July 15, 2002
AU establishes game-day regulations
Contaminant drained from AC tower
Fellowship to honor former professor
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July 15, 2002 |
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| Headlines AU establishes game-day regulations Contaminant drained from AC tower Fellowship to honor former professor |
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AU establishes new game-day regulations
Auburn is implementing changes to parking, safety and tailgating procedures for game-day activities on campus beginning with the 2002 football season.
President William Walker said the changes are intended to enrich tailgating experiences on campus and will not affect most fans. Included in the plan is the development of parking lots for RVs and vehicles, adding more than 1,650 parking spaces on campus. Detailed information on the changes can be found on the university's web site. An e-mail address (gameday@auburn.edu) and phone number (844-9999) are available for comments and suggestions.
The changes are rooted in the terrorist attacks on the United States, past incidents of damage to university buildings and property and the preservation of the campus' landscape and heritage.
"We have to do more to ensure the safety and security of everyone on campus in all situations while maintaining our football game traditions," said Walker. "These changes will guarantee that the traditions of Auburn game day will continue for all Auburn faithful. We encourage our alumni, fans and visitors to come to campus, and we ask for your cooperation so that we all enjoy football on the Plains."
The terrorist attacks prompted the nation's insurance industry to identify NCAA I-A football institutions as being at a higher risk. The industry now requires universities to develop detailed information on disaster preparedness, the ability to respond and measures for controlling loss.
University officials also expressed concern about incidents on previous football weekends when campus buildings were vandalized and student work, university equipment and research were destroyed. Safeguarding areas of campus for future generations is also a consideration.
The additional parking lots and a more organized parking system will implement several campus security and safety initiatives, including maintaining access for emergency vehicles and personnel, providing accessibility in accordance with the American Disabilities Act, protecting university utility systems and protecting the university's research projects and student work.
The university will make the following changes beginning with AU's first home football game on Sept. 7:
* Provide six organized parking areas for vehicles, with two specifically designed for RVs. A shuttle service to and from the stadium will be established for fans who park on South Donahue Drive in the area of the Ham Wilson Arena.
* Create an RV-free zone in the central part of campus bounded by Magnolia Avenue, College Street, Samford Avenue and Donahue Drive. This zone will create additional areas for tailgating and parking in the core part of campus.
* Prohibit the use of stakes, ropes, ribbons or other measures to mark off individual tailgating areas until 4 p.m. the day before game day. No one will be authorized to reserve parking spaces for themselves or others.
* Create vehicle-free green spaces for picnicking and tailgating on some lawn areas. The university will provide picnic tables and benches at Graves Amphitheater, Cary Hall lawn and Cater Hall lawn.
During the 2001 football season, the university studied parking and tailgating on campus in certain densely parked areas: Graves Amphitheater, Cary Hall lawn and Cater Hall lawn to count vehicles in those areas to verify how many vehicles would be displaced by making these areas vehicle-free. During the 2001 Auburn-Alabama game, officials counted about 300 vehicles parked in those areas.
Those areas are now designated as vehicle-free, green spaces for tailgating and picnicking. Other new vehicle-free green spaces are: in front of the Nichols ROTC Center and Wallace Center lawn; the corner of Mell Street and Roosevelt Drive; the corner of Magnolia Avenue and Donahue Drive; and the lawn area between Sewell Hall and Plainsman Park.
To assist fans in establishing their tailgate spots in these areas, the university is developing a drop-off system much like the University of Mississippi has created in The Grove. Fans can still tailgate in these areas, and first-come, first-served parking is available in nearby lots.
The university's decision to convert some areas of campus into green spaces is part of a master plan that has been approved by AU's Board of Trustees.
To be implemented over several years, the plan calls for an ultimate goal of a pedestrian-friendly core campus and recommended certain campus areas -- Graves Amphitheater is one example -- be preserved for alumni and students.
The new parking areas being developed will provide spaces for approximately 175 RVs and more than 1,500 spaces for automobiles, SUVs and other vehicles -- several times more than the estimated 300 spaces being lost by eliminating parking in some green areas. New parking areas include: * A horseshoe-shaped area behind the Nichols ROTC Center and Wallace Center (designated for RVs); * An area behind the Max Morris Drill Field area (designated for RVs); and * Four areas on Donahue Drive near the Ham Wilson Arena (designated for all vehicles).
Other improvements include hot-charcoal containers for fan use and nine high-quality modular restrooms to be placed strategically around campus. These restrooms will be connected to the campus electrical, sewer and water systems.
As was the case last fall, academic and administrative buildings will be locked on game-day. Seventeen campus buildings and facilities -- Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum, the Athletic Complex, Foy Student Union, the Alumni Center, the AU Hotel & Dixon Conference Center, Dudley Commons, Engineering Shop 1 (ground floor), Facilities Division Building 5, the Intramural Field House, the Old Physical Plant Building, Parker Hall (east end only), Draughon Library, Ham Wilson Arena and Plainsman Park -- will be open during game days. Haley Center will be open until kickoff, Mary Martin Hall will be open until noon and Jordan-Hare Stadium opens two hours before game time.
Contaminant drained from AC cooling tower
The Auburn University Facilities Division over the July 13-14 weekend flushed about 90,000 gallons of what was determined to be non-toxic water into the university and city's sanitary sewer drainage system.
Facilities Division employees flushed and cleaned the chilled water cooling tower in one of the university's two chilled water plants, causing about a 40 percent chilled water air conditioning capacity on campus Saturday, said Randy Moon, director of maintenance and operations for Facilities Division. Moon said buildings which house live animals or sensitive research projects were not among the buildings which lost chilled water for air conditioning during the maintenance work.
AU's Department of Public Safety and Facilities Division on July 10 started investigating the contamination of water in the air conditioner cooling tower. The substance was discovered by a maintenance crew, whose members immediately secured the facility. No one was injured.
"All test results have indicated there were no problems with the water," said Charles Ray, director of the AU Office of Safety and Environmental Health.
Officials conducted several tests to identify the source in the contaminated water. One test, an aquatic toxicity test, showed no hazardous or toxic materials in the water.
Although test results have proved no hazardous materials were involved, the source has yet to be officially identified. "In my professional opinion, I believe it was lime," Ray added.
No arrests have been made, but an investigation is continuing in what appears to be a deliberate act. Bill Nevin, director of Public Safety at AU, said someone deposited a contaminant that turned that tower's water milky in color.
The tower is one of two at the chilled water plant east of Plainsman Park baseball stadium. Water from the tower does not leave the site.
Campus drinking water supplies were not affected. The university's water supplies are on a separate system from the air conditioning system.
Water from the tower is used for cooling equipment at one of two central air conditioning plants on campus and is confined to the site, said Moon. That water does not come into contact with the air conditioning lines, which, in any case, are enclosed, he added.
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Staff, faculty representatives express views on appointment
The University Senate and the Staff Council have expressed differing responses to the June 3 decision by the Board of Trustees to remove the "interim" designation from the title of President William Walker.
The Staff Council, which represents the support staff, on June 25 passed by a 21-8 vote a resolution commending Walker for his leadership in the face of cutbacks to higher education during the 15 months that Walker served as interim president.
The University Senate, which represents the faculty and includes representatives of other campus constituencies, voted 35-26, with two abstentions, on July 9, to censure the board for naming a president without a search.
In its resolution, the Staff Council urged the board to adhere to principles of shared governance and affirmative action guidelines in all hiring and promotions. The resolution also expressed the staff organization's appreciation to Walker, the board, the faculty and administrative-professional groups for their support of recent improvements in employee benefits.
Staff Council Chair Candace Bourne said the staff organization wanted to ensure that the university adheres to the affirmative action guidelines and adheres to established policies when making administrative appointments, but the majority also wanted to build on recent improvements in relations between the staff and other campus constituencies.
In the University Senate, supporters of the censure resolution acknowledged that it would be symbolic rather than binding on the board. However, the supporters of the resolution argued that the senate should state its objection to the board action as a matter of principle concerning shared governance.
Opponents argued that the faculty organization should move ahead in building better relations with the board, particularly in efforts to gain a nonvoting faculty seat on the board.
In voting to remove the "interim" designation on June 3, the board cited Walker's leadership as interim president and the desire to remove an air of impermanence that posed potential problems with private fundraising.
Fellowship to honor former mathematics professor
The Ben Fitzpatrick Jr. Memorial Fund, named for a deceased longtime member of the Mathematics faculty, has reached $25,000, the level needed to qualify for establishment as a permanent AU endowment.
Earnings from this memorial fellowship will be awarded to a graduate student with an interest in topology, an area in which Fitzpatrick specialized, said Tammy Beck, development officer for the AU College of Sciences and Mathematics.
Topology is the study of those geometric figures that remain unchanged even when under distortion, so long as no surfaces are torn.
Fitzpatrick, professor emeritus of mathematics, died in 2000. His friends and family established the fellowship to create a lasting memorial for the professor who was a prominent part of the academic program for more than three decades.
"Dr. Fitzpatrick is the father of the math program at Auburn, the grandfather being Vann Parker, for whom Parker Hall is named," said Jack Brown, professor of math. "He (Fitzpatrick) was certainly the most important influence on my career."
Fitzpatrick received his bachelor's degree in mathematics in 1952 from Auburn. In 1958, he earned a Ph.D. from the University of Texas. He returned to Auburn in 1959 and later served a lengthy period as a department chair. Fitzpatrick retired in 1992 and died in November 2000.
Tax-deductible contributions to the Fitzpatrick fund are still being accepted and may be mailed to COSAM's Development Office to the attention of Tammy Beck, 317 S. College Street, Auburn University, Ala. 36849.
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Education faculty member developing web-based course on Civil Rights
An Auburn faculty member is developing an interactive web-based computer program to give high school students a "hands on" approach to learning about the history of the Civil Rights movement in the United States.
John Saye, an associate professor of curriculum and teaching in the College of Education, is developing the "Decision Point" project with a two-year $210,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and $63,000 in equipment and support from Apple Computer Inc.
Saye is developing and field testing the interactive program this year with history teachers and students at Auburn High School and LaGrange, Ga., High School. He plans to introduce the program to a broader audience of history teachers in training at Auburn next summer.
Through the web-based format, students will study the activities, court decisions and major Civil Rights legislation of the 1960s and related issues in U.S. history. Text in each section's lesson will contain links to documents, personal accounts, newspaper articles, photographs, television news coverage and other materials from the era.
"This has the potential to be a very effective teaching aid," said Saye, an AU faculty member since 1994. "The interactive approach enables teachers to guide the students through studies in a format that is at least as familiar as text documents to most of today's students."
Last spring, Apple provided a classroom set of laptop computers for three weeks of pilot testing in the two high schools. Apple will provide technical expertise and computer hardware for next summer's two-week training institute for high school history teachers. When project development is completed, Apple will assist with dissemination of the "Decision Point" learning environment by sponsoring K-12 teacher workshops nationwide.
The Apple technology has proved to be the best for development of the program, Saye said. Since it is web-based, the program should be easy to use for students with Windows-based computers, as well, he added.
Trustee Statement: Put past issues behind AU, look to future
By W. James Samford Jr., President Pro Tempore, Auburn University Board of Trustees
Over the past year, Auburn University's efforts to hire new administrators, faculty and staff, launch a capital campaign and represent itself effectively in Montgomery on budget matters were hampered because it had an interim president.
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While Dr. William Walker had done an outstanding job in an interim capacity, it was apparent that it was affecting his ability to hire the best people and project an atmosphere of stability at Auburn.
The best deans, faculty and fund-raisers were leery about going to Auburn or any other university, for that matter, without a sense of who their boss would be a year later, especially in view of the uncertainty of higher education funding in Alabama.
Considering those and other factors, the Board of Trustees began considering the possibility of removing the "interim" from Dr. Walker's title.
Weeks before any action was taken, however, individual trustees met with leaders of every constituency group on campus ‹ all of whom supported naming Dr. Walker president. Faculty, students, alumni, staff, deans, administrators and other employees were all consulted in an open and inclusive process. Ultimately, it was decided that it was in the best interest of the university and all of its constituents that Dr. Walker be appointed president.
Unfortunately, a small group of faculty members voted to oppose the action, the only group to do so.
And this past week, that group of faculty narrowly voted 35-26 to censure the trustees over the process used to appoint Dr. Walker. This vote was damaging because it hinders our efforts to bring the Auburn Family together behind the strong leadership of our new president.
It is also troublesome because it demonstrates that no matter what process is used by the trustees in making a decision, no matter how inclusive and open the process, no matter how obvious the reasons are for making a decision and no matter that there is near unanimous support for an action, there is a minority that will continue to oppose any action by the Board of Trustees.
President Walker has a long and distinguished career with Auburn, moving up through the ranks from a faculty member and dean of the College of Engineering to university provost and now to president.
Auburn people are now focused on supporting Dr. Walker as we move the university forward in a positive way. There are many exciting things going on that show we are making progress. Auburn has been recognized as one of the top 50 public universities in America by U S. News & World Report for the ninth consecutive year. And Auburn has once again been recognized as one of the "Best Buys" in education by Money magazine.
Auburn is improving the quality of its faculty. This fall, the university will welcome its first-ever member of the prestigious and internationally renowned National Academy of Engineering. Marwan A. Simaan will serve as the Samuel Ginn Distinguished Professor and head Auburn's wireless engineering degree program ‹ the first in the nation. Auburn hopes to add more NAE faculty soon.
Auburn has a new campus plan that includes more than $100 million in new construction projects for facilities ranging from agriculture to engineering to a new student health center and student union village.
Members of the Board of Trustees are regularly meeting with students, faculty, administrators and alumni representing each of AU's 13 colleges and schools. This is providing tremendous insight for trustees about the challenges and opportunities facing each college or school. It is also giving the board a better understanding as it makes difficult decisions created by the funding shortfalls for education in Alabama.
Our university has never been better academically, athletically, financially and in many other ways. Dr. Walker has done an outstanding job of leading our university through some of its most difficult times, and I believe he will prove to be one of Auburn's most effective leaders in the future. It is my hope that the Auburn Family will rally around Dr. Walker and his administration, and sustain the progress that AU is making.
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AU Report
Editor: Roy Summerford. Contributing editors: Bob Lowry, Janet McCoy, David Granger and Roy Roberson. The AU Report is the faculty/staff newsletter of Auburn University and is published by the Office of University Relations at Auburn University. Direct correspondence to AU Report, 23 Samford Hall, Auburn University, Ala. 36849-5109. Telephone 334/844-9999. Electronic mail: summero@auburn.edu |