to bring in papers from other sub­jects
in the future, but is not sure if the
English Center will be able to handle it
"We have been extremely busy this
semester," Thompson said. "I'm beginning
to think we won't be able to open up those
services next semester, either."
Appointments with the center can be
made by visiting www.auburn.edu/eng-lish/
ec/center.htm and selecting the
"Reserve an Appointment" link.
RACHa EVANS — ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOB
EASY AS ABQ Lizzie Gilbert, a freshman
in product design, receives help from
Robert Ring, a senior in English who
works at the English Center.
Program addresses drinking problems
By BRANDON FINCHER
StaffWriter
According to statistics from Auburn
University's Health Behavior Assessment
Center (HBAC), 15 to 25 percent of Auburn
students are problem drinkers.
"(A problem drinker is) somebody whose
drinking leads to negative consequences,"
said Jeshmin Bhaju, graduate
coordinator for HBAC. "Some
examples are missing classes,
going to classes drunk, being
arrested for driving under the
influence and arguments with
peers and family members."
For Auburn students who
think their drinking has become
a problem or might become one,
HBAC offers a free two-session
assessment and intervention
"National
research says
the 18 to 24
age group is
most at risk to
be problem
drinkers."
program.
HBAC uses a program called
Brief Alcohol Screening and
Intervention for College
Students (BASICS). BASICS was created by
University of Washington psychologists as a
quick but effective way to educate students
about their alcohol problem and provide
— Chris Correia.
supervisor for HBAC
strategies to stop or cut back their drinking.
The two-session intervention lasts
between two and four hours, with each ses­sion
lasting one to two hours each.
"In the first session, we get some back­ground
history, such as whether alcoholism
runs in the family, a little bit of psychological
and medical history and students fill out
some questionnaires," Bhaju said. "The sec­ond
session lasts about an
hour and we give feedback to
students, like calculating their
blood alcohol content teach­ing
how alcohol influences
them and promoting other
social activities to avoid using
alcohol."
Chris Correia, the supervisor
for HBAC, said no type of stu­dent
is more at risk than others
to be a problem drinker.
He said as a whole, college
students are most likely to be
problem drinkers when com­pared
with other age groups.
"National research says the 18 to 24 age
group is most at risk to be problem drinkers,"
Correia said.
Correia said the center usually sees 30 to
40 people each year, but there has been an
increase this year because of the new stadi­um
alcohol policy — students caught with
alcohol are referred to the program.
Correia said the drinking problems at
Auburn are not unusual; Auburn's numbers
are similar to other comparable universities.
"It's right on par with other universities
our size," Correia said. "It's not ah Auburn or
Alabama problem."
Senior Patrick Poindexter agreed.
"Auburn students probably drink about the
same as students from other schools,"
Poindexter said.
According to HBAC statistics, binge drink­ing
is on the rise, with almost half of college
students participating.
"Binge drinking is usually considered as
four or more drinks for females and five or
more drinks for males in one sitting," Correia
said. "A drink consists* of 12 ounces of beer,
one ounce of hard liquor and four ounces of
wine."
Both Correia and Bhaju said the data col­lected
across the nation show the interven­tion
program is effective.
For more information about the interven­tion
program, visit the HBAC office at 1110
Haley Center or call 844-4889.
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Local stores offer quick computer fix
By CHASE MITCHELL
Assistant Campus Editor
For most of the courses offered at Auburn,
computers are a necessity.
From checking e-mail to doing research for
a big paper to completing an assignment on
WebCT. it's rare, to find a class that doesn't
require Internet access for one reason or
another.
But to stay up-to-speed, students' comput­ers
must remain in working order, which,
unfortunately, isn't always the case.
Luckily, there's more than one computer
repair company out there, waiting to come to
the rescue.
Perhaps the most high-profile choice,
because of their TV commercials and their
association with Best Buy, is the Geek Squad.
With locations nationwide, including one
at the Best Buy at TlgerTown in Opelika, the
Geek Squad is ready to send out one of its
"agents" 24 hours a day to fix any computer
problem.
The company was started in 1994, but it
was three years later, when it partnered with
home electronics chain Best Buy, Geek Squad
stores began popping up all over the map.
Sebastian Kernisant has been manning the
phone lines for the Geek Squad as a guidance
engineer for nearly a year.
"We usually try and determine the issue
and see if it's able to get done over the phone,"
Kernisant said, "tfit is, then we fix it over the
phone."
He works at the Geek Squad's base in Ft
Lauderdale, Fla., where he takes anywhere
from 75 to 100 calls a day from all over the
country. When he can't solve the problem by
phone, he transfers the customer's call to the
Opelika location.
Ryan Nichols, a senior in business and a
local Geek Squad agent said the squad's
know-how sets it apart from the competition.
Most of Nichols' co-workers are fellow
Auburn students, majoring in either comput­er
sciences or business.
"We go through a lot more training than
MICHAEL NELSON — PHOTO EDITOH
REVENGE OF THE NERD& Jason Bodycott (right) and Brian Coleman are members of
the Geek Squad, a group of workers at Best Buy who fix computers. Students have
an array of options when it comes to fixing their computers.
most other places," Nichols said.
Another local organization that specializes
in computer repair is Net Profit Technology
Group, 435 N. Dean Road.
According to its Web site. Net Profit offers a
wide array of services, including support
security, Web site design, networking Web-hosting
and consulting.
The business is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
weekdays, but is closed on weekends.
Phillip Green, who works for the company,
said college students make up a large portion
of his clientele, but added that Net Profit also
offers contracts to businesses.
Net Profit charges $85 an hour for on-site
repairs and $55 an hour to make repairs in
the store.
On the other hand, the Geek Squad charges
a minimum of $129 to send an agent out
which is tacked on to the price of repairs
needed.
If problems occur after the first visit they'll
send an agent back for free.
Both the Geek Squad and Net Profit each
say they can handle Mac repairs as well as PC.
"We help out with Macs, but we have limit­ed
agents that work on them," Kernisant said:
"If we don't have any person that works on a
Mac that can go out usually it's recommend­ed
that the Mac unit be brought to the store."
Although Green made it clear that Net
Profit is "not 100 percent authorized to work
on Macs," he said they have "worked on sever­al
of them whenever they come in."
"I don't have anyone here, per se, that's
been through Mac courses," Green said. "They
just know a lot about them, so they feel com­fortable
working on them and working on
that operating system."
Both companies said the most common
complaints they hear from college students
deal with viruses and spyware.
Green said he doesn't view the Geek Squad
as a competitor, but rather as a colleague.
"There's a lot of companies that come and
go, but we don't look at it as any competition,"
he said. "We'll help whoever calls, and if we
need to contact one of those guys to get
something accomplished for a client we'll go
that route, too."
College freedom creates daredevil students
By HILLARY BROWN
StqffWriter
College students often take
risks when faced with new free­doms
and greater responsibili­ties.
"Eighty five percent of human
learning is accom­plished
by trial and
error," said Ray
Little, a licensed
professional coun­selor
in Dothan.
"College is a time
of experimenta­tion,
of change.
Students are learn­ing
by taking risks."
Little said risk is
"perceptual" and
should, in many
cases, be viewed as
a positive and important part of
youth.
"As we age, security begins to
dominate," Little said. "Students
don't have that security yet.
"My friends
who had really
strict parents
were
overwhelmed
by their
freedom."
—Curt Tanner
junior in business
They have to take risks to estab­lish
themselves. Risk manage­ment
is what is important.
Completely abstaining from
risk is not constructive."
Many students, however,
have not learned how to effec­tively
manage their risk taking.
According to a
three-year investi­gation
by the Task
Force on College
Drinking "Alcohol
consumption is
linked to at least
1,400 student
deaths and 500,000
u n i n t e n t i o n a l
accidents annual-
¥
Besides the high
risk that accompa­nies
excessive
drinking students do not take
necessary precautions when
engaging in sexual activities.
Researchers at the Human
Social Health Association esti­mate
that nearly half of the
country's 18.9 million new sexu­ally
transmitted disease (STD)
cases in 2000 occurred among
15- to 24-year-olds.
With these statistics in mind,
what can be done to deter stu­dents
from taking dangerous
and unhealthy risks?
"I gave my son a lot of respon­sibility
and not many rules at an
early age. If he made a mistake,
he had to deal with the conse­quences
and learn to do some­thing
different," said Curtis
Tanner, father of an Auburn
sophomore.
Tanner's son, Curt, agrees
that his father's methods for
preparing him for college fife
were helpful.
"My friends who had really
strict parents were over­whelmed
by their freedom.
They took a lot of risks without
any thought involved," Curt
said.
Allowing high school stu­dents
to make their own mis­takes
can be an important step
in helping students make the
right choices in the future.
"My parents worked very
hard to be able to send me to
college. I don't want to disap­point
them by taking unwise
risks," Lauren Smith, a fresh­man
in mass communication
said.
Despite her desire to please
her parents, Smith admits she
skips class, a risk cited in the
2003 Your First College Year sur­vey.
The survey reports that one-third
of college students skip
classes freshman year.
But students can also take
chances that result in success.
"Playing football is risky, but
the players are also revered,"
Little said. "The stock market is
risky, but it can pay off. Risks
can pay off well. Without taking
chances, you really don't know
how far you can go."
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