| FOR THE FACULTYAND STAFF OF AUBURN UNIVERSITY | November 13, 1995 |
| FOR THE FACULTYAND STAFF OF AUBURN UNIVERSITY | November 13, 1995 |
The AU Report, produced for the faculty and staff of Auburn University, is published bi-monthly during fall, winter and spring quarters, and monthly during summer quarter. The AU Report is NOT published during the weeks of Thanksgiving, Christmas and spring break holidays.
The AU Report is produced by the Office of University Relations and edited by Roy Summerford. Contributing editors, writers and designers include Rick Albee, Diane Clifton, Mitch Emmons, Kevin Loden, Bob Lowry, Janet McCoy and Pete Pepinsky.
Official distribution by campus mail includes free copies to full-time faculty and staff at campus offices. Copies are also mailed to trustees and administrators at AU at Montgomery.
The deadline for receiving editorial material is each Wednesday at noon. General material may be mailed to Roy Summerford (summero@mail.auburn), Office of University Relations, 23 Samford Hall, Auburn University, AL 36849; calendar items should be dir ected to Diane Clifton (cliftsh@mail.auburn.edu)
For additional information, call 334/844-9999.
How do you fit nearly 20,000 cars into just over 10,000 spaces? After wrestling with the problem for two years, Jim Ferguson, AU's vice president for administrative services, has come forth with some options.
None of the options is ideal or cheap, but Ferguson says they offer improvement over the near-gridlock that has confronted the campus for years.
In a quest for feedback, Ferguson has been presenting the options to public groups in recent weeks and he is slated to share the options for the University Senate on Tuesday. Feedback has been limited so far as audiences grasp the implications of sol utions that range in price from $3 million to $20 million for construction.
The next step will be for the Campus Planning Committee to review the options along with the public input and make a recommendation to President William Muse, who will decide what proposal to take to the Board of Trustees.
"Parking is a problem that refuses to go away or get better," Ferguson said. "Everyone knows we have a problem, but there's no easy way to deal with it."
Holcombe and Wood, a consulting firm from Birmingham, has identified potential sites for up to six parking decks and three parking lots.
Parking decks would be a convenient and popular solution, but they are expensive Ferguson noted. If all recommended six parking decks were built, they would cost about $43 million and accommodate 6,196 vehicles. But more than 1,300 existing spaces wou
ld be eliminated, leaving a net of approximately 4,800 new spaces.
Individual parking deck costs, at $7,000 per space, range from $2.3 million for a 330-space expansion of the library parking deck to $20 million for a 2,866-vehicle parking deck west of Jordan-Hare Stadium. Other potential sites for parking decks are at the Conference Center, Haley Center, the College of Business Building parking lot and north of Jordan-Hare Stadium.
A major deterrent to parking decks, Ferguson said, is the likelihood of increased traffic congestion near the center of campus. "No one wants to make the congestion any worse than it already is," he said.
A popular solution at the public hearings has been a proposal to close Wire Road behind Nichols ROTC Center, move Max Morris Drill Field to the front of that building and turn the entire drill field, existing parking area west of the stadium and neigh boring undeveloped land into a 3,176-space parking lot. Since existing parking lots would be replaced, the net gain would be only 1,366 new spaces for about $5 million.
A parking lot at Max Morris Field would be a five- to 10-minute walk for users, who would primarily be students. Ferguson said he would anticipate a reduction in illegal student use of faculty/staff parking areas, with a falloff in parking citations if more parking is available for students.
Any solution is likely to require a bond issue, which would have to be paid from parking revenues. To finance a $5 million bond issue would probably require a tripling of parking fees, which now are $30 for faculty and administrative/professional "A" zone and $20 a year for staff "B" zone. Students pay $15 a year.
Ferguson noted that Auburn's parking fees are the lowest among Southeastern Conference member institutions, and the availability of parking Ñ spaces for only 54 percent of the vehicle permits issued Ñ is also the lowest for the SEC members. Auburn's p arking fees have remained the same for 12 years, during which the number of parking spaces has failed to keep pace with the growth of the campus.
The alternative to the various plans, Ferguson said, is to do nothing. "If we don't do anything, we will continue to have disgruntled people, and the police will continue to issue a lot of citations for parking violations," Ferguson said. "There's no way around it if we do nothing."
A $1 million endowment from the Auburn Alumni Association will provide a new source of scholarships for AU students.
The association's board of directors has voted to set aside $150,000 initially and will add $150,000 to $250,000 per year over the next four years until the $1 million goal is reached, said Alumni Association Board President Paul Spina. Endowment earn ings will provide a permanent source of scholarships for Auburn students.
"This gift demonstrates the commitment of the Auburn Alumni Association to the continuing excellence of the university," said AU President William Muse.
"This shows the heart of Auburn's Alumni Association and the association's commitment to tomorrow's alumni," added Betty DeMent, vice president for alumni and development.
DeMent, who recommended the scholarship commitment to the association's board of directors, said the Alumni Association gift will make Auburn more competitive for the best students while providing financial assistance to more of those students. "More of our top students will receive financial assistance, and Auburn will be stronger because of this commitment and the leadership shown by the Alumni Association Board."
The Alumni Association gift brings to about $150 million the amount of money contributed and pledged to Campaign Auburn: The Next Generation, the university's campaign to raise $175 million in private support by Dec. 31, 1996.
Spina, who is also a member of the AU Board of Trustees, said the alumni board recognizes the need for scholarships. "The number one challenge Auburn has in competing with other universities is the need for more scholarships," Spina said. "If we want to continue to have the best alumni, we have to continue to attract the best students, and we need to support them as much as we can."
Q: Why are motor homes allowed to park at the EagleÕs Cage and other non-parking areas as early as Wednesday before home games? What restrictions apply to these vehicles?
A. Jim Ferguson, vice president for administrative services, says: For a typical football game, motor homes and RVs do not usually start arriving on campus until late Thursday or on a Friday for a Saturday game. It is the university's policy, enforced by the AU Police Department, that early arriving vehicles be staged in the Biggio Drive gravel parking lot until Friday afternoon, when they are then allowed to move onto the campus. Even though efforts are made to adhere to the policy for every game, the policy is relaxed somewhat for atypical games such as Floriday and Alabama, for which it is not unusual to see vehicles arriving on campus as early as Monday or Tuesday. For those games, vehicles are allowed to move on campus earlier in the week, as long as they do not take up spaces in campus parking areas or park in a hazardous manner.
The AU Report this week recognizes Laura Kloberg, Art Designer II, with Auburn University Printing Service, An eight-year AU employee, she has been with AU Printing for the past four years. She was asked:
I get the greatest satisfaction in my job from..."I know I've improved the look -- even if only a tiny bit -- of publications, flyers, posters, tickets, newsletters, invitations and other printed what-nots that pass through my hands. It is very reward ing for me when the customer is pleased with the improvements too."
In my job, quality is measured by..."accuracy and attention to detail. Jobs must be planned out carefully from the beginning in order for the printed piece to be correct. Then of course, there is the quality of design which is much harder to measure s ince design is more subjective, and each individual has their own sense of design quality. But there are basic design guidelines or rules of thumb that should be adhered to for maintaining design quality."
If I could change one thing about Auburn (or my job), it would be. É"to put back all the trees that Opal took away. I will miss the shade they provided."
I've always wondered why. É"the concept of camera-ready is difficult to understand. There should be nothing left to change or alter in any way if it is ready for the camera. Everything should be exactly positioned. What you see IS what you get; typos will still be typos, jagged edges will still be jagged edges. If something needs to be changed, then by definition, the job is not camera-ready." When people come to the AU campus, I want them to. É"realize that there are a variety of things to do here. Auburn offers theatre, sporting events, music, lectures, art exhibits, a good library, and garden areas like the Arboretum."
In my spare time, I like toÉ"spend time at home, visit with friends, work in my yard pruning the many vines and shrubs, camp with my family, and dance when I get the chance."
Like too many others on this campus, I had mixed feelings about the work of the Program for Students with Disabilities and the various other programs to make the campus more accessible for the disabled. Sure, I thought, people with disabilities need ac cess to classrooms and offices, but I wondered if access is really worth the cost. Some of the work seemed more cosmetic than real. I couldn't help wondering how many hours of labor Facilities crews "wasted" making those "ugly" little cuts on the curbs. After all, I reasoned, people on crutches or in wheelchairs should be able to step or roll over the curb, or they could just go around. Never having seen the wheelchair elevator in use outside Haley Center, I assumed that to be a waste of time, and I co nsidered access ramps to be seldom-used defacements of Martin Hall, Ingram Hall and other campus buildings.
After breaking a bone in my foot during cleanup after Hurricane Opal a few weeks ago, I have changed my perspective.
I never realized that steps are everywhere on this campus, and elevators are woefully inadequate. There are only four or five steps leading to the basement of Samford, but there are 19 leading from the basement to the first floor and another 29 to the second floor. They may be a nuisance to most people, but those steps are 48 hurdles to someone on crutches, and they may as well be walls to a person in a wheelchair. Fortunately for disabled employees, Payroll and Benefits moved from the top floor of S amford to Ingram Hall, with its ramp and elevator, several years ago. Curb cuts make a lot more sense than they did a few weeks ago, before I tried to negotiate curbs with crutches. Again, I would hate to attempt them in a wheelchair. The wheelchair elevator beside the north entrance to Haley also once seemed like a waste, but it now makes perfect sense. Haley is a big building to walk around if you have two good legs. Imagine going to the north entrance in a wheelchair and finding that you have to maneuver all the way around to the other side.
People have gone out of their way to help me overcome some of the barriers. Senior administrators have moved meeting places to make it easier for me to attend, and people routinely volunteer to come to my office so I won't have to make the trip to thei rs. I have made some trips just to see what the experience was like, but no one has demanded that I hobble to see them.
I don't know if this is unique to Auburn or a common experience everywhere, but I have been amazed by the number of people who hold doors for someone on crutches. You quickly learn to negotiate the doors by pushing one partially open and lodging the bo ttom of a crutch against the door while you regain your balance and move through. Much of the time, this has been unnecessary because students or faculty rush to hold the door.
On the down side are some apparently well people who use handicapped parking permits to claim parking spaces long after their disability has ended. I am aware that heart conditions and some other disabilities are not visible, so I want to avoid blanket condemnation, but it appears that some people are abusing the privilege. Temporary handicapped parking permits are good for a year, and some people appear determined to get the full use of their permits. As a result, truly disabled people have to park mu ch farther away. Since my left foot is broken, making it impossible for me to drive my old straight-shift Mustang, I have not been affected, but I cannot help noticing the abuse.
There's still plenty of frustration when you have to get around on crutches or in a wheelchair. What good does it do to designate doors for handicapped access if the motors to open them don't work. That is the case on the south side of Haley. Elevator s are a great blessing, but it is still frustrating to go through three sets of doors and then weave through the maze of corridors to reach a classroom that is up one flight of stairs. But only the suicidal would attempt Haley Center's stairs on crutches. I never thought about that when I was taking steps two at a time. Now I will never forget it.
My experience with a disability should be over in a few days or weeks. Through this experience, I have learned to appreciate the incredible sacrifice that the permanently disabled make to lead a normal life. We never know when our fortunes could change , moving us into the ranks of the disabled. Those of us who value education can do no less than give these individuals the opportunity to succeed on their own terms. Persons with disabilities are not asking for special favors but for the right to live lif e with dignity. They deserve no less.
The AU Office of University Relations has a new home page on the World Wide Web that features access to all news releases, the current AU Report and the new Faculty Sources guide.
Some news releases also include accompanying photographs, which are also being planned for the on-line version of the AU Report.
The page will also eventually include sound and video produced by the UR's new unit, Multi-Media Services, which was formed by the merger of Publications and Radio/Television.
The UR page may be accessed at: http://www.duc.auburn.edu/~rel9999/
Items Accepted: Newspaper, mixed office paper, color paper. Staples do not need to be removed.
No magazines or manila envelopes. Place telephone directories in newspaper bin.
For additional information, call Cindy Jackson, AU Facilities, 844-9430.
Bruce Dupree, an AU employee, has put his childhood memories on paper, writing two new children's books that avid football fans in Alabama can relate to and enjoy.
Dupree, an extension communications specialist and art director with the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service System on the AU campus, illustrated and wrote Coming Home Auburn! and Homecoming Alabama! as a way to share his love of family.
"The books are really not about football, but more on all the memories I have of all the activities that surround the games," he says.
Dupree, a graduate of the University of Alabama, grew up in Birmingham as a fan of neither Auburn or Alabama, but attended games in Auburn and Tuscaloosa with his father and grandfather.
"It started out as a generic football type of story with an emphasis on family, so I thought the background didn't matter," he said. "When I told my lunch group about the idea they said it had to be about Auburn."
The books are being sold at bookstores around the state, and Dupree will be in the AU Bookstore Saturday, Nov. 18, in Haley Center signing autographs before the Tigers take on Alabama in only the third meeting of the pair in Jordan-Hare Stadium.
In addition, Dupree's original artwork for the books will be on display until Nov. 19 at Behind the Glass in Auburn.
Dupree says once he decided to write the Auburn book, the Alabama book was a natural connection, adding, "Together they are like bookends."
The idea for the Alabama book, centered around homecoming, came about reminiscing about his college days, says Dupree.
"When I attended Alabama, they played all their big games in Birmingham and there were few big-game traditions in Tuscaloosa except for homecoming," he says.
"Auburn's game-day traditions are legendary, and the AU book features all the things Tiger fans love -- Toomer's Corner, tailgating on campus and Tiger Walk to name a few," he says.
The idea for the books came while Dupree was visiting his father, Charles, in the hospital.
"I got to thinking about the Auburn games and Alabama games I attended with my father and I wanted to share those experiences with others," he said. "It didn't matter if it was raining, or if the tickets were in the worst part of the stadium. Who wo n or who lost didnÕt matter. It was just all a carnival of color that I remember."
The books allow Dupree to express his love for his family. The main character in the Alabama book -- Charlie -- was named after his father, and the main character in the Auburn book, Elliott, is named after his father-in-law. DupreeÕs children, Carl a nd Claire, are also featured in the book, as well as the names of some of his buddies from his lunch group.
The books have been so well received that one Auburn elementary school is using the book to teach students about art, mathematics, food safety, journal writing, manners and respect.
"Students and teachers at Cary Woods Primary School have built storefronts, cars, Samford Hall, Aubie and even an airplane and put them in the hall and use them and the book in their teaching," he Dupree says.
"Anyone who is a true artist has a desire to create, make things, to see people entertained," Dupree says of his decision to write and illustrate the books. "It was something that I just really wanted to do for myself, even though I had never written a book before."
Gary Beard, assistant dean for continuing education at AU's College of Veterinary Medicine, has received the 1995 Peter Emily Service Award for promoting veterinary dentistry.
Beard, a 1959 Auburn veterinary graduate and native of Leeds, received the highest award given by the American Veterinary Dental College, of which he is a charter diplomate.
Beard, who practiced veterinary medicine in Louisiana for 32 years before returning to Auburn in 1992, was among a group of four veterinary dentists who in the early 1980s began teaching veterinary dentistry throughout the United States and Canada. Th e group ultimately took this new area of veterinary medicine to Europe, Japan and Australia.
The group Ñ which also included human dentist Peter Emily Ñ helped to organize and found the American Veterinary Dental Society, the Academy of Veterinary Dentistry and the AVDC. Beard has been president of the Society and the Academy.
An adjunct professor at Louisiana State University and Mississippi State University Colleges of Veterinary Medicine, Beard has authored three book chapters on veterinary dentistry.
In the words of its alumni, Auburn is a "friendly" and "beautiful" "family" "home" with "great" "spirit" where "academic excellence" comes to mind almost as much as overall "excellence" and where "fun" comes ahead of "tradition."
Those 10 words (including "academic excellence," which was inseparable for many respondents) came out on top when Auburn alumni were asked to list the four or five words that best describe their alma mater. More than 17,000 alumni responded to the ques tion, which was included on an alumni directory questionnaire distributed by the Auburn Alumni Association.
"Alumni have strong, positive feelings about Auburn," said Betty DeMent, vice president for alumni and development. "This survey gave many of our alumni a chance to put their feelings into words, and the results show that people care deeply about the campus."
Sam Lowther, director of Planning and Analysis, said the survey gives people on campus a better idea of how Auburn is viewed by others who are close to it in spirit. "By knowing what words our alumni associate with Auburn, we get a better idea of what they consider important about the university."
Lowther said the university took advantage of the opportunity to add a question to the forms that a direct marketing company was distributing. The descriptive question was added after President William Muse asked for information about how alumni feel about the university, he said.
"Friendly" mentioned 4,726 times, was by far the most popular descriptive term for Auburn. Second was "spirit," which was mentioned 2,475 times. In a dead heat were "family," 1,577 mentions; "home," 1,347 times; and "great," 1,280 times. "Excellence, " " beautiful" and "academic excellence" were next in line, followed by "fun" and"tradition."
"Education" came in at number 11, followed by "academic," which ranked higher than "football" at number 24 and "athletics" at number 33. The latter ranked just ahead of "small town."
Among words and phrases commonly associated with Auburn, "Loveliest Village on the Plains" was number 20, followed by "War Eagle." Another oft-repeated phrase was "best years of my life," at number 41. Rounding out the list at 55 and 56 were "opportu nity" and "safe."
"The scientific value may be limited, but these responses seem to be a pretty accurate description of the way most alumni feel about Auburn," said Lowther.
Some AU staff and administrative/professional employees in the future may find themselves with long summer vacations.
A new university policy permits department heads to convert selected positions to nine-month appointments, the same as most faculty, instead of the traditional 12-month appointments for staff and administrative/professional personnel.
Jim Ferguson, vice president for administrative services, said the new policy gives deans, directors and department heads more flexibility in managing personnel. Current staff may volunteer for nine-month appointment at 80 percent of their current sa lary, but they must initiate the move. Ferguson said department heads may not require an incumbent employee to change his or her status. He added that administrators may refuse a request for conversion to nine-month appointment if the workload of the empl oyee is heavy throughout the year.
"This policy is designed to give administrators greater flexibility to manage their resources," he said. "Units whose workload is built around the traditional academic year may be able to function with smaller staffs at certain times of the year. This gives them the flexibility to respond to those circumstances."
Although many employees would not be interested in three-month unpaid vacations, Ferguson said the arrangement may appeal to some who want the extra time more than the income or those who have a second source of income during the interim.
Employees hired on a nine-month appointment or those who volunteer to convert would be covered by insurance and other benefits during the interim. "Basically, the appointment would be similar to that of a faculty member," he said.
Rather than speculate about positions likely to be affected by the nine-month appointment policy, Ferguson said department heads would have to make that decision based on the work load and resources available to their units.
Any change in the status of a vacant position would have to be made before the position is advertised, he said.
As an incentive, 50 percent of salary savings would be retained by the department making the change and could be used for other priorities in the department. The remaining 50 percent would go to a central pool for reallocation campus-wide.
Ferguson said most Southeastern Conference member institutions have a policy for nine-month appointment of staff and administrative/professional employees. After having a policy for a decade, Louisiana State University has about 3.5 percent of its wor kforce on a flexible schedule.
"We don't anticipate major savings from this, but it gives the administrators another tool to control costs and improve efficiency," he said.
Provost Paul Parks has appointed search committees for three deanships at Auburn.
Parks appointed Christine Curtis, associate vice president for research, to head the committee to recommend a dean of the Graduate School and associate vice president for academic affairs. Also serving on the committee are Peter Barnes, Physics; Barry , Burkhart, Psychology; Jan Burt, graduate student representative; John Grover, Fisheries and Allied Aquacultures; June Henton, dean of Nursing; Richard Kunkel, dean of Education; Clint Lothrop, Scott-Ritchey Center; Joe Morgan,Civil Engineering; Gil Reev e, Health & Human Performance; Charlotte Sutton, College of Business; and Brian Vaughn, Family and Child Development.
James Marion, dean of the College of Agriculture, will head the search committee for a new dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine. He is joined by Charles Branch, Physiology and Pharmacology; Cindy Brunner, Pathobiology; James Burchett, student re presentative; Dale Coleman, Animal and Dairy Sciences; Nancy Cox, Scott-Ritchey Research; Steve Kincaid, Anatomy and Histology; John Plumb, Fisheries and Allied Aquacultures; Tom Powe, Large Animal Surgery and Medicine; James Shuler, alumni representative ; Saralyn Smith-Carr, Small Animal Surgery and Medicine; and W.E. DeWitt, president, Alabama Veterinary Medical Association.
Stewart Schneller, dean of Sciences and Mathematics, heads the search committee for a new dean of libraries. He is joined by Marcia Boosinger, librarian III, Tours and Lectures; Edwin C. Bridges, director, Alabama Department of Archives and History, M ontgomery; Danny Butler, Marketing and Transportation; George Crandell, English; John Grizzle, Fisheries and Allied Aquacultures; Claudine Jenda, librarian III and head, Science and Technology; Yvonne Kozlowski, librarian III and head, Social Sciences; Ta mera Lee, librarian III and head, Veterinary Library; James P. Owen III, student representative; and David Smith, librarian III and head, Catalogue.
Encourage students to bring to class current news items that relate to the subject matter and post these on a bulletin board nearby.
Sponsored by the Teaching Effectiveness Committee and the Office of Undergraduate Studies
David Edwin Harrell, the Philpott-Goodwin Eminent Scholar in Auburn University's Department of History, has received an award from the U.S. Ambassador to India.
Harrell, who returned to the AU campus this fall after a two-year stint as director of the American Studies Research Center in Hyderabad, India, was awarded an Ambassadorial Citation by U.S. Ambassador to India Frank Wisner.
As director of Asia's largest collection of scholarly information about the United States, Harrell doubled the number of workshops, programs and seminars at the center , and expanded the scope of topics to include modern science and women and religion . In addition, during his tenure as director, Harrell expanded by 50 percent the regionalization program, which brings scholars to Hyderabad from as far away as the Philippines and Morocco.
"Dr. Harrell took the lead in developing a two-day orientation course aimed at orienting employees of American businesses operating in India to American society," Wisner said. "This new initiative, funded by American corporations themselves, not only familiarized the firms' Indian employees with important aspects of American culture, but it established significant links between the center and participating American businesses, links that promise to lead to further ASRC-U.S. business collaboration."
In addition, Andrus said Harrell served as an ambassador for the center, speaking about its unique programs and information in his travels across Asia. "Dr. Harrell has spread the word about the good work of ASRC throughout Asia, and more importantly, in the offices of U.S. Information Agency headquarters in Washington," he said. "With a missionary zeal rivaling that of the charismatic Christians he has spent his academic life studying, Ed Harrell fired the imaginations of senior USIA officials in rec ognizing the cost-effectiveness of sponsoring seminars and research opportunities at the center."
An "op-ed piece" is an opinion/commentary monograph that a news paper runs on the page opposite its editorial page. Montgomery Advertiser Editorial Page Editor Ken Hare seeks submissions from AU faculty that are 800 words or less. He recommends that authors focus on one of two key points or examples. Call or e-mail Hare at 334/261-1524 (75151.2602@compuserve.com). The Office of University Relations can also transmit material to the Advertiser via modem.
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