The Student Government Association is teaming up with the Department of Industrial Design to build a student memorial commemorating those we have lost and celebratory the spirit that lives on.
Chris Osterlund, SGA vice president, said the idea for the memorial was prompted by Auburn's reaction to the two 2011 Spring Break deaths.
"I started thinking of the idea of the Auburn family and the fellowship that comes from being a family," Osterlund said. "Despite the loss and the tragedy that came from it, the fellowship that was created through that was extremely inspiring. We talked amongst ourselves in SGA and decided if it was something we wanted to pursue."
Ross Square was selected as the location for the memorial.
"The reason why we arrived at this place is that Ross Square is purely functional as an access point, but not functional for anything else," Osterlund said. "People walk across it and it's got this great centerpiece that draws attention, but it draws attention because there's green water and fish are often floating at the top of it, so it seemed like a great place to renovate."
Once SGA approved the memorial, Osterlund presented the project to the Department of Industrial Design.
"I've had some friends in industrial design and they get some really awesome hands-on experience, but a lot of the times it's external to the University," Osterlund said. "We've got these great, talented young people that are investing in projects that are not at Auburn. Why not use it as a resource while providing them with an opportunity to give back to the University and have a stake on campus that they can return to and say, 'Yeah, I was a part of that.'"
Osterlund met with faculty to explain why a student memorial is a necessary addition to Auburn's campus. Tin-Man Lau, industrial design professor, accepted it as a project for his 4000-level thesis studio.
"The final model will be March 26," Lau said. "The project is not just the design. We're responsible to come up with documentation for the whole project. The SGA is going to print it and use it as a fundraising tool. Our end result is not just the model, but the publication with drawings and reasoning behind the design."
The project must get approval from the Board of Trustees before the decision is finalized. Osterlund said it's going to require student support to get the memorial approved.
"It's pending approval," Osterlund said. "Certainty is not something I have by any means. I'm certain that I'm going to bust my (hump) until I get turned down at the door."
Lau said the 14 students designing the memorial are excited about the chance to design something meaningful for Auburn's campus.
"As history goes, a lot of these things are forgotten," Lau said. "With this memorial park, when friends and family come back, they'll see that their children were here. I think that is the family touch of Auburn University. We are a family. We don't just forget things."
Matt Scallion, senior in industrial design, is one of the students designing the memorial. He said Auburn students are more equipped to design this structure because of its significance to the community.
"We're a part of Auburn and a part of the student body," Scallions said. "We see firsthand how death affects the student body. I think an outside firm wouldn't understand really what it means to have something like this built on our campus."
Osterlund said he hopes the memorial becomes a place where students can gather to celebrate life.
"We want to make this a center point," Osterlund said. "We want students to be able to hang out in between classes and interact with the structure. "
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