2006-11-30 The Auburn Plainsman

              'Not so much/
The Plainsman talks one-on-one with a Birmingham
preacher who appears in the movie "Borat."
PAGE CI
Showdown in T-Town
The Tigers rode the Tide to a 22-15
victory for the fifth year in a row.
PAGE Dl i A Spirit That Is Not Afraid
Wi)t Auburn 3PIatnsiman Vol. 113.
Issue 14
36 Pages
Nov. 30,2006
Former employee owes AU $83,000
By SARAH BROCK
Senior Reporter
A former Auburn employee owes
the University's Large Animal
Clinic more than $83,000 according
to a state audit released last Friday.
The audit, released by the
Department of Examiners of Public
Accounts, names Casey Dillard as
the supervisor-cashier responsible
for the missing money.
The audit found that receipts for
customer payments totaling
$80,322.51 were written, but not
included on collection reports or
deposited in the bank.
Additional charges against
Dillard include another $3,059.40
that was credited to 12 customer
accounts, but the payments were
not receipted, reported or deposit­ed.
"The Large Animal Clinic's
records documented about $83,000
in funds received from customers
that were not deposited in the
banks," said Brian Harris, assistant
director of education audits with
the Examiners of Public Account.
Harris said the majority of the
missing deposits were cash pay­ments.
Records also show Dillard had
$241.71 written off her account in
February 2002.
The College of Veterjnary
Medicine placed Dillard on admin­istrative
leave March 8, 20061 and
she was terminated July 7,2005.
Dillard's immediate supervisor,
who was not named in the report,
was reassigned to a position in the
teaching hospital.
According to a memo from Tim
Boosinger, dean of the college, the
> Turn to AUDIT, A5
Get your thumb ready* Coach
Shula. You're taking a hike.
>• Alabama fires head coach Mike
Shula after the Tide's defeat at the
Iron Bowl.
> See Sports
for coverage
of the Iron Bowl
GRE, LSAT to
be revamped
By MIRANDA MATTHEIS
Associate Campus Editor
Students planning to take the Graduate Record
Examinations or the Law School Admission Test have a
limited time to do so before both tests will undergo
changes.
In September 2007, the GRE will undergo its most sig­nificant
changes in its 55-year history.
"It will be an all new examen," said Susan Kaplan,
director of Graduate Programs at Kaplan Test Prep and
Admissions.
GRE changes format, length
One major change will be the length of the GRE.
"Currently, the exam is about two and a half hours,"
Kaplan said.
The new exam will be four hours, and Kaplan said it
will require a lot more stamina.
"Students are going to need to adapt to a much longer
exam," Kaplan said.
Several format changes will also occur.
Currently, the exam is a computer adaptive test, which
means the difficulty of each question is based on a stu­dent's
answers to previous questions.
The new exam will not be adaptive, but rather a stan­dardized
t e s t Everyone taking the test will get the same
test with the same questions.
"It's an efficient way to test people," Kaplan said.
The content of the new exam will require students to
have higher cognitive and reasoning skills.
The new test includes a critical thinking and analytical
writing section, a verbal section and a quantitative sec­tion.
The critical thinking and analytical writing section will
challenge students with more specific essay questions to
answer.
In the verbal section, less emphasis will be placed on
vocabulary and more emphasis will be placed on com­plex
sentence completions. This section will also include
more critical reading.
The quantitative section will also have a shift in focus.
The new test will place more emphasis on data interpre­tation
and complex word problems and less emphasis on
geometry.
>- Turn to TESTS, A5
iSurgery
LASIKeye surgery
becoming a more
common practice
By AMY GORDON
Intrigue Editor
The doctor's office is colorful, with tasteful dec­orations
and muted colors of salmon and forest
green. Paintings are on the walls, along with a
mounted stone fountain and a mirror in a gold
frame. A wrought iron chandelier hangs, dripping
with clear crystals. On the receptionist's desk, gift
cards are offered for giving the gift of surgery for
the holidays.
The office should be a sight for sore eyes. After
all, the people walking in this office can barely
see. A short time later, when they walk out, their
sight has been restored by the magic of LASIK eye
surgery.
This office belongs to Auburn specialist Dr.
Stephen Hollis, who has performed LASIK surger­ies
in the area for a year.
In LASIK surgery, a blade is used to cut a flap in
the surface of the eye1, which is opened to reveal
> Turn to SURGERY, A5
Students take break from studies to serve in Marines
C0NTNBUTE0
Lance Cpl. Steven Kramer, a sophomore in criminology at Auburn,
stands in front of a Humvee in Djibouti, Africa. Kramer Is a Marina
who has been in Djibouti since August
By SARAH BROCK
Senior Reporter
While the rest of Auburn students
stuffed themselves last Thursday at
Thanksgiving feasts, Lance Cpl. Steven H.
Kramer was halfway across the globe,
repairing weapons for the Marines at
Camp Lemonier in Djibouti, Africa.
Kramer, along with fellow Auburn stu­dent
Lance Cpl. Josh Neese, have been sta­tioned
at Camp Lemonier since the end of
August on a mission with the 5th
Provisional Security Company (PSC),
which is part of the Anti-Terrorism
Battalion from Bessemer.
Both students have taken a break from
their studies to serve the country.
Kramer is a sophomore criminology
major from Trussville, while Neese, who is
from Butler, is a freshman in graphic
design. The two expect to come home in
March 2007 and plan to re-enroll here
next fall.
In the meantime, though, they spend
their days working at their new home
base. Neese provides security for the base,
and he also patrols the surrounding area.
Kramer is the armory Non-Commissioned
Officer in Charge,
"Basically, I keep all the weapons under
guard and in working condition until they
are drawn out for use on the posts or a
range," Kramer wrote in an e-mail. "If a
weapon is broken, I have to get the parts
and fix the weapons."
Kramer said his day typically begins at
0600, or 6 a.m., when he prepares for
work He works until 1730 or 5:30 p.m.,
repairing weapons and accompanying the
Marines to the range.
Besides patrolling and providing securi­ty,
Neese said he also spends time doing
martial arts and working out
Although they stay busy with work,
Kramer and Neese said they miss Auburn
and their homes.
"What do I miss about Auburn? Well
everything really," Kramer wrote. "Mostly I
miss my friends, football, parties, the
night life — of course I miss the girls ...
and I guess I miss the school (classes) a
little bit too."
Even though Kramer and Neese are
thousands of miles away from Jordan-
> Turn to MARINE, AS
M. t
A2 £D)r auburn plainsman Thursday, Nov. 30,2006
tEtje Auburn plainsman
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Fast & Convenient
Monday - F r i d a y . . . . . . . . 11 am-2pm
Sunday Buffet
$5.99
11 -2 pm
Kids Under 10 Eat Free
Home of $3.00 pitchers!
log on for full menu at
www.auchinapalace.net
SUSHI HOUR (Dine-in & to-go)
7 days a week 5pm-10pm
Business Hours:
Sun-Fri: Ham-10pm
Sat: 5pm-10pm
Convenient take-out
&
FREE DELIVERY
After 5:00 pm
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*tiger card accepted1"
S. College St.
S |
335 S. College Sc.
Tel: 887-88**6
Road closed ahead
Pete Riley / ASSOCIATE PHOTO EDITOR
Repairs on Gay Street this week between Opelika Road and Drake Avenue slowed
down traffic. The work started Monday and finished by Tuesday.
W(BU,
Louisiana State University University of Alabama
The Daily Reveille —
Louisiana State University recently
received a grade of "D" for overall acces­sibility
by minority and low-income stu­dents,
according to a recent study
released by Education Trust.
The report rated the nation's top 50
public flagship universities on how
accessible they were for minorities and
low-income students and the progress
being made to increase accessibility for
those groups.
Education Trust is a nonprofit group
that promotes academic achievement of
pre-kindergarten through college stu­dents.
It also works to close gaps between
low-income students and minority stu­dents
from other youth.
"At a time when more and more low-income
and minority students are
preparing for college, it is disturbing
that many of our most prestigious col­leges
and universities are turning away
from them," Kati Haycock, director of
the Education Trust and a co-author of
the report, said in a news release.
University of Florida
Independent Florida Alligator —
In the dilemma about repairing Ollie
Gator, the inflatable mascot at
women's volleyball and basketball
games, the University Athletic Associa­tion
has decided to "move in a different
direction."
For Ollie, it's toward the bright end
of the tunnel.
Martin Salamone, marketing direc­tor
for the University Athletic Associa­tion,
said the UAA has no plans to
restore Ollie, who first appeared on
University of Florida's sidelines about
10 years ago.
Ollie is admired by fans for his
spunk. He adds pizzazz to the games
with stunts like standing on his head
and popping his limbs in and out.
The motor-powered Ollie suit mal­functioned
before the preseason bas­ketball
show Midnight Madness Oct.
13, and the problems proved too severe
to repair.
University of Mississippi
The Daily Mississippian —
University of Mississippi student
Samuel "Sam" Pierro, known for his
cheerful spirit, was interred Saturday
after he died Nov. 20 at his brother's
home in Austin, Texas.
Pierro was a freshman business-undecided
major at Ole Miss from
Austin and a pledge member of Sigma
Phi Epsilon fraternity. Born Dec. 16,
1987, his obituary in the Austin Ameri­can-
Statesman said he "passed away
accidentally."
According to the coroner of Travis
County, Texas, Pierro's cause of death
is still pending and the autopsy will
not be released for another six to eight
weeks.
Nicknamed "Sweet Sam" by his
grandmother, Pierro was always think­ing
of others, according to his friends.
"He was a good-hearted guy who
loved being around everybody," said
Steven Timmons, a freshman business
finance major from Austin and Pierro's
close friend. "He enjoyed life to the
fullest and went beyond the call of
duty to always make sure everyone
else was having a good time. He was
also very at nletic'
The Crimson White —
The Culverhouse School of
Accountancy has moved up in the
national rankings of an independ­ent
accounting newsletter, and stu­dents,
faculty and alumni are
pleased.
According to the October issue of
the Public Accounting Report, the
University of Alabama's undergrad­uate
accountancy program gained
seven spots to rise to No. 15 in its
national rankings.
"Alabama has had a long run as a
top program, but this is the highest
ranking in several years," said Rich
Houston, professor of accounting
and director of the master's of
accountancy program.
"The new ranking reflects favor­ably
on the students, professors and
alumni, all of whom have been
working to have a sound program,"
said Mary Stone, director of the
Culverhouse School of Accoun­tancy.
"Years of hard work are now
bearing fruit."
University of Arkansas
Arkansas Traveler —
The University of Arkansas is well
known throughout the Middle East,
said Najib Ghadbian, UA professor
of political science.
"Whenever I travel to the Middle
East, people say 'You're that guy
from Arkansas,'" Ghadbian said.
Ghadbian provides political
analysis and commentary for Al-
Jazeera, the Middle Eastern news
agency. When he comments on U.S.
foreign policy and democratization,
Al-Jazeera notes his affiliation with
the UA, Ghadbian said.
Now, even more people will know
about the UA through Al-Jazeera,
which launched its English news
channel Nov. 15. Ghadbian has been
on a panel covering the 2004 elec­tion
for the network and has pro­vided
phone commentary. At the
UA, he teaches political science and
Middle East affairs, he said.
University of Kentucky
The Kentucky Kernel —
All University of Kentucky build­ings
are now officially smoke-free —
a policy that will be enforced at each
building by the departments that
reside within it.
UK spokesman Jay Blanton said
the policy comes as a result of a state
mandate.
"State law has required all public
universities to formally adopt a
smoking policy," Blanton said. "Our
Board of Trustees has adopted a poli­cy
that formalizes a ban on smoking
in university buildings; it also bans
smoking in covered bridges and ped-ways."
Blanton said the regulations will
be enforced by individual depart­ments,
not by a central entity.
According to an e-mail sent to fac­ulty,
staff and students, the new regu­lations
prohibit smoking in all
university-owned or -operated build­ings,
including parking garages and
pedways. Smoking will also be pro­hibited
within 20 feet of entrances,
exits, windows or air intakes. Desig­nated
si <oking areas are no longer
available in any building.
Crime
Reports
Nov. 17 — Nov. 22
Nov. 17, Village West Apartments — Burglary
of auto and miscellaneous larceny reported. One
black leather purse, one pink wallet, one Alaba­ma
driver's license and 40 CDs were stolen. The
value of the items was $350. One rear passenger
window was damaged to a value of $200.
Nov. 17, Foy Union — Criminal trespassing and
theft from a public building reported between
5:30 p.m. and 9:35 p.m. One set of master keys,
valued at $100, was stolen and recovered.
Nov. 18, Sears, 1627 Opelika Road — Shoplift­ing
reported between 11:45 a.m. and noon. One
pair of "Glo" jeans, two audio CDs and one DVD
were stolen and recovered. The total value of the
items was $62.
Nov. 18, Bodabling Jewelry, 1627 Opelika
Road — Shoplifting reported between 8:20 p.m.
and 8:30 p.m. Forty-five Body Vibe tongue rings
were stolen. The total value of the stolen jewelry
was $500.
Nov. 18, Hyatt House Apartments — Illegal
possession and use of a credit card. One
Wachovia bank debit card was illegally used.
Nov. 19, Auburn Trail, 1131 S. College St. —
Criminal mischief reported at 2:11 a.m. One
metal entry door was damaged to a value of $300.
Nov. 19, 358 St. James Drive — Criminal mis­chief
reported. One exterior wall was damaged to
a value of $500.
Nov. 19, Dudley Apartments, Toomer Street —
Criminal mischief reported. One double-pane
window was broken. The damage was valued at
$400.
Nov. 19, Wal-Mart, South College Street —
Theft of lost property reported between 3:30 p.m.
and 7 p.m. One cell phone, one wallet, four credit
cards, one debit card and four personal checks
were stolen. Also, $177 in U.S. currency was
stolen. The total value of the stolen items was
$1,052.
Nov. 20, Avalon Park Mobile Homes — Bur­glary
and theft from residence reported. One
XBox 360, one Hardpack XBox, one XBox con­troller
and three XBox games were stolen. The
value of the stolen items was $721.
Nov. 20,600 St-oi I woods Drive — Criminal mis­chief
reported between 12:30 a.m. and 6:30 a.m.
One mailbox and one sewer pipe were damaged.
The total value of the damage was $150.
Nov. 20, Courtyard Condos — Criminal tres­passing
reported at 9:30 a.m.
Nov. 20, Tamarack Apartments, Donahue
Drive — Criminal mischief reported between
12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. Several clothing items and
several sheetrock walls were damaged. The value
of the damage was $450.
Nov. 20, 332 Payne St. - Criminal mischief
reported between 5 p.m. and 5:15 p.m. One rear
window on the camper shell of a white Ford F-
150 was damaged to a value of $200.
Nov. 20,556 Dumas Drive — Criminal mischief
reported between 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. One left
rear corner window and frame were damaged to
a value of $300.
Nov. 20, Thorpe Street - Harassing communi­cations
reported at 8:05 p.m.
Nov. 20, Creative Discovery Child Care — Mis­cellaneous
offenses reported between 3:25 p.m.
and 3:30 p.m.
Nov. 20, 1542 Mil I bra mh Drive — Criminal
mischief reported between 4:15 p.m. and 8 p.m.
One rear vehicle window was damaged to a value
of $150.
Nov. 21, Drake Middle School, 655 Spencer
Ave. — Rendering false information and criminal
trespassing reported between noon and 12:17
p.m.
Nov. 21, Big Lots, 1716 Opelika Road -
Shoplifting reported at 1:30 p.m. One 8.25 com­pound
miter saw and one Turtle wax car care kit
were stolen. The combined value of the stolen
items was $59.
Nov. 21,923 Gentry Drive - Child in need of a
supervisor reported between 3:30 p.m. and 9:35
p.m.
Nov. 22, Auburn City Municipal Parking Deck,
North Gay Street - Criminal mischief reported
between 1:45 a.m. and 2 a.m. One rear car wind­shield
was damaged to a value of $350.
- Reports provided by the Auburn
Department of Public Safety
Qtye Auburn $lamaman
STATE&LOCAL Editorials
Letters
Political Cartoons A3
November 30,2006
Hubbard gets more funds for airport
By ASHLEY HUNGERFORD
Assistant State & Local Editor
The Auburn-Opelika Robert G. Pitts
Airport is one step closer to getting a
needed makeover.
State Rep. Mike Hubbard (R-Auburn)
helped secure $946,000 in state funds to
build an access road to the airport's
future terminal.
The access road will make the new ter­minal
more accessible to 1-85 at the Rent
Creek exit.
The access road is just the beginning
of a complete upgrade of the airport.
"The Auburn airport is not adequate to
serve our community," Hubbard said. "It's
been a project of mine to improve the
airport."
Hubbard is a mem­ber
of the airport
advisory board.
He said the new ter­minal
will be first-class,
and it will be
money well spent.
He said the airport,
which was built in
1950, is not the first
impression Auburn
wants to give to people flying into it.
He said a community that is prosper-
Hubbard
ing economically like the Auburn-
Opelika area needs an upgraded airport.
Rill Hutto, airport director, said a good
bit of construction is underway at the
airport.
"The money will be very helpful
because it will give funds to build an
access road," Hutto said.
The terminal at the Auburn-Opelika
airport lies on the west side. The new ter­minal
will be built on the east side, and it
will be much bigger and have more
hangar space.
"The new terminal will provide a
> Turn to AIRPORT, A4
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Pete Riltyf ASSOCIATE PHOTO EDITOR
New funds will be used for an access road to the new terminal. The
terminal will replace the out-of-date one built in the 1950s.
Auburn veteran receives national honors
99
CONTRIBUTED
Lt. Gen. Harold G. Moore served in the U.S. Army for 32 years. Moore received the 2006 National
Veteran of the Year award. It is given each year by the National Veterans Day in Birmingham, and it
honors contributions of veterans to further the interest of veterans. Moore lives in Auburn.
Man who inspired
"We Were Soldiers
named National
Veteran of the Year
By SKIP H ANSBERGER
StqffWriter
A great leader is someone who thrives when
faced with adversity, who keeps a level head in
times of urgency and who elicits top-notch per­formance
from his followers, especially in the
most demanding of situations.
Lt. Gen. Harold G. Moore, a 1977 retiree from
the U.S. Army after 32 years of service, is the epit­ome
of a great leader and was recently named
National Veteran of the Year. * *** *-
The award is given each year by National
Veterans Day in Birmingham, a non-profit organ­ization
formed in 1945 to salute members of the
armed services and the active, reserve and
National Guard forces.
It honors one outstanding U.S. veteran who has
made the greatest contribution to further the
patriotic interest of veterans and veteran organi­zations
throughout the country.
"This is a very humbling experience, to get this
award ... Humility' is probably the best word to
describe my feelings," Moore said. "Because an
award like this, which has brought me some
acclaim, is really based on the blood of my troop­ers
and the sacrifices of my friends."
Moore was chosen primarily because of his long
list of war-time accomplishments and medals,
including the Purple Heart and the Distinguished
Service Cross, the nation's second-highest award
for valor.
He also founded of The National Endowment
for The Public Trust, an educational institution
that works to advance public trust along with
principled and just leadership in America.
"(The award) makes me realize, yet again, more
and more, what good soldiers I had," Moore said.
"If I hadn't had great soldiers, I'd be nothing. I had
so much help along the way from sergeants and
privates in the rank and, particularly in battle, I
owe so much to my troopers."
Hal Moore was born Feb. 13, 1922, in
Rardstown, Ky. His interest in the armed services
spawned from his father's keen observations.of
him as an adolescent, when he noticed that his
son liked to get out in the woods a lot, not to men­tion
that he was a leader in the Roy Scouts!of
America.
"He suggested to me, when I was 14 years old,
that I might want to think about trying to get into
West Point and be an Army officer," Moore said.
"As an Army officer, you're leading men and you're
outside a lot."
Moore liked what his father had to say and
heeded his advice.
From that point he knew he would eve
be a military man, but the path he would take to
get there wa« still ancmrtmin. fei 0;j
His journey into the world of combat and the
armed forces began in high school when he
moved from Kentucky to Washington, D.C., where
the demographics would give him a higher
chance of receiving an appointment to the U.S.
Military Academy.
Moore finished high school at night and attend­ed
George Washington University during the sum­mer
and winter for two years at night, all while
working in a warehouse during the day, before
finally receiving his appointment to West Point
Academy in 1942 from a Georgia congressman.
Moore graduated from West Point in 1945 and
completed his graduate studies at George
Washington and Harvard universities. He went on
to prove that performance in academics isn't
always an accurate predictor of performance in
real-life situations.
"I'm proud to say I graduated at the top... of the
bottom 15 percent of my (West Point) class,"
Moore said, jokingly.
> Turn to VETERAN, A4
State code keeps
photographer,
reporter at bay
By MATT DISCHINGER
State & Local Editor
The First Amendment of the Constitution guar­antees
"freedom" to members of the press unless
there is a compelling governmental interest to
override this freedom. Some examples of this com­pelling
interest are the government's keeping
members of the media from revealing troop posi­tion
in Iraq and keeping names of criminals from
the press before certain points in police investiga­tion.
However, two members of The Plainsman were
surprised to find out about one of Alabama's oldest
restrictions on the press: keeping photographers
out of polling places.
During the Nov. 7 elections, a photographer and
reporter for The Plainsman were repeatedly denied
access into several polling places and only allowed
to take pictures outside the 30-foot perimeter.
This is because of a statute in the Alabama code
that was first introduced in 18% and last revised in
Group protests at funerals of girls
killed in Huntsville bus accident
Mmto Nutrition by Jon Cuhwr / DESIGN EDITOR
A Plainsman photographer and reporter were
denied access to taking photos at several polling
locations on election day, Nov. 7. The basis was
found in 1940 Alabama code,
1940. Section 17-7-18 of the Alabama code reads as
follows: "Except as electors are admitted to vote
and persons to assist them as herein provided, and
except the sheriff or his deputy, the inspectors,
> Turn to NO CAMERAS, A7
ByTESSHOLLIS
StqffWriter
On Nov. 20, four students died after a school
bus plunged off a highway overpass in Huntsville.
The four students killed were Crystal Renee
McCrary, 17; Christine Collier, 18; Nicole Ford, 17;
and Tanesha Hill, age unknown.
The bus was carrying _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
40 students from Lee
High School in
Huntsville. The cause
of the accident is still
being investigated by
the National
Transportation Safety
Board.
Another issue, how­ever,
has arisen from __»._»_«.__m m mm
the tragic bus accident
Westboro Baptist Church (WBC), located in
Topeka, Kan., protested at the funeral of Ford
The funeral was held Nov. 24 at Union Chapel
Missionary Baptist Church.
A permit was issued Nov. 22 to WRC by the
"We live in America, and people have
a right to protest, but just so there is
no question, these people are not
invited, and they are not welcome."
Huntsville Police Chief, Rex Reynolds. The per­mit
allowed 10 protesters to picket within two
blocks south of the church.
According to the WBC press release, the pick­et
was out of religious protest and warning. The
press release goes on to state "God is not
mocked! God hates Fags and Fag-enablers. God
hates Alabama and America because they have
_ _ ^ ™ « — M ^ — gone the way of ancient
Sodom and have become
the Land of the Sodomite
damned."
WBC is most well
known for picketing
funerals of fallen soldiers.
WBC believes God is
punishing America by
killing soldiers and the
_ _ _ _ _ ^ • students in the bus acci­dent,
because America
allows homosexuality.
They have been operating, as a church, since
Governor
1955.
> Turn to FUNERAL, A*
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A4 die Auburn plainsman Thursday, Nov. 30,2006
A '$i J. Gary Black
Attorney At Law
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Alcohol/Drug Offenses
Representing Auburn Sludents in Auburn and Lee County Courts
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BEHIND HZ
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GLASS
-i
State & Local
Mobile man shot to death
On Monday, a 25-year-old man was shot in
Mobile. Terell Boykin was found shot to death
on Ann Street in the southeast part of the city.
No arrest had been made as of Tuesday morning
in the case.
Gender discrimination suit settled
A gender discrimination suit between teacher
Roderick Jackson and the Birmingham Board of
F.ducation was settled Tuesday night The
long-running case went before the Supreme
Court in 2005.
Tuscaloosa County man faces child
pornography charges
Jeff Pierson, a 43-year-old Tuscaloosa County
resident, is facing federal charges in connection
with a Florida Web-based business that
produced images of child pornography. Pierson
was charged along with two men Tuesday.
— STATE & LOCAL STAFF —
MATT DISCHINGER
State & Local Editor
ASHLEY HUNGERFORD
Assistant Editor
BETHANY KIRBY
Assistant Editor
To reach the S&L staff, call (334) 844-9109.
AIRPORT
> From A3
favorable impression of the Universi­ty
and the community," Hutt o said.
He said the terminal building proj­ect
is in the first phase of site work.
He said the plan is to begin site work
before Christmas.
Hutto said the complete project
would include site work, taxiways,
ramps, the terminal building, a
parking lot, an «__m m _ _ _ _ ^_
access road and
four large
hangars.
He said he
hopes to move
into the new
terminal in fall
2008, but he
said the project
needs a lot . « „ _ _ _ _ _ „_
more funds.
He said for taxiways, the aircraft
apron and site work, 95 percent of
funding comes from the Federal Avi­ation
Administration, 2.5 percent
comes from state funding and 2.5
percent comes from local govern­ments.
The terminal building's funding
will come from Opelika, Auburn and
Lee County.
Auburn Mayor Bill Ham said he is
pleased with Hubbard's effort to
secure funds for the airport.
He said the funds help foster the
relationship between the communi­ty
and the airport.
He also said the funds "enable us
to move forward with a top-notch
airport that serves all of Lee County."
The Auburn-Opelika Robert G.
Pitts Airport is owned by Auburn
University, the only university-owned
airport in the state.
Upgrading the airport has been
one of Auburn President Ed Richard­son's
initiatives.
"Upgrading the airport complex
makes the region more attractive for
industry and provides better facili­ties
for the community and the Uni-
^ ^ m m ^ ^ versity's Air
Transportation
Department,"
Richardson said
press
"The Auburn airport is not
adequate to serve our community.
It's been a project of mine to
improve the airport"
Mike Hubbard
state representative
in a
release.
"Rep. Hub­bard
has once
again demon­strated
his
_ „ _ ^ ^ m m ^ m m m commitment to
Auburn Univer­sity."
Hubbard said the new terminal
project would also benefit the flight
education program by providing a
better facility.
Hubbard said by securing state
funds, the University, cities or coun­ty
wouldn't have to come up with
the expense.
With all the new projects at the
airport, Hubbard said he is still
working to secure more funding.
He said he's worked with U.S. Rep.
Mike Rogers and U.S. Sen. Richard
Shelby to help get money appor­tioned
for the airport in the federal
budget.
VETERAN
>- From A3
Despite his lack-luster performance in the classroom, he was
commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1945 and quickly proved
his value to the U.S. military.
Moore not only served as deputy chief of staff for personnel in
the Department of the Army, commanded a large Army post of
more than 35,000 men in California and served NATO duty in
Norway, but he also led two infantry companies in the Korean
War and was commander of the Ft. Ord, Calif., Army Infantry
Division of 17,000 men in Korea.
In addition to seeing action in Korea, Moore led an infantry
battalion and brigade in numerous battles in the Vietnam War.
His experience in Vietnam led Moore to co-author the book
"We Were Soldiers Once ... and Young" with Joe Galloway. The
book details how he led the massively outnumbered First Calvary
Division of the Seventh Calvary Regiment of the First Battalion to
victory in a small clearing in Vietnam in the la Drang Valley,
called Landing Zone X-Ray (LZ X-ray).
For three days in November 1965, Moore, a lieutenant colonel
at the time, and his 450 troopers fought 2,000 enemy soldiers in
one of the most gruesome battles in U.S. history. The la Drang
Battle (LZ X-ray), was the first major battle between the United
States and North Vietnam.
According to the prologue in the book, "the la Drang Campaign
was to the Vietnam War what the terrible Spanish Civil War of
the 1930s was to World War II — a dress rehearsal. The place
where new tactics, techniques and weapons were tested, perfect­ed
and validated ... both sides claimed victory and both sides
drew lessons, some of them dangerously deceptive."
The book was a New York Times No. 1 best seller in 1992 and
has been called one of the best accounts of infantry combat and
most significant books to come out of the Vietnam War. It spent
more than 17 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller List and
inspired the movie "We Were Soldiers," starring Mel Gibson as Lt.
Col. Moore. The movie was released in March 2002 by Paramount
and is still showing around the world.
Moore said he quickly discovered "that when an author of a
book sells the movie rights to his book to Hollywood, he loses
control." He had no say in how the book would be adapted for the
big screen. He said "it's just like giving up a baby for adoption."
Needless to say, Moore was excited to find that the movie is
"about 75 percent correct," in comparison to the book. "Usually
it's been the other way around for Vietnam War movies," he said.
"Only we Vietnam veterans know how we talked and how we
acted and how we looked, how we smelled," Moore said, "and Hol­lywood
got it all wrong every damn time. I've had so many Viet­nam
veterans write me or telephone me to say 'finally, Hollywood
got it right.'"
As for Gibson's portrayal of him in the movie, Moore was
impressed with his research and preparation for the part and
said he did a "damn good job." Gibson spent a considerable
amount of time with Moore before filming began, and the two
became good friends. Moore's daughters tell him that when they
watch the movie and hear Gibson talking, they can shut their
eyes and swear it sounds just like him.
In addition to being a great leader, Moore is also a qualified
Army helicopter pilot and Master parachutist. He has completed
more than 300 jumps and many credit him for pioneering the
sport of skydiving in the 1940s.
A paratrooper in Japan and at Ft. Bragg, N.C., he volunteered
for the Army's Airborne Test Section and performed more than
150 test-jumps on experimental parachutes and associated
equipment for the Army, Air Force and CIA, with several near-death
experiences.
Moore stresses three major principles that guided him in Viet­nam
and still guide him today: first, never quit; second, there's
always something else you can do (to prepare for challenges or
escape harmful circumstances); and third, trust your internets.
In 1965, while preparing his troops for battle in Vietnam,
Moore promised them this; "We will leave no man behind."
His proudest achievement throughout his military career is the
absolute fulfillment of that promise. In numerous battles and two
wars he never lost a soldier as a prisoner of war or missing in
action.
Moore has always said soldiers on the battlefield di<rWrVtt ffii|g ht for
V •
CONTRIBUTED
After serving in the Vietnam War,
Moore co-authored a book about his
experience called "We Were Soldiers
Oncc.and Young." The book
inspired the Mel Gibson movie, "We
Were Soldiers," in which Gibson por­trayed
Moore. Moore also served in
the Korean War, and he was awarded
the Purple Heart, the Distinguished
Service Cross and many other
awards during his career in the
armed forces.
patriotism or politics, they fight for their survival and for the sur­vival
of the man to their left and the man to their right — their
brothers in arms. The individual soldiers make the difference.
This wartime concern for each individual under his command
translated strongly to Moore's family life.
Moore was married to Julia Compton Moore for 54 years before
she passed away two years ago. Together, they had five children:
three boys, Harold III, Stephen and David; and two girls, Julie and
Cecile. Moore has 11 grandchildren.
The couple's path to Auburn began when Julia's father, a retired
colonial, was assigned to Auburn Polytechnic Institute ROTC
after World War I. Her parents lived in Auburn for several years
until her father retired in 1952, and they began combing Texas
and Florida for a suitable retirement home.
When they didn't find one, his wife suggested they look in
Auburn, where they soon discovered several of his contempo­raries
already retired there.
They bought a house on xMoore's Mill Road and moved in along
with their daughter and her two children.
Julia lived in the house with her parents and the children for 14
months while Moore was fighting overseas in the Korean War.
Through the years. Moore and his wife have continually brought
all five of their children back to that house to visit their grandpar­ents,
making it a special place for the family.
After his retirement from the Army and a four-year stint in
Crested Butte, Colo., as the executive vice president of the Crest­ed
Butte Ski Area, Julia's parents passed away and left the house
to her. Through the years, since they kept their home in Col­orado,
the family spent their summers and a couple of months in
the winters in Crested Butte, then came to Auburn for the win­ters.
"When my wife passed away, she left the house to our five chil­dren,
and I'm living in the house now," Moore said. "I love this
town, and I love that Auburn football team. I've been an Auburn
fan for almost 50 years."
Thursday, Nov. 30,2006 Che Auburn fllamgman A5
MARINE i
CONTRIBUTED
Lance Cpl. Steven Kramer fires a gun during target practice
while serving in Djibouti, Africa.
CONTRIBUTED
Kramer and members of his platoon distribute food and
drinks to civilian children living in the area.
> FromAl
Hare stadium, they both said they try
to stay updated on the team.
"I tried to keep up with football as
best I could," Kramer wrote. "The
only games I got to watch were the
LSU and the Alabama game, both of
which I enjoyed. I was only able to
see highlights and scores for the rest
of the games."
When Kramer joined the Marines
more than three years ago, his deci­sion
was influenced by his family.
"My grandfather was in the Navy
during WWII, and my dad was in
Army during the early 1960s, so I
wanted to do my part like they did,"
Kramer wrote.
Neese said he's interested in guns,
which led him to join the Marines
more than a year ago.
When Neese returns in March, he
already has plans.
"(I'm going to) go to the beach and
do nothing," Neese wrote.
Kramer also plans to relax at
home before hitting the books again
next fall.
"I am going to visit with my family,
and then I'm going to make a trip to
Auburn to see my friends," Kramer
wrote. "I'm going to relax and eat
some home cooked meals and just
enjoy being home."
AUDIT
> FromAl
new position does not
involve financial operations.
Deedie Dowdle, director of
communications and mar­keting
for the University, said
the University took action on
the problems months ago,
but the issue is just now
reaching the public because
the audit was not released
until last week.
The money has not yet
been paid, and Chief Exam­iner
Ronald Jones denied a
Nov. 10 request from Dil­lard's
attorney to dismiss the
charges based on additional
information he provided.
The audit has been given
to the attorney general, who
has the power to take^further
action.
"As far as we're con­cerned,
it's in the attorney
general's hands," Harris
said. "How they pursue it, I
don't know."
Harris said the audit is
technically called a Legal
Compliance Examination
and is a routine procedure
for Auburn and state univer­sities.
SURGERY
>• FromAl
the cornea. A laser is then used to
reshape the cornea.
The operation has become increasingly
popular. According to Popular Mechan­ics,
LASIK surgery is one of the most
common operations performed in the
United States.
Auburn is a hot spot for LASIK surgery.
Hollis said he consistently operates on 70
to 80 eyes each week To put that number
in perspective, most LASIK eye surgeons
do five to 10 eyes a week.
Most of his customers dome from, out­side
Auburn, he said.
"Half of my patients are from
Tuscaloosa and come in wearing Alaba­ma
stuff," Hollis said. "The other half are
from North Alabama."
He said patients span the age range,
with half his patients in their 20s or
younger and the other half 50 or older.
While there are risks, Hollis said no
patient has ever lost an eye.
"I've had a few with reduced eyesight,
but that's it," he said.
Other than that, the only common
complaint patients have is chronic dry
eye syndrome, which is a frequent occur­rence
resulting from LASIK surgery.
Such low risks are one reason LASIK
surgery is so popular.
Despite this, some who make eyewear
aren't worried.
"Not everybody's a candidate for
(LASIK surgery), and not everybody's
looking forward to having it done," said
Betty Hodge, optician for East Alabama
Eye Associates.
"Not everybody wants it, and some will
correct their vision « _ _ ^ _ - _ _,
with contacts and
eyeglasses."
Hollis' practice is
located close to
Auburn University.
At first, he tried to
capitalize on his loca­tion
by offering a stu­dent
discount price
on the surgery. ^-•i^™^™^™
Now, though, he's
lowered the price to $600 for everyone,
regardless of age.
His customers say they benefit from his
lower prices. ;•
"In Virginia, they charge $2,500 for two
eyes," said Kaitlin Daniels, 20, who had
her surgery done in September when the
student discount price was $700. "I got
mine done for $1,400."
Daniels said she got the surgery for
medical reasons.
. "I was having a lot of problems with my
contacts," she said. "The soft contacts
were causing infections. If I had kept
wearing them, I would have lost my eye-
At one point, your eyesight goes
completely black for 10 seconds.
You could feel pressure, but you
can't feel pain at all."
KaMn Daniels
former LASIK patient
sight."
When she found out about the surgery,
she knew she had to do it.
"I kept telling myself it was what I
needed," Daniels said. "I couldn't see, and
I had to resort to glasses all the time. I
had pain."
Daniels said she had to go through eye
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ exams to make sure
her eyes were
healthy, and then she
was able to have the
surgery. '
"The surgery
only lasts about six
minutes. At* one
point, your eyesight
goes completely
— _ _ » • _ _ black for 10 seconds,"
she said. "You could
feel pressure, but you can't feel pain at
all."
While the surgery wasn't covered by
insurance, Daniels said it was worth the
full price. 'i
"I was almost legally blind, but now I
see perfectly," she said. "I would reconv-mend
it to anyone. It's the best thing you
can do."
That feeling is why Hollis performs the
surgery day in and day out.
"This surgery dramatically changes
peoples' lives," he said. "It's a really
rewarding thing to do for people who
really appreciate it."
TESTS
> FromAl
"Many people are going to
find it more challenging,"
Kaplan said.
The scoring of the GRE will
also be modified.
"The scoring scale is going to
change significantly," Kaplan
said.
While the analytical writing
section will continue to be
scored on a six-point scale, the
verbal and quantitative sec­tions
will undergo scoring
changes.
As the test is now, the two
sections are each given a score
between 200 and 800. The new
test will give scores between
130 and 170.
In addition to graduate
schools receiving students'
scores on the GRE, they will
now also receive the essays stu­dents
wrote for the test
The number of times the test
will be administered each year
will be significantly reduced.
The test is given almost every
day, and after the changes, the
test will be given up to 30 times
per year.
The number of times the test
is given will depend on the
demand in the city it is being
administered.
Kaplan recommended stu­dents
sign up for the test as
soon as possible.
"Dates are going to fill up,"
she said. "It's going to get really
busy."
The number of centers to
administer the exam will The scores can also help stu-increase
to help counteract the dents obtain financial aid,
decrease in times to take the grants, scholarships and assist-test
per year. antships.
Accuracy, Security, Technology
There are three main reasons
for the changes in the GRE.
First, the new test will be a
more accurate predictor of a
student's future success in
graduate school.
Second, the new test will pro­vide
more security measures.
Each test administration will
have the same test.
In the past, questions from
the test have mmm^^^^mi
been found on
the Internet This
will not be a
problem with the
new test because
test questions
will never be
repeated.
The third rea­son
is to increase
technology in the ^mmmm^m^
exam. The verbal
section will have more interac­tive
features, and the quantita­tive
section will have an
on-screen calculator.
With the changes approxi­mately
10 months away, Kaplan
suggested students begin
preparing. She said Kaplan Test
Prep and Admissions recom­mends
students give them­selves
three months of
preparation before taking the
exam.
Kaplan said scores on the
GRE are important when trying
to get into graduate school.
It can impact
admissions chances,
and students should
take it seriously."
senior communications
manager at Kaplan
Test Prep and Admissions
',
LSAT tweaks format
The changes to the LSAT will
not be as significant as those to
the GRE, but students should
be aware of them before taking
the test
The writing and reading
comprehension sections of the
LSAT will undergo changes.
For the writing section, cur­rently
the test randomly assigns
one of two types of writing
mmmmmmmmm prompts — an
argument prompt
or a decision
prompt
Beginning June
2007, when the
changes will take
place, the argu­ment
prompt will
be eliminated.
"Students only
_ „ _ _ _ , have to prepare
for one type of
prompt." said Russell Schaffer,
senior communications man­ager
at Kaplan Test Prep and
Admissions.
The reading comprehension
section consists of four sets of
questions which are based on
four passages.
With the new test three of
the passages will still each have
a set of questions.
The fourth set of questions
will require students to com­pare
two shorter passages.
In total, only six to seven
questions wHI be changed,
which amounts to three to six
points on the test.
The test consists of a logical
reasoning section, a logic
games section, a reading com­prehension
section, an experi­mental
section and a writing
sample.
The writing sample is not
scored, but Schaffer said it is
something admissions officers
can look at.
"It can impact admissions
chances and students should
take it seriously," Schaffer said.
He said approximately 35
percent of law schools fre­quently
or always look at the
writing sample during the
admissions process.
Schaffer said what is unique
about the LSAT is that a score
can be counted for up to 50 per­cent
of the admissions decision.
The current exam will only be
offered two more times, once in
December and once in Febru­ary.
Like the GRE, the changes to
the LSAT will give a more accu­rate
prediction of a student's
future success.
The comparative reading set
of questions was added
because research showed that
comparative reading is a skill
used heavily in law school.
Schaffer said the changes
aren't necessarily earth-shatter­ing,
but they are the most sig­nificant
changes the test has
seen in 15 years.
"Kaplan doesn't believe that
these changes should cause
students any added anxiety," he
said.
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~A6 Clic Unburn piauuSmnn Thursday, Nov. 30,2006
City Council approves new
funds for tutorial program
at Auburn Day Care Center
Ham
By ASHLEY HUNGERFORD
Assistant State & Local Editor
With the Auburn City Council's approval of $5,000
in funds, the "Map It Out While School is Out," tutori­al
program will help children involved in the Auburn
Day Care Center strengthen their education.
The funds are an amendment
to the Community Development
Block Grant Action Plan. Council
action was needed because sub­stantial
Action Plan amendments
are required, by federal regulation,
to be approved by the City Coun­cil.
Ethel White, project director of
the Auburn Day Care Center, said
the tutorial program would help
approximately 75 children, and it
will target children who she said sometimes need an
extra push in school, helping to ^ _ _—
build the child's confidence.
"The program is designed to
' help children with special
needs in math and science, and
build reading skills," White
said. "We want to strengthen
their skills so they have greater
success."
"Map It Out While School is
Out," will help school-aged chil- _ _ _ _ ^ _ ^ ^_
dren age 6 to 12 with their
homework and provide supplementary material to
strengthen the child's math, science and reading
skills.
For the younger children, age 3 to 5, White said the
program would start to lay the groundwork before
they enter school.
'"We want to make sure they will be ready when
they enter the classroom," White said.
"We want them to go into their
classroom and master the goals
the teacher has set out for them."
E n d White
project director
Auburn Day Care Center
White also said the envisioned program offers a
smaller ratio between adults and children so a famil­iar
face can get to know the students' strengths.
White said the tutor would also getto know the
student's teacher, providing communication for the
goals and expectations the teacher sets out for the
student.
The council approved the funds at its Nov. 27
meeting. The item was tabled at the Nov. 7 meeting
because a representative from the center was not at
the meeting to answer council members' questions.
But once those questions were answered, the council
approved the funds.
"The $5,000 is for the program that will enable cer­tified
or qualified tutors to help up to 75 youth,"
Mayor Bill Ham said.
"Anytime you can help foster or further the educa­tion
of young people, particularly at an early age, it's
good for the community and the individual now and
in the future."
_ ^ „ « ^ _ _ ^ Ham said the original pro­posal
asked for $76,000, but
only $5,000 was approved and
available.
White said the $5,000 was
less than what they envi­sioned.
She said the original
plan was to have a more com­prehensive
program that
included funds for arts like
• dance, music and literature.
"Once we learned the grant
was scaled down, we wanted to help them master
math, science and reading," White said. "The parents
see this as a beginning, but they want to see the pro­gram
expand."
She said the future of the tutorial program, which
she expects to begin in December, remains to be
seen. She said it depends on the success of the pro­gram
and availability of funds.
Montgomery: Ground Zero i ll
CONTRIBUTED
Gov. Bob Riley surveys the wreckage in Montgomery after the devastating tornados
Nov. 16. The tornados destroyed the Fun Zone where a children's day care center was. \
All of the children escaped the wreckage safely.
FUNERAL
>• From A3
Just a day after the accident, Alabama
Gov. Bob Riley issued a statement in a news
conference pertaining to the planned
protests of WBC.
"We live in America, and people have a
right to protest but just so there is no ques­tion,
these people are not invited, and they
are not welcome,"" Riley said in the state­ment.
According to www.dictionary.com, the
word faggot means a bundle of sticks used
as fuel.
On WBC's Web site,
www.godhatesfags.com, they use the term
faggot as a figure of speech, just as the Bible
does.
"It is an excellent metaphor tb describe
sodomites because they fuel God's wrath,
they burn in lust, and they will burn in hell,"
WBC said on its Web site.
According to WBC's website their pur­pose
is to preach the Gospel truth about the
soul-damning, nation-destroying notion
that "It is OK to be gay."
"God has cursed Alabama and America,"
WBC said in the press release.
During most protests by the WBC, atten­dees
of the funerals can also find Patriot
Guard Riders.
According to the Patriot Guard Riders
Web site, www.patriotguard.org, their main
mission is to attend funeral services of fallen
American heroes as invited guests of the
family.
Teen charged with murder
By BETHANY KIRBY
Assistant State & Local Editor
Andrew Johnson, a 16-year-old from
Opelika, was charged with murder in the
shooting death of Cornelius Lasae Wright
last week.
Wright, 31, was found shot on the porch
of his home on Donald Avenue in Opelika
when police responded to the report of a
gunshot victim at 2:35 a.m. Thanksgiving
Day, Capt. Allan Elkins of the Opelika
Police Department said.
Wright was treated by paramedics and
taken to East Alabama Medical Center ICU.
He was pronounced dead by physicians
at 10:06 a.m.. Elkins said.
Johnson was charged at 2:10 p.m. the
same day following questioning by the
Opelika police.
"Johnson is being charged as an adult,"
E/kinSSaid. "(That means) he will have the
same penalties as an adult."
The police also arrested the defendant's
brother at 2.10 p.m.
"Quintaveious Marques Johnson, 19, of
Opelika, was charged with hindering pros­ecution,"
Elkins said.
Opelika High School and Opelika City
Schools were unable to comment on
whether Johnson is a student at Opelika
High School.
The Plainsman has one
more edition left in the fall
semester. Pick up our last
edition Dec. 7.
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Thurajay,Nov.30,2006 f^eSuburn ^lainaman
A7
Opelika board makes super
decision, chooses experience
By BETHANY KIRBY
Assistant State & local Editor
The Opelika Board of Education decided that Mark Neigh­bors
will be the next superintendent for Opelika City Schools.
The board had narrowed the search to two candidates,
Beth Wright, current superintendent of Florence County
(S.C.) School District 3, and Neighbors, who was Opelika's
assistant superintendent.
On Tuesday, Nov. 14, the board held a three-hour executive
meeting to discuss the candidates, and Friday, Nov. 16, the
board had a 10-minute meeting before announcing the unan­imous
decision.
Neighbors served as assistant superintendent for the past
five years under Phil Raley, who is officially retiring from the
position in December.
Neighbors said he was excited and humbled by the board's
decision. He is excited about the- future of Opelika City
Schools.
"We're going to look at strengthening our A.P. programs at
the high school," Neighbors said of his initial plans for the
school systems.
Improvements like these often take a lot of planning,
Neighbors added.
The board of education has high hopes for Neighbors'
upcoming term as superintendent
Kate Larkin, public relations coordinator for Opelika City
Schools, said she thinks everyone is excited about the deci­sion.
"We know his working habits," Larkin said. "We know his
personality."
"He knows this system. I think it's going to be a smooth
transition."
Larkin said Neighbors will continue in the things the sys­tem
is doing right and will make what changes need to be
made for improvement
"I don't think you'll see a lot of drastic change," Larkin said,
again emphasizing the expected smooth transition.
Neighbors said some goals are to expand enrichment
opportunities and spend time evaluating the curriculum.
"We are making sure we're engaging all kids," Neighbors
said, stating the Opelika City Schools' philosophy that "every
child is important."
Neighbors said he learned a lot about working in a support
position as assistant superintendent.
Neighbors has also had to serve in more leadership roles as
he has been a teacher and was the principal at Opelika Mid­dle
School from 1991-2001. His total time with Opelika City
Schools has been 15 years.
Neighbors will only be the school system's eighth superin­tendent
since 1910, Larkin said.
"He will officially take over Jan. 1 unless the current super­intendent
wants to step down sooner," Larkin said.
Raley has already taken another job as the new director of
the Achievement Center in Opelika. Raley had served Opeli­ka
City Schools for 36 of his 37 years in education, with 17 as
superintendent.
Neighbors has three degrees from Auburn, a bachelor of
science, a master of education and a doctorate in education.
Former trustee killed in Cullman
By MATT DISCHINGER
State & Local Editor
Charles Glover, a former Auburn
trustee, was killed when he was struck
by a car Nov. 17.
The accident occurred at approxi­mately
5:39 p.m. when Glover unex­pectedly
crossed Childhaven Road
Northeast in Cullman.
Shannon Cecil, traffic homicide
'2 ^constructionist for Cullman Police
Department, said the driver of the vehi-
' cle that hit Glover was 41-year-old Cora
* Smith.
"I want to emphasize that the car
was not speeding at the time of the
accident and that<31over was walking
in the road," Cecil said.
Smith was driving her 1996 Pontiac
Grand Am with her two children at the
time of the accident.
After emergency medical technicians
arrived and treated Glover, he was
flown to . Huntsville Hospital in an
AirEvac helicopter.
He died shortly after arrival because
of several head injuries. He was 83,
"Mr. Glover was walking on a seclud­ed
road with no sidewalk," Cecil said.
"It was very dark and he was on an
unlit road."
Glover served on the Board of
Trustees from 1991 to 2003.
In 2003, Glover's term expired and he
too old to be reappointed.
Prior to his tenure as a trustee,
Glover owned and operated several
businesses in Cullman, including G &
M Rentals, Cullman Truck Sales,
Cullpepper Motors and Southern Real­ty
Company.
He earned an undergraduate degree
from Auburn in Agricultural Sciences
in 1950.
NO CAMERAS
> FromA3
returning officer, clerks of elections and watchers, no person shall be
permitted within 30 feet of the polling place."
The language of thecode implies that unless members of the media
are classified as watchers — and they are not — they cannot take pho­tographs
inside polling places. While many counties do not enforce this
area of the code, Lee County chose to comply during this year's elec­tion.
"The original intent of it was to stop people from campaigning," said
Dennis Bailey, general counsel to the Alabama Press Association.
"That's the reason that these laws were enacted — to prevent election­eering
and voter intimidation."
Dale Harrison, associate professor of journalism at Auburn and for­mer
president of the Alabama Center for Open Government said the
original purpose for having the law has long since expired.
"Here we have a classic case of a law no longer fulfilling its purpose,"
Harrison said. "One of the things that happens with laws that become
obsolete is that people hang on to them so they can abuse them. It's
now being abused in a way it was never intended to."
While the purpose of protecting voters from intimidation may riot be
valid in 2006, the statute was validated by the former Attorney General
Bill Pryor in May 2000.
This occurred when Shelby County Probate Judge Patricia Fuhrmeis-ter
requested that Pryor write an official opinion on Section 17-7-18.-
Fuhrmeister asked under which circumstances members of the press
should be allowed entry into polling places.
Pryor cited Section 17-7-18, and further said the state's compelling
interest falls in the need to preserve "the integrity of its election
process."
Pryor cited the Supreme Court case Burson v. Freeman (1992), in
which the Court said "campaign material" should not be allowed to be
passed out within 100 feet of polling places. Pryor reasoned that Alaba­ma's
statute serves a similar interest and would thus be ruled constitu­tional
by a court
Bailey, howf ver, said that the Alabama law would probably crumble
ifchallenged.
"As general counsel to the Alabama Press Association, interpreting
this toward members of the media would result in a violation of the
First Amendment" Bailey said. "I think the media would probably win if
they pushed the issue. There is noJegitimate governmental interest"
Bailey said the law would stand until challenged by a media organi­zation,
which has never happened in Alabama For now, Bailey said, the
latest news on the law has been Pryor s interpretation.' It is the attorney
generals job to interpret Alabama laws if requested, but the office can­not
generate or repeal laws. That is up to the Alabama legislature.
Rep. Mike Hubbard, (R-Lee) said he would support any reasonable
legislation granting members of the media access into polling places.
"I would have no problem with the media (taking photographs in
polling places) as long as they are not disturbing things," Hubbard said.
"I think the election should be an orfen process."
In a time when many liberties are being placed on the back burner in
the name of national security, Harrison warned that this type of inter­pretation
of old laws could be dangerous.
"Any restrictions on media access to something as significant as pub­lic
elections is bad news," Harrison said. "The state of Alabama should
recognize that"
A8 COMMENTARY Thursday, Nov. 30.2006
TOje Auburn ipiamsman
Founded In 1893 As The Orange & Blue
Vol. 113, No. 14
Editorial Board
JESSICA OTWELL
Managing Editor
SARAH BROCK
Senior Reporter
CHASE MITCHELL
. Campus Editor
NIK1 DOYLE
Editor
CHRISTINA COCHERELL
Copy Editor
RACHEL MORAND
Sports Editor
CLIFF McCOLLUM
Opinions Editor
= ^ = OUT VlPW SBHHH5
MATT DISCHINGER
State & Local Editor
CHRIS WEST
Business Manager
AMY GORDON
Intrigue Editor
First Amendment follies
The problem: The activists of the Westboro Baptist Church have
protested outside of the funerals of the girls killed in the Huntsville
bus accident.
You are grieving the tragic loss of a
loved one, be it your friend, sibling,
parent or spouse.
It's the day of the funeral, and
you've come to pay your last
respects to the person who meant so
much in your life.
All of a sudden, you see a group of
protesters standing on the street
adjacent to where the funeral is
being held.
The angry mob is carrying rain­bow-
colored signs that are splat­tered
with phrases like "Thank God
for 9-11" and "God hates the gays."
You hear them cry out phrases like
"This happened because America
loves gay people."
You are hurt and confused by this
crowd, as your loved one wasn't gay
and had nothing to do with the gay
rights cause.
But, as long as you live, your mem­ory
of the last time you saw that spe­cial
person will replay the memory
of those passionate, anti-gay pro­testers.
It seems absurd, we know, but this
past week in Huntsville, families of
the tragic bus accident victims were
forced to deal with just such a dis­turbance
at the funeral of their loved
ones.
On a day that we are certain was
already filled with much grief and
anguish, this group of protesters
took it upon themselves to add to '
those sad feelings.
This group of protesters, the West­boro
Baptist Church of Tppeka, Kan.,
is well known for traveling the
country going to funerals and creat­ing
this same sort of pandemonium
to spread their anti-homosexuality
message.
Just last year, they were in Opelika
to protest at the funeral of a soldier
killed in Iraq, as they waved signs
that said "God hates you" and
"America is doomed."
The church and its activists
exploit tragic deaths and somber
events like funerals to spread their
somewhat unorthodox message.
The city of Huntsville took action
by blocking the protesters from the
view of funeral-goers by moving city
buses in front of the mob.
As a newspaper, we here at The
Plainsman are staunch defenders of
the freedoms given to all Americans
by the First Amendment, especially
the freedoms of speech, assembly
and of the press.
But, it seems to us that Fred
Phelps and his congregation seem to
abuse the privilege.
We are all for freedom of speech,
but this incident and the scores of
incidents this group has caused
seem to be in bad taste.
We cannot blame the city of
Huntsville for wanting to limit its
visibility during these somber
events.
There is a time and a place for
everything, and it seems to us that
common decency and empathy with
your fellow man should keep you
from doing something like this.
If this group were protesting at an
event related to their cause, we
might be more apt to understand
their reasoning.
. If they were protesting at a Gay
Pride Parade or Gay Day at Disney-world,
for example, their logic would
make more sense.
But, fheir presence at funerals for
soldiers or four young girls tragically
killed in a bus accident just doesn't
seem kosher.
We would think Phelps and his
congregation would be familiar with
Matthew 19:19: "You shall love your
neighbor as yourself."
However, greater issues are at
stake with the actions of this irre­sponsible
group of people.
When personal ethics take a back­seat
and people act in this manner,
law has a tendency to want to step
in and fill the void.
Because of protests like this,
politicians may get the idea to start
banning protests in certain venues.
Backed by the public's opinion,
these laws could be taken further
and the unraveling of our beloved
First Amendment could be taken to
previously unheard of places.
What lengths would this go to?
We hate to imagine it, but we have
to hypothesize what comes next.
We see visions of small, fenced-off
"free speech zones" miles away from
any and all public events for all pro­testers.
Such actions would com­pletely
invalidate the public's right
to air their grievances.
We don't want to begin to think
about what happens to the other
freedoms, even the seemingly
impregnable freedoms like the free­dom
of religion.
Yes, even that freedom could be
tampered with in that hypothetical
world.
And that world with extremely
limited First Amendment protec­tions,
if any at all, is a world we
would rather not live in.
The bus crash was a horrible
tragedy and we as a people should
take time to reflect on the lessons it
has taught us.
Increased safety and greater use of
good judgment while driving will
probably come from this event.
We just wish one of those lessons
was not a discussion of the limits of*
the First Amendment.
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
< i *
Adam Cooner
TH*NSrHS Foft 4 feopo yeA*S
2A- 23
a.* - 1%
2 2 - \S
Staff Opinions
'War Eagle brings family together
ASHLEY HUNGERFQRD
ahungerford@theplainsman.com
My time at Auburn University and
The Auburn Plainsman is quickly
coming to an end. In the spring, my
last semester in school, I will be in
Madrid, Spain, studying abroad.
;lt's hard to believe my time at
Auburn is almost over. But a recent
event in my life assured me that
even though I am leaving Auburn,
the Auburn family will always be
there for me.
During Thanksgiving break, I was
running errands around my home­town.
After leaving the doctor's office, I
discovered my left rear tire was flat.
Annoyed, I started to call my dad
for help because I had no clue how
to change a tire.
Just as the phone was ringing, a
man walked up behind me and said,
"War Eagle." He had noticed the
Auburn sticker on the back of my
car.
I turned to see him holding a
machine that pumped my tire with
enough air to drive it to a mechan­ic.
I found out he's an Auburn alum­nus
who also studied in Spain while
he was in college.
While we waited for my tire to
pump up, we talked about classes,
Spanish, what I plan to do after
graduation and football.
Now I know some people think
the "War Eagle" moments played on
the big screen in the stadium are
silly, but they really do happen.
And they sometimes create a last­ing
impact.
I didn't know this man before he
walked over to help me with my
tire, but we had a common bond.
We are part of the Auburn family.
And it was comforting that some­one
from my Auburn family was
there to help me.
You never know when you'll run
into someone from the Auburn
family. I was in the Madrid airport
this summer and ran into someone
wearing an Auburn hat
A quick "War Eagle," between us
brought a smile to both of our faces.
But being a part of the Auburn
family comes with a price. Whenev­er
you wear Auburn gear or drive
your car with the Auburn sticker,
you are representing the Auburn
family.
Please, like the man who helped
me out, represent it with respect,
compassion and generosity.
The Auburn family is a highly
exclusive club, complete with a
secret password only the members
understand: "War Eagle."
I've tried explaining what "War
Eagle" means to my non-Auburn
friends when they harass me about
why Auburn has "two mascots." But
I've decided you can tell them the
story, try to explain it, but they'll
never get it
"War Eagle" means so much to
Auburn, but it remains a mystery to
everyone outside of our family.
Being a part of the Auburn family
is when your friends stand with you
through the cold and rain at your
last football game as a student to
sing the Alma Mater.
It's finding some place where you
belong, like I did at The Auburn
Plainsman. And it's helping fellow
family members out, even if it's just
a friendly "Wbr Eagle."
As our Alma Mater says, "We hail
thee, Auburn, and we vow To work
for thy just fame, and hold in mem­ory
as we do now Thy cherished
name."
Ashley Hungerfbrd is assistant
State & Local editor of
The Auburn Plainsman.
You can reach her at 844-9109.
Gift givingcan give grief, bringjoythis season
m : •
¥ *
KEVIN MYRICK
lo7tyrick@itheplainsman.com
The holidays have come
again in their splendor.
Christmas trees are
adorned with bells.lights
and ornaments topped
with stars or angels, or the
menorahs are brought out
to be sat onto a table to be
lit on the nights of
Hanukkah. Of course, we
can't forget the bright col­ors
of Kwanzaa.
But the Christmas trees
and stars take center stage
in December. Presents are
piled under a Douglas Fir,
and some drink eggnog
and might even sing a
carol or two before sitting
down at the table, eating a
meal with family and tear­ing
into those same pres­ents
with the fervor of a
Roman army conquering a
barbarian territory.
The thought of the way
my family opens presents,
along with essays I've been
reading by people in class,
have me thinking about
what I buy for people.
When it comes to buy­ing
things for people, I'
have a bit of a problem. On
one hand, I love pleasing
people and want to spare
every expense at getting
them what they want I
especially do this with my
girlfriend, who can get out
of me what she's getting for
Christmas and her birth­day
quicker than a water-boarded
torture victim will
give up information on Al
Qaeda.
On the other hand, I'm a
college student And, as a
rule, I try to be cheap or
thrifty with my gifts
because I don't have a
large income with which
to spend. This rears its
ugly head when it comes
to purchasing electronics
or anything I think I can
find cheaper on the Inter­net
J I
Thus comes the hard
part of gift shopping. What
in the world do I get every­one?
Part of the problem
seems to be that maybe
the communication of
what my family wants isn't
as good as it used to be.
Sure, there are Amazon
wish lists and gift cards
that I could purchase, but
that doesn't convey the
feeling of a well-thought-out
gift
Amazon wish lists also
seem to destroy the pur­pose
of gift purchasing
Sure, relatives, girlfriends
and parents alike can get
on the Internet and see
exactly what you want
And that communicates,
at least to me, that there
wasn't any thought put
into the gift either.
What then, is one to do
around the holidays when
you're out of good ideas?
One, there's always the
trip. Sure, it can be expen­sive
and can possibly con­flict
with schedules. But
with trips, everyone can
have a great time.
Making gifts can be just
as good of a gift, and they
show that thought is put
into the gift as well. I love
making mix CDs for my
friends and some of my
family, because its music
they enjoy.
Gift giving can be a hard
and stressful thing during
the holiday season, with
getting the money and the
shopping in crowded
stores trying to find that
perfect gift. And maybe the
holiday season, whether
you enjoy Christmas,
Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or
any other holiday, isn't
necessarily about the gifts.
But coming down the
stairs to find gifts wrapped
in shiny wrapping paper or
finding that special gift in
a Red Ryder B.B. Gun
behind the chest with a big
bow on the side is a magi­cal
thing in the heart of
any child of any age,
whether they are one or 92.
Kevin Afyrick is online editor of
The Auburn Plainsman, You
canreachhimat 844-9109.
: * 11
Thursday, Nov. 30,2006 COMMENTARY A9
Abuse of free speech could lead to no speech
NIKI DOYLE
editor@the.plainsman.com
i
• College advisers routinely tell me
that many of the students entering
their newsrooms simply don't
Understand the press's role. About
questioning authority. About seek­ing
and covering the news, no mat­ter
how controversial the topic.
About confirming the authenticity
of statements made in a university
press release prior to publication.
Or instinctively challenging admin­istrative-
attempts to dictate what
theyprikh
This, it was clear to their college
advisers, simply wasn't done — or
even discussed — in high school.
They were Hazelwood-ized.
— Mike Hiestand, legal consultant
for the Student Press Law Center
The student press isn't as free as
we would like to think. Each week,
reporters struggle with self-cen­sorship.
They face the fear of ques­tioning
authority, and the fear of
challenging Auburn University's
powerful and influential adminis­trators,
alumni and trustees.
Hiestand is right— We've all
been Hazelwood-ized.
Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier
silenced the high school press by
allowing administrators to censor
content. It limited the First
Amendment rights of college stu­dents,
effectively making them
second-class citizens.
This attitude and sense of
"that's not appropriate" follows
those young students as they trav­el
to college and into the work­force.
I don't know which is more
unsettling — the desensitizing of .
Auburn's journalism students or of
its general student body.
A large number of students
believe The Plainsman shouldn't
"make the University look bad." In
fact, one student made this
remark: "Why doesn't The
Plainsman just roll over and do
what we say?"
Sorry, but we're not a public
relations tool. Auburn has enough
of those.
We don't exist to promote the
administration, the faculty or the
athletes.
Despite our orange-and-blue
facade, we'll be the first to point
out when our Tigers don't meet
our expectations.
It's not an attempt to degrade,
deface or otherwise put down
Auburn's hardworking student
athletes, just like our coverage of
the Board of Trustees isn't an;
attempt to torment its members.
Free speech is a blessing, and
the outcrys against it are a traves­ty
and a disappointment.
A California principal pulled an
edition of the high school newspa­per
Tuesday when an unsigned
editorial made racist references
and slurs.
California law protects this
speech, but that doesn't mean the
general public agrees with it
The funeral protest in
Huntsville last week is yet another
instance of sanctioned speech, but
its message and timing infuriated
people across the state.
The abuse of Hazelwood and
the misuse of free speech are chip­ping
away at our speech rights
and altering the public's percep­tion
of the First Amendment.
A 2005 Knight-Ridder poll
showed that more than a third of
high school students believe that
the First Amendment goes "too
far" in protecting free speech.
The First Amendment doesn't
go too far. We, as a people, take it
too far.
Court decisions and irresponsi­ble
use of our most valuable
amendment will eventually result
in the weakening in our constitu­tional
(for now) guarantees.
Maybe Hazelwood-ization will
serve as an anesthesia for the
masses when that time comes.
Niki Doyle is editor of
The Auburn Plainsman.
You can reach her at 844-9021.
.•-? :.:*
Whatdo I miss about
Auburn?... Of course, I miss
the girls... and I guess I miss
the school (classes) a little bit
too.
Steven Kramer
on what he misses about Auburn
as he is stationed in Djibouti
This week's question
Should the activists oftheWestboro
Baptist Church be allowed to protest at
funerals?
>Yes -
d^ • ' *
Last week's question
Are you in favor of the Alabama
Supreme Courts dismissal of the
trustee term limit lawsuit?
26% Yes
74% No
Go to www.theplainsman.com to vote.
Your View
Open letter to
Auburn students
University of
Alabama student
from University of shocked by actions
Alabama's SGA of the AU Marching
president Band
Editor, The Auburn Plainsman:
As one of college football's premier
rivalries is-played out each fall in the
Iron Bowl, it is easy for students and
fans alike to get caught up in the
emotions and excitement of the day.
While the thrill of this competition
is-easily understood, it provides no
excuse for poor sportsmanship.
• On behalf of 23,000 students at The
University of Alabama, I offer my
apology for some of the behavior
which occurred in the Alabama stu­dent
section this past weekend.
The actions which were demon­strated
'in Bryant-Denny Stadium
last Saturday, during the closing
minutes of the game, do not repre­sent
the attitude of the overwhelm­ing
majority of Crimson Tide fans.
These incidents, though isolated,
included throwing cups onto the
field and a display of emotions which
was unbecoming and unnecessary.
We will be working very hard in
the future to better insure that all UA
students conduct themselves with
the class and decorum that symbol­izes
the rich traditions of the
Capstone.
Unfortunately, we did not display
that heritage gameday Saturday.
I assure you that The University of
Alabama has the deepest respect for
Auburn University, its players, its
fans and its students.
No doubt every AU student would
agree with me on at least one point:
the best place for this rivalry to be
decided is on the field and not in the
stands; >
What happened in the final min­utes
of the game will not diminish
the great celebration that can be
rightfully enjoyed, at least for one
more year, by the Auburn Tigers.
We all look forward to many more
years of this great college football
tradition.
Roll Tide and War Eagle!
Justice V. Smyth IV
SGA President, University of Alabama
Editor, The Auburn Plainsman:
I am a student at the University of
Alabama who attended the Iron h
Bowl this*past Saturday. "
I want to first say congratulations
on Auburn's win.
Despite the storm of controversy
brewing in Tuscaloosa, Auburn sim­ply
showed up, took advantage of
opportunities and, at the end of the
night, put more points on the board.
That being said, I found it incredi­bly
distasteful of the Auburn
University Marching Band to close
the game with its version of
Alabama's cheer "Rammer Jammer."
Until the band began the cheer at
the end of the game, I was quite
impressed with the amount of class
that Auburn students and fans
showed during their weekend in
Tuscaloosa.
Having played in a marching band
during high school, I find it highly
unlikely that each playing member
of the band knew the music to the
cheer and out of sheer joy unani­mously
decided to play it.
At some point, it was distributed
and rehearsed in the event of an
Auburn win.
Frankly, I find it appalling that the
band, an official program of the
University, was not only allowed but •
condoned in creating a mockery of a
long-running Alabama tradition.
While it is expected to hear such
insults out of your typical, drunken
fan, it is in no way acceptable com­ing
from an official University organ­ization.
I think it's important for everyone
— band members, students and fans
alike — to realize that as long as
you're wearing orange and blue, you
are representing your University.
By taking the high road and show­ing
class, you continue to build a
good reputation for your University
and its fans.
While it may be a fun way to cele­brate
a big win, it displays nothing
but a lack of class and respect
After all, how would it have felt to
A d am Cooner
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hear Georgia's band making a mock­ery
of "War Eagle" only moments
after your humiliating loss weeks
ago?
I'll respect your thumb all day long
as long as you respect my traditions.
Alana Sewell
sophomore in journalism
University of Alabama
Auburn alumna
urges students to
try Teach For
America
Editor, The Auburn Plainsman:
Did you know that, by they time
they are 9 years old, students in
low-income schools are three grade
levels below their higher-income
peers?
The achievement gap in America's
schools is almost unbelievable, but
, it's an issue that can be corrected if
our generation makes this our civil
rights issue.
Teach for America is a national
corps of outstanding college grads
who commit to teach two years in
America's rural and urban public
schools.
When Sanford Johnson, an
Auburn alum and Teach for America
corps member, came to one of my
classes during my senior year at
Auburn in fall 2005, he told us this
statistic and I was horrified.
I looked into the Teach for
America program and was
impressed.
Though I had never before consid­ered
teaching, I applied, was accept­ed,
trained for five intense weeks
last summer and I now teach sixth
grade math and science in Oakland',
Calif.
It is the most challenging, inspir­ing,
hilarious, intensive and amaz­ing
thing that I could have done
after graduating from Auburn.
The misconceptions I had about
what is wrong in America's schools
were certainly changed in my first
few weeks of teaching.
I assumed that parents were apa­thetic
about their students' per­formance
— that was definitely
untrue.
I thought that students had tough
home lives — also untrue for the
vast majority of my students.
The real problems that exist are
low expectations of these students,
lack of great teachers in their past
and lack of access to materials that
their more wealthy peers have. j j
This year I began my second year.
My sixth grade students came in
averaging a third grade level in math
(with only one student testing on
grade level and many students test­ing
at below a first grade level). |
However, with hard work from me
and from them, we are already mak­ing
humongous strides towards get­ting
them really ready for seventh
grade next fall.
Next fall, whether I decide to stay
in the classroom or move onto
another job, it will be with the lens
of someone who will always be
working in some way to correct the
injustice that my students are facing
simply because of the zip code they
live in.
I have already been offered
numerous jobs because people
respect this experience and the per­sonal
strength that I have gained
from it. "
The next application deadline for
Teach for America is Jan. 7,2007. "
If you want to consider this amaz­ing
chance to change things, check'
out the Web site at www.teach-foramerica.
org.
VI
Jessica Eastman
2005 Auburn alumna
How to contact us
ty mall: B-100 Fey SMeat IMta
1„L„>M IIMIIIIBIIIII At
AMMIH UnTOWfMIji ftt>
36849-5323
By F«: (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 mfat
include the authors 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. I
A10 Che Auburn $lainsman Thursday, Nov. 3(), 'Wh ?'
AUBURN UNIVERSITY
www.auburn.edu/upc - (334) 844-5292
UPC, SGA, & The Office of
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QTbe Auburn $latn*man CAMPUS What now?
December graduates
contemplate their futures.
PAGE B4
Classifieds
Campus Calendar
Back in History B
November 30,2006
SEX AND THE STUDENT
College lifestyle brings
promiscuity for some,
abstinence for others
By SARAH DAY OWEN
Assistant Campus Editor
When students move off to college,
they must make many lifestyle choices
on their own: what to eat, when to go to
bed and what they will or will not do
inside those bedrooms.
Donna Sollie, who teaches a human
sexuality course at Auburn, said college
is a time for many students to explore,
and sexuality is one place they do so.
Some students decide to participate in
sexual activity in college more than they
may have in high school because of the
sense of freedom of being away from
home, she said.
This is not true for all students, how­ever.
Choosing to abstain
Caroline Schell, a sophomore unde­clared
liberal arts major, said she thinks
sex is something that is treated more
casually in college.
Schell has decided to abstain from sex
until marriage.
"That relationship has been set apart
by God for a marriage relationship,"
Schell said.
She said her boyfriend made the same
decision to abstain until marriage.
Sollie said some college students
decide to abstain because of religious or
moral reasons, and some haven't found
someone they want to become intimate
with.
Schell is part of the 25 percent of
Americans who decide not to participate
in premarital sex.
Some college students have taken "vir­ginity
pledges," or made a pact with a
group to abstain from sex until mar­riage.
Sollie said the virginity pacts delay
intercourse for people who eventually do
have sex before marriage.
It's been found this is most effective
when participants in the pact are still
involved with the group they made the
pact with, for example, a church group.
However, the people who made the
pact and decided to have sex before mar­riage
are less likely to use contraception,
Sollie said. The reasoning for this may be
that it was not planned.
She said 16 is the average age people
lose their virginity.
This may change for future college stu-
Pholo Illustration by Michael Claborn / PHOTO EDITOR
As students go off to college, they gain the freedom to make their own choices about sex.
Some choose to be more sexually adventurous (above), while others remain chaste!
dents, however. Sollie said they've seen
an increase in teenagers choosing to
abstain from sex until marriage.
"Interestingly, Americans are not as
sexually active as we think they are,"
Sollie said.
A survey in Sollies human sexuality
class in spring showed 40 percent of the
students had not participated in sexual
intercourse, 26 percent had three to five
partners, and 20 percent had two part­ners.
Daniel Butler, a sophomore in civil
engineering, said if someone doesn't
have a reason to abstain, they may not
become sexually active right away, but
will probably have curiosity to have sex
once they're away from home.
"It's more of a personal choice," Butler
said.
He said there has to be some type of
agreement between sexual partners, and
they should realize what it is that they're
doing. He thinks it's a sacred thing, and a
symbol of affection beyond saying "I love
you."
Butler said he thinks sex is best for a
monogamous relationship, though not
>• Turn to SEX, B2
Campus landmark shows off 'Green Roof
By MIRANDA MATTHEIS
Associate Campus Editor
A small portion of Haley Center's roof is
covered with potted plants, and is now
known as the Green Roof.
The idea for the Green Roof came when
Lindy Biggs, director of the Auburn
Sustainability Initiative, approached
Anna Gramberg, dean of the College of
Liberal Arts, about funding a speaker or
lecture series on the environment.
When Gramberg heard the idea, she
said she would rather do an action project
than bring a speaker to talk about the
issue.
Gramberg and Biggs recruited students
for a sustainability class, and the students
in the class worked on the project.
The class of 13 students had eight stu­dents
in Liberal Arts, four in architecture
and one in horticulture.
"The whole project was student driven,"
Gramberg said.
Biggs had been discussing ideas with
advisers in the College of Liberal Arts
when the idea for the Green Roof came
up.
Biggs suggested the idea to the stu­dents.
"They were really interested in the
Green Roof idea so that's what they made
their project," Biggs said.
Michael Friedman / PHOTO STAFF
The Green Roof on Haley Center is made of native plants which will require no additional
care.The plants will protect the roof from ultraviolet rays and will control water runoff. The
plants were placed on the roof Nov. 3.
Gramberg said the project was student-driven.
"They were an unbelievable, awesome
group," she said.
Biggs said the students learned a lot
from the project.
"They were just inspiring," Gramberg
said.
Biggs said some of the students were so
inspired by the project that they decided
to switch majors.
The Green Roof is located outside
Gramberg s office.
The plants on the roof are native plants,
> Turn to HALEY, B2
www.theplainsman.com
Does college make people
more promiscuous?
"No, I think people
have tendencies
already."
. Chuck Moran
junior,
wireless engineering
"I think it does
because some
people get freedom
they wouldn't get at
home."
Erica Flowers
freshman,
nursing
"No, I think you're going
to be promiscuous
whether or not you're
in college."
Kaltlln Daniels
junior,
communication disorders
— interviews by Miranda Mattheis,
associate campus editor
Survey asks for
input on dining
"We like to go for a larger
number of results, we want as
many people in the campus
community to feel like they
participated."
By MARY HOOD
Assistant Campus Editor
An online survey was
offered to students, parents of
students, faculty and staff of
Auburn University to allow
them to have input of future
campus dining.
Bob Ritenbaugh, Assistant
Vice President for Auxiliary
Services, said the University
paired up with consulting firm
Cornyn Fasano Group of
Portland, Ore. The consulting
firm is nationwide and is
strictly food service manage­ment
oper- —__^ m m tm
ation con­s
u l t a n t s .
They have
w o r k e d
with many
c o l l e g e s
and univer­sities.
The idea
was to have
the consult- ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^^
ants help
with planning for the new stu­dent
housing initiative and for
the planning of the new stu­dent
union, which plans to
open summer 2008.
John Cornyn, principal con­sultant,
said the reason the
firm was retained was "to help
the University develop the
food service of the campus
masterplan."
The survey was a chance for
the University and the con­sultant
group to get an idea of
what students and employees
of Auburn wanted.
Ritenbaugh said they are
doing a comprehensive review,
and the survey was a helpful
tool.
"It's a fact finding initiate,"
Ritenbaugh said. "The housing
development team is trying to
gain some perspective on what
some students perceive the
direction we need to go."
Ritenbaugh said once all the
data is compiled it will be sent
to the University and the feed­back
will "be a significant part
of the analysis."
"It's a planning tool,"
Ritenbaugh said. "Its almost
like a strategic planning analy­sis
for future campus dining."
The survey ran for 15 days
and is no longer available.
Cornyn said the firm is just
_ m ^ m m m ^ ^ ^ ^ now pulling
results.
C o r n y n
said, as far
as feed­back,
they
r e c e i v e d
more than
800 surveys
from stu­dents
and
i p i ^ _ _ _ — _ _ s l i g h t ly
fewer than
800 from faculty and staff. For
a large school, he said, this is
the kind of feedback that is
desired.
"We like to go for a larger
number of results, we want as
many people in the campus
community to feel like they
participated," Cornyn said.
"With this information we'll
definitely be moving forward."
Joyce Fasano, president of
the Foodservice Consultants
Society International, said in
an e-mail that it will take
about two weeks to download
the data and analyze it. Fasano
will be on campus Dec. 5 to
Dec. 7 to discuss the results.
Ritenbaugh said because the
> Turn to SURVEY, B2
John Cornyn
principal consultant
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Campus
IN BRIEF
Engineering professor Kevin Gue
receives national award for paper
Cine, an associate professor in Auburn's Samuel
Ginn College of Engineering, wrote a paper
about transportation design and received a sec­ond
place award in the 2006 Outstanding
Material Handling Research Paper
competition. The awards from the Material
I kindling Education recognize excellence in
research related to material handling.
I.lanes named head of Department
of Educational Leadership Founda­tions
and Technology
Panes comes from the
University of Texas where
he was former chair of the
Educational Leadership
Department at Edinburg
campus. Former
department head William
Spencer returns to
full-time teaching and
Llanes research.
Alabama Cooperative Extension Sys­tem
appoints new leader
ACES animal scientist and associate professor of
animal sciences at Auburn, Frank Owsley, was
appointed the new leader of ACES. He will
integrate research and extension activities, serve
as liaison for federal and state agencies and work
with researchers and farmers in the field. The
relationship between Auburn's environmental
stewardship program and livestock producers in
Alabama will be strengthened.
CAMPUS STAFF
CHASE MITCHELL
Campus Editor
MARY HOOD
Assistant Editor
MIRANDA MATTHEIS
Associate Editor
SARAH DAY OWEN
Assistant Editor
To reach the campus staff, call 8-4-1-9118.
SEX
* From Bl
necessarily just marriage.
Sollie said people may feel pres­sure
to either participate or not par­ticipate
in sexual activity by the
group of people they're friends with.
She also said a double standard
still exists for women, who are more
likely to be judged than men on
their sexual ventures. Men are also
expected to be more interested in
sex than women.
Sexual healing
Butler said he thinks most people
in college see sex almost as a game.
"It's a fun thing to do," Butler said.
In long-term relationships, he
said, it's a big thing, but sometimes
people go to bars and hit on others
just for the fun of it.
He said some people participate in
random sexual activity.
"(With) 25,000 people at school —
how often am I going to see this
other person again?" Butler said.
Sollie said it's a phenomenon
called "hooking up," and 55 percent
of Auburn students who took her
survey had participated.
For some, it's just kissing, for oth­ers,
it's sex or anything in between.
For 85 percent of people who've
"hooked up," it included intercourse,
Sollie said.
"The assumption is that it's just a
one-night kind of thing," Sollie said.
Seventy-five percent of Americans
have "hooked up," Sollie said.
She said people who hook up may
not realize that they're also taking
an emotional and physical risk.
Some people may hope that the rela­tionship
will go beyond physical
intimacy, she said.
"I do think we've seen an increase
in that kind of behavior," Sollie said.
Butler said hooking up seems to
have rules, too.
"You have to go all the way or it
doesn't count," Butler said.
Bringing sexy back: the definition of
sex
"My opinion was always anything
without clothes," Butler said.
He said the general consensus of
college students define it as pene­tration
of genitals.
Schell said she thinks there's a lot
more wrapped up in sex than just
intercourse. Her opinion is that any
sexual contact, be it "fooling
around" or foreplay, is sex.
"I think the line is definitely
drawn way, way before intercourse is
even talked about," Schell said.
Sollie said her survey found that
60 to 70 percent of students sur­veyed
thought having oral sex was
not abstaining from sex.
Masturbation was found to be
abstaining by 80 percent of the stu­dents
surveyed.
In trying to define sex or the right
sexual decision, there's no single col­lege-
set sexuality.
HALEY
> From Bl
so they will not require any care now
that they are on the roof.
Once they grow, they will help pro­tect
the roof.
The plants will help control water
runoff, and will protect the roof from
ultraviolet rays.
This will help increase the roof's
lifespan.
"I think it will be effective," Biggs
said.
Since only a small portion of
Haley's roof is a Green Roof, Biggs
said it was a demonstration project.
"If all of the roofs of Haley Center
had plants on it, it would make a dif­ference,"
Biggs said.
She said the roofs of Haley Center
are sturdy enough to support a Green
Roof for the entire building.
The Green Roof was placed on the
building Nov. 3, and a ribbon ceremo­ny
was held yesterday for the project.
Biggs said she hopes the Green
Roof will inspire others to want to do
the same thing.
"Hopefully this little piece of Green
Roof will inspire people to think
about it," Biggs said.
Gramberg, who is originally from
Germany, said green roofs are com­mon
in Western Europe.
Biggs said she doesn't have plans
for any more Green Roof projects, but
she would like to see them happen.
"If Professor Biggs is planning more
of these initiatives, 1 will certainly
support it," Gramberg said.
SURVEY
- From Bl
method of using surveys is such an easy
and resourceful tool, there will probably
be more available in months as long as
they continue to receive valuable feed­back.
»
The planning for campus dining will
not affect the dining options in Foy Stu­dent
Union.
"This is more affecting the future of
campus dining. (There will be) virtually
no impact this academic year." Riten-baugh
said.
About dining in Foy, Ritenbaugh did say
they are planning to move the Chick-fil-A
and Pizza Hut Express to the new student
union.
"We've got that kind of feedback from
previous year," Ritenbaugh said. "(We're)
trying to go back and make sure we've got
everything that meets expectations."
The recent survey didn't deal with
brand names of restaurants but rather
eating patterns. Ritenbaugh said.
"We're trying to figure out how many
meals people have on campus, how often
do they dine on campus, to better put
together a plan that addresses their
needs," Ritenbaugh said.
They are taking into account what peo­ple
are looking for late at night when
things are not open, if they typically
choose to eat off campus at a fast food
restaurant or at home, and things of that
nature.
"The survey will reflect those kinds of
answers," Ritenbaugh said.
But he also said they are working on
and have worked on the venues for the
new student union.
He said the plan is to get the informa­tion
by the end of the spring to give them
a full year to do additional planning for
the student center opens the following
summer.
SGA SENATE Nov. 28,2006
Bill / Resolution: Presented By:
PSSB 06-1128-01: O-Fund
Request for Painted Fools
This bill came from Kristy Cot-trell,
co-chair, Organizations
Board.
Vote:
25-0, passes in favor of the
bill.
PSSB 06-1128-02: Probation­ary
Charter for Professional
Convention Management Asso­ciation
This bill came from Kristy Cot-trell,
co-chair, Organizations
Board.
25-0, passes in favor of the
bill.
PSSB 06-1128-03: Permanent
Charter for Mat Cats
1 his bill came from Kristy Cot-trell,
co-chair, Organizations
Board.
25-0, passes in favor of the
bill.
Extra Comments:
This bill gave Painted Fools
$128ofO-Fundstobuya
new tent, which they use to
paint faces before athletic
events, for their organiza­tion.
This bill gave a probationary
charter to student chapter of
the Professional Convention
Management Association,
which seeks to familiarize its
members with the basic
aspects of meetings and con­ventions
through interaction
between the student chapter
and the professional faucet
of the organization.
This bill gave a permanent
charter to Mat Cats, a host­ess
organization that sup­ports
the Auburn University
Wrestling Club.
Additional
Announcements:
The Holiday Celebration will be tonight at 6:30 on Samford Lawn. A city parade will precede the
event at 5:30 p.m.
Auburn was the winner of this year's Beat Bama Food Drive.
I'hursday, Nov. 30,2006 Wot Auburn $latn*man
B3
New Web site lets college
students rate their dorms
com-
Recent Bradley grad
launches two Web sites
geared toward college
students across the U.S.
By MARY HOOD
Assistant Campus Editor
Michael Tasner, 22, fresh out of Bradley Uni­versity
in Peoria, 111., with a degree in entrepre-neurship,
owns his own business on the Web.
His business is www.college-butler.com,
which creates Web sites to benefit college stu­dents.
About two weeks ago, he launched two Web
sites. The first one he came up with some of his
professors while discussing his senior project.
He said he was the project manager for his
group and was lucky to have a group' of moti­vated,
hard-students like himself.
One of the professors mentioned
plaints he's gotten from
other students about
poorly-performing group
members. Tasner said he
had also had some har­rowing
experiences with
group members.
"I was in a ridiculous
amount of groups with a
lot of crappy group mem­bers,"
Tasner said.
Here, the light bulb
went off in Tasner's head;
create a Web site that can
help students when
choosing group members.
He soon began working on the page design,
which he said is pretty advanced, and came up
with www.ratemyteammember.com.
"Ratemyteammember.com is basically to
help get a feel of what people think about each
other," Tasner said.
To prevent slanderous and esteem-crushing
comments about people from being submitted
on the Web site, he said, everyone who wants
to use this site has to sign up, although it's free
of charge.
"If someone does (bash), I'll know exactly
who it is," Tasner said.
Tasner said he realizes this Web site may
cause some buzz and be a little controversial,
but he sees the benefits it will bring to college
students.
About a month into the design of the Web
site, Tasner came up with another idea —
www.ratemycoIlegedorm.com.
While at Bradley University, Tasner said he
worked in the admissions office and part of his
duties were giving campus tours.
"Basically when you go to college, admis­sions
office will kind of sugar coat how the
dorms are," Tasner said.
Many times he saw how the poor status of
dorms would be glossed over and he would
have people asking him how the dorms really
were.
He created the Web site as a means to have
students inform other students the true shape
of the dorm.
Since both Web sites are relatively new, Tas­ner
said only about 150 people have signed up.
But he thinks word-of-mouth and also doing
some advertising, like on Facebook, the num­ber
of users will grow.
"Hove the college market. Being a
recent college graduate, I know
what a hassle these things are.
Working admissions gave me good
perspective, tricks of the trade for
recruiting and also being a a
college student myself"
Michad Tasner
creator ofratemyteammember.com
He said, www.ratemycollegedorm.com is the
more popular Web site.
"I hope these sites are growing," Tasner said.
Tasner said 100 percent of the advertising
profits made from the Web sites will be donat­ed
to children's' charities.
"I've never been in a position to give a lot
back, there's so many more people in much
more need than I am," Tasner said.
As far as creating Web sites and businesses,
Tasner said he doesn't plan on stopping with
the two he just launched.
"In the next six months I plan to launch
more," Tasner said. "My goal is to have a pretty
big college empire."
Tasner also has ideas about launching a
business that puts together college-care pack­ages
— dorm kits, cleaning kits and college
essentials kits.
He also spoke of a business that offers the
service of packing up college belongings at the
end of the year, taking it to storage and then
unpacking all of it before you come back for
the next year.
—-^—______ All of the ideas Tas­ner
has involve catering
to college students.
"I love the college
market," Tasner said.
"Being a recent college
graduate, I know what a
hassle these things are.
Working admissions gave
me good perspective,
tricks of the trade for
recruiting and also being
a college student myself."
__________________ Tasner also said
working to benefit col­lege
students will help him stay young.
Tom Mixon, a close friend of Tasner and his
roommate for two years, said Tasner is a nice
guy who "always goes out of his way for peo­ple."
He also said he is innovative and loves com­ing
up with ideas.
Mixon said he has also been an entrepre­neur.
Tasner was the president of the Collegiate
Entrepreneur Program at Bradley University.
"He loves to come up with ideas and run
with them," Mixon said. "He's been really excit­ed
about (the Web sites).
"He's seen the success of
ratemyprofessor.com and thought it would be
a great Web site for a student to student evalu­ation,"
Mixon said.
He said Tasner is always running around
doing something
"He's probably one of the busiest people I
know," Mixon said.
Mixon said he believes www.ratemyteam-member.
com to be a really good idea because
it protects students from "having a free-rider
in the group," and gives them a chance to
research to find good group members.
He said he respects Tasner's decision to
donate the Web sites' profits to charity.
"One of the things I always liked about his is
he always liked to give back and he's a very
generous man," Mixon said.
Mixon said Tasner is going to go far.
"He's going to have his own business one day
and a really great business that everyone is
going to know," Mixon said.
But for right now, according to Tasner's slo­gan,
he's just "making college easier, one com­pany
at a time."
A window to nowhere
Michael Friedman / PHOTO STAFF
This free-standing wall near Lowder Business Building isn't a mistake. Construction sites on
campus often have "mock ups," which are used to show what a part of the building will look
like when it's completed. They also are used as a guide for construction workers.
Back /History
What made headlines on the Plains...
5 years ago...
December 2001—
Johnny Michael Spann,
a 1992 Auburn graduate,
was killed in Afghanistan.
Spann was the first casualty of war
since the United States began bomb­ing
Taliban strongholds in
Afghanistan.
Trustee Robert Lowder announced a
plan at th e Auburn Alumni Advisory
Council meeting to raise the Universi­ty's
endowment. It would be raised to
$2 billion from its current $238.1 mil­lion.
The Auburn-Opelika Robert G. Pitts
Airport opened a new runway. The
runway is 1,332 feet and will allow
more companies in corporate aircraft
to access the airport.
The director of the Tiger Walk,
Tommy Williams, died from brain can­cer.
Williams approached athletics
director David Housel in 1997 with
plans to change the tradition.
15 years ago...
December 1991 —
Auburn bookstores are
experiencing a slowdown in holiday
shopping. Some bookstore owners are
attributing the lack of sales to the
poor football season. This is the first
losing football record since Coach Pat
Dye's initial season.
SGA Senate voted to deny a perma­nent
charter for the Gay and Lesbian
Association. Auburn could go to court
over the issue.
Students who don't wear their back­packs
on both shoulders are at risk for
back problems later in life.
The football team and the Tigerettes
are holding a Christmas party for 40
needy children in the Auburn-Opelika
area. Each child will receive a gift at
the party.
Recent studies show that linemen
may be more likely to get cardiovascu­lar
disease because of their diets to
maintain high weight.
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B4 <Thr Auburn ipaintfinan Thursday, Nov. 30,2006
December grads look forward to semester s end
By ABIGAIL HOLLOWAY
StaffWrittr
The old saying is "All 1 want
for Christmas is my two front
teeth." But some Auburn stu­dents
aren't following tradition;
instead, they're just asking for a
diploma.
This December, a lucky few
will get their wish.
Christina I.orino. a philoso­phy
major with a concentration
in religious studies, will gradu­ate
in December and counts
down the days until freedom,
from finals.
But she has big things
planned for her future and
won't be free for long.
"Hopefully, I'm going to law
school next fall at Cumberland
at Samford," she said. "I'm hang­ing
out in Auburn until then."
To make money in the spring
and summer. I.orino will wait
tables and bartend at a local
restaurant. The money she
makes will go toward her law
school education.
"My parents are helping me
become financially independ­ent,"
she said. "They're not pay­ing.
I'm taking out loans for law
school."
'After graduating from Cum­berland.
I.orino said she wants
to start a private practice in
criminal defense, specializing in
juveniles.
Her few months of freedom
after her December graduation
will likely be the last bit of down
time she'll see for years.
Jordan Glover is another stu­dent
graduating this December.
He will receive a degree in build­ing
science, which has left him
with a multitude of choices for
the future.
"I have a couple of different
options on the table," Glover
said about his future. "I'm prob­ably
looking at working for a
few years before going to grad
school."
Glover even has several
options about where to work
before returning to school.
"1 might stay here, or I might
go out West to Colorado," he
said.
With his degree, Glover will
work at construction sites
reviewing contracts. Glover is
graduating a semester late
because he changed majors.
"I was in chemical engineer­ing,"
he said. "I thought it was
boring."
So Glover changed majors
and has enjoyed his time in
building science.
"There's more communica­tion,"
Glover said. "You're not
just sitting at a desk looking at
formulas."
Beth Kicker is another
December graduate with deci­sions
to make.
Kicker is earning a degree in
communications with a minor
in criminology.
"I plan on moving back in
with my parents for a little while
and sending out my resumes to
companies in that area," she
said. "Basically, trying to get a
job."
Kicker said she hopes to
obtain an entry level job at a
company. Communications is a
broad major which makes her
appealing to all sorts of busi­nesses.
"It's just starting at the bot­tom
and working my way up,"
Kicker said of her future.
Kicker will graduate a semes­ter
late.
"I went to meet with my
adviser and I found out I had a
couple more classes I had to
squeeze in," she said.
Photo Illustration by Jon Culver / DESIGN EDITOR
Students graduating in December are looking forward to finally
receiving their caps, gowns and, most importantly, their Auburn Uni­versity
degrees.
Kicker then explained why
she is staying with her parents.
"I'd like to save up so I can one
day afford my own place," she
said.
These three students have
entirely different plans for the
future, but they do have one
thing in common. All three will
graduate this December.
Only a couple more weeks to
go-
AUalum named vice president of top 200 small business
By MARY HOOD
Assistant Campus Editor
Auburn University graduate Mike Harvison
was recently appointed vice president and
general manager of Country Home Bakers, a
division of J&J Snack Foods Corporation, that
has been listed in 2006 as one of Forbes "Top
200 Small Companies" for the sixth time.
Harvison graduated from „^_^____^_
Auburn in L987 with a
degree in industrial engi­neering.
After he graduated, he
moved to Los Angeles to
begin his career with Coun­try
Home Bakers as an
industrial engineer.
Being from the South.
Harvison said he never got the feeling like he
was alone.
I'm one of those few guys that
worked in my discipline for
many years"
Mike Harvison
A uburn University graduate
lived out there from the SEC, if you will," Harvi­son
said. "LA's the type of town where you
don't feel like an outcast."
He said there was even an Auburn alumni
group that gets together with an Alabama
alumni group to watch the Iron Bowl every
year.
He moved up the corporate ladder, earning
titles such as manager of industrial and sys-
. _ ^ ^ _ _ _ ^ _ terns engineering, corpo­rate
project manager,
general manager and direc­tor
capacity development.
In the midst of this, he
took a three-year hiatus to
be a consultant managing
engineering and software
^ ^ ^ _ _ _ _ - _ ^ _ projects
In the beginning of
his career as a industrial engineer, he said he
used the degree he received from Auburn.
"There were a whole bunch of groups that "I'm one of those few guys that worked in my
discipline for many years," Harvison said. "I
don't so much anymore as a general manager. I
have engineers working for me. I used my
degree absolutely."
Though he did not know exactly what his
career path would be, he was certain he want­ed
to put his degree to use.
"I didn't know what industry particularly I
would end up in, but I always thought manu­facturing
would be a place for me; I felt com­fortable
in that role," Harvison said.
Harvison lives in Atlanta, his hometown,
where the Country Home Bakers plant is locat­ed.
"It was a homecoming for me," Harvison
said.
While at Auburn, Harvison said he was in a
fraternity, lived in the fraternity house and
enjoyed his college years.
He said he hasn't been back to his alma
mater in a couple of years.
Harvison said he is happy with what he is
doing and gave an explanation of Country
Home Bakers.
"We're a premier manufacturer of raw frozen
bakery products for food service and in-store
bakery markets, nationwide," Harvison said.
He said the company sells food to the restau­rant
industry in hospitals and schools. "
"That's the kind of market we sell to," Harvi­son
said.
Al Kelecki has been friends with Harvison
since high school. Harvison would eat dinner
at Kelecki's house.
They attended Auburn at the same time and
both started out majoring in computer engi­neering.
"We studied IE together, which we really
liked at Auburn," Harvison said.
Because of an unstable curriculum in that
major, they both switched to industrial engi­neering.
"He's done well since he's left Auburn," Kelek-ci
said.
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Thursday, Nov, 30,2006 W)t Auburn ff laingman ~B5
Authors reminisce about Auburn
By TORI ALLEN
Staff Writer
"There's just something about Auburn."
This statement has stemmed a collection of short sto­ries
titled "Lets Talk ... Auburn" by two Auburn alumni,
recapturing their favorite Auburn memories.
Robbie Bateman and Kevin Lynn, friends since seventh
grade, gathered at their annual Lake Martin trip and rem­inisced
about the days at Auburn and their favorite
moments.
"We started out, in some ways, to chronicle our experi­ences
at Auburn, and it evolved into some other things,"
Lynn said.
Publishing a book was not the author's original idea.
"We had no real intention to market or sell it, but we
started seeing what it could be," Lynn said.
The two wrote stories about their glory days at Auburn,
with a focus on the athletics, but also their specific tradi­tions
they have as fans.
"My Favorite Shirt" is Lynn's favorite short story in the
book. In it he discusses his tradition of wearing the same
shirt for every Auburn football game.
Bateman also has a lucky T-shirt he wears for every
football game and claims that it "drives my wife crazy."
"If it's not clean or I can't find it on a gameday, I will
tear this house apart," Bateman said.
Bateman and Lynn have a fear of tainting their T-shirts
and take them off during the game if the Tigers are not
playing to the best of their ability. Bateman said he is
afraid to taint its good luck by continuing to wear it
through the conclusion of the Tigers' loss.
He also never misses a football game, either on TV or
on the radio. If the game is not televised, Bateman will sit
in his truck in the only spot of his yard that gets reception
for the length of the game.
Bateman's favorite stories in the book are about his
transformation from an Alabama fan to an Auburn fan.
"It was my transformation from the dark side, and it
was a total life change for me," Bateman said.
Lynn and other long-time friends brought Bateman to
the Auburn side, and he has not looked back at the Crim­son
Tide since.
He said he hopes the book is able to explain the Auburn
spirit
"Especially being an Alabama fan, friends and family,
they can't fathom how I switched, and I try to explain it to
them that they will not know until they step on that cam­pus
and they spend some time here," Bateman said.
The two said they believe that the book is good for
Auburn fans of all types.
"This is a good read for Auburn fans, and it's also a good
read for anyone who likes Auburn but hasn't been yet to
Auburn," Lynn said.
Lynn said Auburn fans will be able to read the book and
CONTRIBUTED
The book, "Let's Talk... Auburn!," is a collection of short sto­ries
by two Auburn grads, Robbie Bateman and Kevin Lynn,
who wanted to print their favorite memories at Auburn.
remember Auburn moments and places as they read
through the stories. "The Auburn Faithful" is a term Bate­man
uses for the Auburn fans, and he believes they will
enjoy the book for all of its memories and moments.
Bateman said he believes Auburn has something spe­cial
between its fans that no other team has. As a former
Alabama fan, he said they would never recognize each
other with a "Roll Tide" as the Auburn Tiger fans do with
a "War Eagle."
"When you're an Auburn fan, and you wear those col­ors,
it's a national bond," Bateman said.
Lynn, a 1998 grad in landscape architecture, now lives
in Denver, Colo. Bateman was an architecture major and
graduated in 2001. He lives in Huntsville.
Bateman and Lynn will have a book signing Dec. 16 at'
the Books-A-Million in Huntsville. They said they also
hope to come to J&M, Anders and the Auburn University
Bookstore for possible book signings as well.
Grads make difference,
teach at low-income schools
By MIRANDA MATTHEIS
Associate Campus Editor '
By the time they are 9 years old,
students in low-income areas are
already three grade levels behind stu­dents
living in high-income areas.
Half of these students won't graduate
from high school.
Those who do graduate high
school are at the same reading and
math level as an eighth grader in a
high-income area.
According to its Web site, "Teach
for America is the national corps of
outstanding recent college graduates
of all academic majors who commit
two years to teach in urban and rural
public schools and become leaders in
the effort to expand educational
opportunityr and Teach Xor America's