A rendering of the proposed memorial: would be a permanent addition to the new Student Center. The memorial would feature lightweight Lexam panels with room for about 700 names etched into them. Contributed
A team of three industrial design students presented a proposal Monday to SGA Senate for a memorial to honor students who have passed away during their time at Auburn.
The memorial would be a permanent addition to the new Student Center.
Josh Ekandem, a graduate student in industrial design, is the project’s initial concept and design developer.
He said he began working on the project last December.
He said he thinks Auburn needs a memorial in addition to the memorial services it currently has.
“The service is great, but it’s not static,” Ekandem said.
Ekandem said the idea of a memorial has been kicked around for four or five years.
“I was pretty shocked Auburn didn’t already have something like this,” said Charles Parker, III, a senior in industrial design and the project’s head of styling and rendering.
SGA President Lauren Hayes also said she thinks Auburn needs a permanent memorial to remember students who have passed away.
“After visiting other universities that have similar memorials, I have become even more confident that one is greatly needed on our campus.”
The memorial would feature lightweight Lexam panels with names etched into them.
The panels would be mounted to the wall using a stainless steel standoff system, and the background would feature a screen-printed silhouette.
The memorial would show the names of students who have passed away during their time at Auburn since 1998, when the fee for the new Student Center was first assessed.
The memorial would have room for 700 names.
It will also contain a kick space at the bottom of the memorial where students can lay flowers.
Ekandem said he hopes the wood will come from the Coliseum or something else that is significant to Auburn or the families of the students whose names are on the memorial.
“We want to use materials that have relative meaning to Auburn,” he said. “It would be nice if we could have the last part of the Alma Mater displayed on the kick board,” he said, which says ‘and hold in memory, as we do now, thy cherished name.”’
Ekandem said the group is also looking into an interactive panel to display a picture and brief biography to go along with each name.
He said he wants the memorial will be lit by low-ambient lighting that will limit reflection.
The memorial will be on the second floor of the Student Center, where traffic will not be as heavy.
It will be located in a natural lounge area.
Hayes said Senate is interested in bringing the idea to Auburn.
“It is apparent that everyone wants to put significant time and consideration into planning what can be the most appropriate tribute to those members of the Auburn family that we have lost,” she said. “I am looking forward to seeing the finalized plans for the memorial.”
Hayes also said she is thankful to Ekandem for his work on the project.
“He has done a great deal of research and is passionate about bringing a fitting memorial for former Auburn students to our new student union,” she said.
Ekandem said he thinks the presentation to Senate went well, and the team’s next step is to gain student input.
He said he hopes to put the proposal on the SGA Web site or the Dean of Students’ Web site for students to see and evaluate.
“Having the students behind the project is where it needs to be,” said Wright Currie, a senior in industrial design and the head of research for the memorial project.
Ekandem said he expects the memorial to cost about $4,720, plus shipping and labor.
He said he does not know where the funding for the memorial will come from, but he does not think it will be a problem.
Parker said he looks forward to people seeing the memorial in the future.
“Hopefully, once it’s all said and done, other schools will say, ‘Look at Auburn,’ and look to the memorial as an example,” he said.
