With the growing prevalence of chalked messages, Auburn concourses have become a canvas for everything from birthday wishes to theological debate.
"It's a concern because even something that's not offensive to somebody, to the writer, it might be offensive to somebody else," said Bob Rittenbaugh, director of auxiliary services.
Most people don't leave their names along with their chalk artwork. However, public attribution was absolutely necessary to Kelsey Taylor's plan.
"I was trying to think of a way to ask my date to formal," said Taylor, sophomore in human development and family science. "I wrote 'Payton Haisten, AXOhm formal' with a question mark and put 'From Kelsey Taylor.'"
Sara Beasley, sophomore in elementary education, helped Taylor cover the concourse with the invitation. Beasley said that's not the only time she has written on the concourse with chalk.
"Me and my friends were drawing Christmas trees and stuff on the concourse," Beasley said. "It was around Christmastime, so we thought it'd be fun to draw, like, snowmen and Christmas trees."
Taylor said she didn't know writing with chalk on the concourse wasn't allowed until someone from the Panhellenic Council contacted her about it.
"No one gets in trouble because no one's dumb enough to write their first and last name," Taylor said. "They just said, 'You're not supposed to do that. If you could go clean it off, that'd be great.' But I mean, there was no cleaning it off. It was all over the concourse."
Whether writing on the concourse with chalk is strictly against the rules is still an unanswered question.
"I don't know that we have a formal written policy at Auburn, and if we did, it would be somewhere in the Tiger Cub, and I don't believe it's in there," Rittenbaugh said.
Regardless, Whitney Bell and her friends made sure to get permission before they took to the streets for a special cause.
"I was alerted that it's considered vandalism in some way," said Bell, senior in biosystems engineering.
Bell and a number of other students wanted to make chalk drawings on the concourse in honor of a friend who had been in a skateboarding accident and was in a coma.
Bell said she was in contact with the mechanical engineering department, who put her in touch with counselors through the University.
"They were scared that people who were close to Justin were traumatized because of it," Bell said. "So when they asked us what we were doing, you know, and we told them this-- they said that we could have permission. They said that it wouldn't be a big deal."
Bell and about 50 of Justin's friends decorated the concourse with pictures of things that reminded them of Justin.
"He used to go out and draw on the concourse with some of his friends," Bell said. "When he was conscious and could communicate with us, he told us that he really liked the drawings."
Recently, the messages on the concourse have been neither invitations nor words of support to friends.
Instead, advertisements have alerted students to Ring Week and PINK events, as well as promoted websites like auburnscene.com
Bible verses like "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly more than all we can ask or imagine, TO HIM BE THE GLORY!" (Ephesians 3:20-21), have been met with quotes from Nietzsche, such as, "Christianity is the hangman's metaphysics," paraphrased from "Twilight of the Idols."
Taylor said she didn't see a problem with chalk drawings on the concourse.
"I don't think it should be against the rules," Taylor said. "I mean, rain can wash it off."
Bell shared that view, but added a stipulation.
"If it's getting in the way, like if they're doing it during the middle of the day, like where people are going to classes, or if it's just, like, a graphic picture of any kind, then I would say that something should be done about it."
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