Articles written by Elizabeth Williams

Auburn student commits suicide at 24

coreyshep — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 21:32:42 -0400

William Horace Dykes will be remembered as the guy with a smile on his face and a spontaneous and fun-loving spirit — a brother, son and friend who left the world too soon.

The 24-year-old Auburn senior died Friday, July 18.

Captain Stofer, with the Auburn police, said the department received a request to do a resident welfare check that Friday night.

“Dykes apparently died of a self-inflicted gun-shot wound,” Stofer said.

Dykes was born in Mesa, Ariz., and graduated from high school in Memphis, Tenn. He was a senior in business administration at Auburn and a member of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity.

Dykes’ friends agree he lived a life of extraordinary impact.

“If you met him for ten minutes, you couldn’t forget him — he was one of a kind,” said Seth Brooks, friend and fraternity brother of Dykes.

The funeral service was held Wednesday, July 23, in Centre. Dykes’ mother was touched by the number of friends that came to say goodbye her son.

Student killed in auto accident

coreyshep — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 20:15:39 -0400

Bilbo

Wes Bilbo was a man characterized by devotion. Devotion to what he believed in — his family, friends and work — and committed to being the best he could be, no matter what he was doing.

As his fraternity brother Tyler Ross put it, “I have never met anyone so genuinely dedicated to everyone in his life.”

Last Wednesday, Wesley Scott Bilbo was killed in a one-car accident on Lee Road 217 near Notasulga. Corporal Norred with the Alabama State Troopers confirmed the time and circumstances of the accident and said the situation is still being investigated. A friend riding with Bilbo was not seriously injured.

Bilbo was born in Lafayette, La., but was a resident of Daphne and a 2005 graduate of Daphne High School.

At Auburn, Bilbo was a member of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity and a junior in Auburn’s building science program.

This summer, Bilbo was interning for a company in Mobile and had come back to Auburn for a couple days.

Bilbo was involved in renovations of his fraternity house, and part of his reason for his coming through Auburn was to check on the state of the renovations.

Lockhart found competent on robbery charge

coreyshep — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 20:13:12 -0400

The results of a court-ordered psychological evaluation of Courtney Lockhart found he “does not now have, nor has he ever had, any serious mental illness or mental defect.”

The psychological evaluation, ordered by Russell County Judge Russell K. Bush in April, concluded Lockhart is competent to stand for trial for an armed robbery charge unrelated to the Lauren Burk incident.

The robbery took place Feb. 29 at a Wal-Mart in Russell County, the week before Lauren Burk was murdered March 4.

Lockhart pleaded not-guilty to three charges of capital murder in regards to the Burk case at his June 4 arraignment.

A separate psychological evaluation was ordered by Lee County Circuit Court Judge Jacob A. Walker III in June to determine if Lockhart is competent to stand trial for both the robbery and murder charges. The results of that evaluation are sealed, and the trial is pending until Sept. 3 when Walker will receive an update on the case.

Auburn airport gets glass cockpit plane

coreyshep — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 22:34:47 -0400

John Karasek: ferry pilot for Christiansen Aviation in Oklahoma, delivers the key to the new cessna 172, a technically-advanced aircraft, to John Yoelle, interim chief flight instructor at the Auburn airport. Contributed

The thrill of take-off in a cessna 172 is unforgettable.

The last few moments are surreal. The radio confirmation. The whirling propeller. No time to change your mind.

The final checklist run-through is followed by acceleration, then the sudden, smooth and effortless rising, becoming lighter than air.

Auburn looks surprisingly different from above.

Clumps of buildings laced together by roads are swallowed in a seemingly endless, verdant expanse of forest.

It is not an easily recognizable world; the familiar must be deciphered and traced like a tricky puzzle or dot-to-dot.

When the picture begins to emerge, the football and baseball stadiums can be seen, as well as Samford Hall, the fisheries and an unbelievable amount of rust-colored construction sites.

And right where they should be are the water towers, College Street and further off, Lake Martin, with its thousands of fingers sprawling out into the horizon.

New University policy beginning fall 2008

coreyshep — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 21:27:59 -0400

This fall, Auburn University parents may be surprised by the offspring-incriminating letters they find in their mailboxes.

As of Fall 2008, the University’s New Policy of Parent Notification of Alcohol and Drug Incidents will notify, in writing, parents or guardians when “a registered student, under the age of 21 is involved in a University policy violation and/or violation of Alabama State Law for public intoxication, the possession, consumption or distribution of alcohol or illicit drugs.”

The second part of the policy will allow administrators to contact parents in an emergency situation where “a registered student is transported to an emergency medical treatment facility for drug use or alcohol intoxication.”

Some students resent the lack of trust implied by the policy.

“Where does the independence of students come in?” said Valerie Cox, a senior English major. “When do you let the students go away and grow up?”

Jim Hardin, senior program advisor over judicial affairs for the office of the dean of students, is sympathetic to the students’ reaction.

“We considered that the policy would violate the trust of the students, but in the end, we decided the pros outweighted the cons,” Hardin said.

Some students also questioned whether putting students on a shorter leash will really make a difference in underage drinking.

Fast food places make healthy menu choices

coreyshep — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 19:13:46 -0400

When you’re on the run and need a quick, substantial meal, nothing hits the spot like healthy fast food. Wait – healthy fast food? What sort of oxymoron is that?

For those looking for a quick meal without compromising their health, the growing number of fast-food options is making it easy to be both swift and health-conscious in one’s eating habits.

Kevin Huggins, assistant nutrition and food science professor, said things have changed in the fast food market.

“It used to be just a burger, fries and a drink,” Huggins said. “Now you can get fruit and salads, and portion size has gotten a lot better.”

Huggins said the vast majority of college students’ diets are deficient in fruit and vegetables.

What is a student to do?

Suicide rate over average

coreyshep — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 18:31:03 -0400

The marriage and family therapy clinic: is located on campus at the Glanton House. Students receive a discounted price for counseling.

Some problems cannot be ignored; they won’t just go away.

The Alabama Department of Health recently released its annual 2006 project in which it reported Alabama suicides have reached their highest levels since 2000 with an average of 12.5 suicides per 100,000 people.

According to ADP statistics, “A person dies by suicide every 18 minutes in the United States, and 3 people kill themselves every 2 days in Alabama. Every day, approximately 80 Americans take their own lives and 1,500 more attempt to do so. The suicide rate in Alabama, as in the U.S., is higher than the homicide rate.”

Alabama has been above the national average since 1990, and there were 573 suicides in 2006.

Kalai Mugilan, a researcher who helped review the project before publication, explained the study doesn’t attempt to provide a prescriptive analysis of the numbers. Rather, it is simply a descriptive collection of data.

However, there is speculation concerning Alabama’s high number of suicides.

‘It begins at Auburn’ finishes

coreyshep — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 18:19:05 -0400

The “It begins at Auburn” campaign has now officially concluded, but in the wake of the recent tuition increase decision, it appears there is more than enough money in one location and not quite enough in another.

The University recently announced that $608,862,727 had been collected in the historic campaign that began June 2002.

This amount far exceeds the original fundraising goal of half a billion dollars. This goal was reached last June, nine months ahead of schedule.

The University development office reported that out of 75,664 donors, 50,114 were alumni.

According to Gwen Reid, the assistant vice president of the office of development, “Of the nearly $609 million contributed to the University throughout the campaign, $191 million went to student support, $36 million to faculty support, $72 million to facilities and $310 million to programmatic support.”

The collection was organized into various regional campaigns, with different national and campaign steering committees.

Each college or school had its own fundraising campaign, as well as AU libraries, athletics, research, outreach, the Jule Collins Smith museum and the diversity program.

Multicultural Center finds new location, director in Shakeer Abdullah

jclark — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 15:20:45 -0400

Abdullah

This fall, Auburn’s Multicultural Center will have not just a new location, but a new director, as well.

Shakeer Abdullah has been selected as the director of the Multicultural Center and will officially begin his job July 1.

Abdullah’s appointment comes after considerable deliberation by a selection committee. Paulette Dilworth, Assistant Vice President for Access and Community Initiatives, was involved in the process.

Auburn native refuses to report for duty

jclark — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 14:41:51 -0400

“These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country.”

Written in 1776, Thomas Paine’s words have been applied to situations he could not possibly have foreseen – first Vietnam and now, Iraq.