Covering Toomer's Corner with toilet paper is a tradition not to be forgotten, especially according to Melissa Bowman.
"It brings generations together," said Bowman, senior in theater and English. "I have a friend who is a fifth-generation Auburn student, and so that tree is the same one that her great-great grandfather rolled."
After she found out about the oaks being poisoned, Bowman created a Facebook group called "Turn Toomer's tree into something we can cherish forever!"
Bowman's wants to preserve the wood from the trees and create a memorial pathway somewhere on campus.
She said her grandfather gave her the idea.
"He suggested doing it for the Tiger Walk outside the stadium." Bowman said. "You could even piece it together like a tiger, or I think tiger paws would be really cool because we have tiger paws on the roads," Bowman said.
The wood would be treated to prevent bugs from destroying it, and once the wood is placed on the ground it can be surrounded by concrete or gravel.
"It might not be the best idea, but my intention was just to get an idea going of something we could do to keep that actual tree," Bowman said.
Bowman's affection for Toomer's may seem odd because she is a recent transfer student from the University of Alabama in Huntsville.
She has attended Auburn for two years.
Although her entire family is made up of Alabama fans, Bowman said she knew she wanted to transfer to Auburn when she came to campus to visit a friend and attend a football game.
"I had so much fun seeing everybody come together like that, all rooting for the same thing," Bowman said. "There's a sense of unity amongst the students and fans."
She said she still keeps her UAH roots, though.
Bowman said she talked to her sister, who attends UAH, about the Toomer's poisoning.
"It's not only affecting Auburn, it's affecting other colleges," Bowman said. "It's affecting everyone because it's kind of insane what he did, so people are responding to that."
Bowman said she has been keeping a positive attitude because she has seen students from multiple college campuses come together and keep the Auburn spirit alive.
"What's funny is it kind of united Alabama and Auburn," Bowman said. "Through all of the rivalry, something like this--a traumatic event--brought us together."
Bowman's Facebook group demonstrates the newfound unity. Group members come from many different universities, including the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Florida State University.
As Auburn students have said, "You can kill our trees, but you can't kill our spirit."
"Turning it into something good, like a pathway or something outside the stadium or anything really, would show that you might have poisoned our trees, but we're going to turn this into something good," Bowman said. "It shows us standing together."
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