Editorial: Keep the change, Auburn dorms
Auburn University’s week of finals begin at 8 a.m. on Monday, May 4, and end Friday, May 8 at 6:30 p.m.
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Auburn University’s week of finals begin at 8 a.m. on Monday, May 4, and end Friday, May 8 at 6:30 p.m.
Auburn University agreed on a 2.5 percent tuition increase April 17, with the increase starting in the fall of 2015.
With the recent announcements of The Vault and The Supper Club closing in the summer, Auburn seems to have become a bar graveyard.
Alabama University students will visit the Statehouse in Montgomery on Thursday, April 9, to lobby lawmakers for more higher-education funding and fewer cutbacks.
Student Affairs has recently revealed plans to combine all student media, The Plainsman, WEGL, “The Glomerata,” “The Circle” and Eagle Eye TV under one umbrella.
The Auburn men’s basketball team surprised us at the SEC tournament when they beat Mississippi State after struggling into the tournament with a six-game losing streak.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to not regulate broadband Internet and decided not to control prices for different broadband Internet usage in late February.
On Wednesday, Feb. 25, Auburn UPC announced Kesha and Nelly would be performing at the Auburn Airwaves concert.
The Oscars aired throughout the U.S. on Sunday, Feb. 22. Amonst the typical glitz and glamour of Hollywood, there were speeches given that highlighted ongoing struggles throughout the country.
The Auburn Board of Trustees has approved plans to demolish Parker Hall and Allison Laboratory as well as the construction of a new lab complex and classroom hall, which will be called academic classroom and laboratory complex.
Vaccinations have become a hot topic after the measles outbreak linked to a California Disneyland theme park. This outbreak should remind Auburn citizens they should be getting vaccinated and should vaccinate their children. Anyone who doesn't vaccinate puts the lives of others at risk. The AU Med Clinic was not able to comment on Auburn University's vaccination policies in time for publication. According to a recent Time magazine article, 121 cases of measles were reported. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has tracked the virus to 17 states and Washington, D.C. Doctors said they believe the outbreak is linked to people refusing to get vaccinated and not vaccinating their children, believing vaccines may lead to health risks or cause autism. In 1998, The Lancet published a study, led by Andrew Wakefield, a former surgeon in Great Britain, suggesting autism could be caused by vaccinations, but according to a New York Times article from 2010, the journal has retracted the findings after a British medical panel found that Wakefield violated research ethics rules and did not show enough compassion or care for the children involved in his study. Aside from believing vaccines may cause health issues, some people refuse to have anything to do with vaccinations because of their belief systems, such as Scientology, which has become known for its stance against many modern medicine practices. According to an interview conducted by BeliefNet, reverend John Carmichael of the Church of Scientology said there is nothing in the Scientology scriptures that discusses vaccinations. It is important for students to get vaccinated because students interact with those at higher risk of infection, children, pregnant women and the elderly, on a daily basis. Families tour Auburn University, people send their children to the day care on campus and some professors students go home to their partners and children. Vaccinations have helped nearly eradicate measles, mumps and rubella in the United States. According to the CDC, the MMR vaccine, which prevents measles, mumps and rubella, has a 95 percent effectiveness with the first dose and a second dose gives immunity to nearly all of those who did not respond effectively to the first dose. Even as a student, you could expose others to diseases if you are not vaccinated. Professors go home to their children; students spend weekends with their families. Be responsible. Get vaccinated.
This year on the Auburn SGA's ballot, the Auburn students will have one option for president, vice president and treasurer. The candidates are running unopposed and will probably step directly into office on March 1st. While the circumstances are unique, in the past 10 years the three major candidates have not all run unopposed at the same time, so it is expected to that there would be no precedents set in place to curb the situation. The lack of candidates shows an ongoing problem with student involvement in government. We are not placing the blame on SGA. It is the students of Auburn who need to become more invested in their government. Students need to step up and become more involved, whether it be through voting, running for elections or simply bringing attention to SGA elections. Unfortunately, even if the candidates currently running unopposed are the best possible options and would win a normal election, their lack of opposition makes the election seem unfair. There should always be at least two candidates running to give students a choice. Again, this is not SGA's fault. In a campus of 25,912 students, are there really not two people available to run for each position? Perhaps students feel discouraged from running campaigns against candidates who have the backing of fraternities and connections with the SGA already, but there have been students who have won who are not involved in fraternities or SGA previously. We should also encourage diversity in our SGA in order to represent the entirety of the student body. Since the 1980s we have had only two African-American presidents and two female presidents. More diverse candidates need to run to better represent the Auburn student body. Auburn is not a population made up of entirely white males, and our SGA candidates should reflect this. Currently, to win a seat in the SGA, one needs 40 percent of the vote, and there is no write in option. Because each candidate is running unopposed, a single vote is 40 percent, which is not exactly landslide material. While SGA does advertise about upcoming elections and turning in applications, SGA could advertise more about upcoming applications for SGA positions to encourage more people to apply. A few more fliers, tweets and Facebook posts could reach more of the student body and could encourage more applications. Students should retweet and share these posts as well to promote the spread of information. Auburn students, aside from becoming more invested in running for SGA, should vote in our student government elections. Voting is the basis of democracy and the foundation of this nation. It cannot be stressed enough how important voting is. Overall, change needs to happen. Students need to have more motivation and a willingness to participate in their student government.
U.S. District Court Judge Callie V.S. Granade ruled Alabama's same-sex marriage ban was unconstitutional Friday, Jan. 23. Granade issued a two-week stay on her decision to allow for appeals, but if no further delays come into effect by Feb. 9, same-sex couples will be able to marry in the state as soon as that day. Luther Strange, Alabama Attorney General, also appealed to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, seeking a longer delay to allow for the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling later this year. We applaud Granade on her decision and urge the courts to uphold this ruling. The current laws banning same-sex marriage are blatantly unconstitutional and the courts should rule under previous precedents, such as Brown v. Board of Education and the due process and equal protection clauses of the 14th amendment, established by the Supreme Court and government, which leave room for no other ruling than the support of same-sex marriage. Some may argue in the defense of banning same-sex marriage under the premise that civil unions are just as good as marriages, so same-sex couples should settle with being allowed to have civil unions. According to Merriam-Webster.com, a civil union is defined as a legal relationship between two people of the same sex that gives them some of the same rights and responsibilities that married people have. Some of the same rights, not all. In the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision, the courts decided separate but equal laws were unconstitutional, declaring segregated schools unequal. This precedent has established that separate but equal laws are unconstitutional in the eyes of the federal court system. This ruling should be welcomed by Auburn's LGBT community and equal-rights supporters on and off campus. However, as Auburn was declared the most conservative public university, according to a Time Inc. list, there are bound to be a number of students and professors who are against same-sex marriage legalization. While we agree freedom of speech allows one to be against same-sex marriage, we disagree such opinions have merit in federal court. Mike Hubbard, Speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives, spoke out against the decision and urged the courts to uphold the "Christian conservative values that make Alabama a special place to live." Hubbard's opinion, which he has a right to express, is simply an opinion. The Constitution overrules state laws and unifies the country in the most basic values and freedoms that make the United States so different. Under the Constitution, we the people are granted freedom of religion. This country is not legally a conservative-Christian nation. The United States does not support one major religion, thus defending the ban on same-sex marriage by saying it goes against Christian values holds no merit in court. According to CNN.com, the Mormon church, previously one of the biggest opponents to same-sex marriage, agreed to stop arguments against same-sex marriage as long as religious establishments would not be required to marry same-sex couples. Alabama should not drag out this decision. It is time to show the rest of the U.S. Alabama has shucked its stereotypical role of being one of the last to embrace social change and is becoming a forward-thinking state.
Taxi drivers in Auburn breathed a sigh of relief after Uber temporarily suspended operations in the city. While the Auburn City Council made the decision to make new car-for-hire regulations, which was within their authority, taxi drivers within the city should now focus their attention on modernizing their systems. Even if someone does not agree with the City Council's decision to control aspects of Uber's operations within the city, it is well within the Council's authority to regulate business operations in the Auburn-Opelika area. Uber has decided to halt operations after City Council passed ordinances requiring all vehicle-for-hire cars to pay licensing fees, undergo background checks, have commercial insurance and have marked signage on their cars in Auburn. The Council did not ban Uber from operating. According to David Dorton, director of public affairs for the city of Auburn, the Council negotiated with Uber for six months. New regulations for cars-for-hire operations came after Uber's appearance in the city, but that is only to be expected. As new businesses are introduced into the city, it should be assumed City Council will adjust existing policies to maintain the safety, fairness and security of operations within the city. However, taxi drivers in Auburn should take note of some of Uber's policies. Had taxi systems modernized before Uber made plans to come to Auburn, the threat of the system would not have been nearly as substantial to taxi drivers. According to businessinsider.com, Uber, founded in 2009, was recently valued at $18.2 billion. A company with those kind of figures must be doing something right. Uber has attracted many of its customers through its smartphone app, which allows customers to make payments, has a GPS locating system and reach drivers online within minutes. These features lead to quicker pick-up times and more straightforward prices. Taxi drivers within the city should modernize their ride services with similar attributes to become more attractive to customers. Cities around the United States have started proposing and implementing apps that enable customers to hail cabs through their smartphones. According to The New York Times, such apps have made appearances in Chicago and New York City. According to reuters.com, mobile phone apps for regular taxi services have been made mandatory in San Francisco. To further taxi services, the Council could look into similar policies passed and consider making the apps mandatory as well. While it was within City Council jursidiction to make decisions that benefit Auburn as a whole, this experience should be looked upon as a learning opportunity for taxi drivers within the city and encourage them to update their systems.
The Auburn Police Division may be introducing additional body cameras to their patrol officers. As part of a new federal program initiative increased government funding has been put aside for police forces to use toward outfitting their officers with body cameras. According to Capt. Will Mathews, the Auburn Police Division is looking into the program and may purchase more body cameras for patrol officers. Bicycle officers around campus have already been wearing body cameras for the past six years. Officers are not required to keep the cameras on. Purchasing more body cameras and having some cameras already in use shows wonderful initiative and our officers should be commended for looking into the program and wearing the cameras. Keeping the cameras on, however, should be encouraged. In California, the Police Foundation conducted a randomized, controlled study, entitled "Self awareness to being watched and socially desirable behavior: a field experiment on the effect of body-worn cameras on police use-of-force," for 12 months to study the effects of wearing the cameras. All officers of the Rialto California Police Department were required to keep their cameras on during the study. According to their research, officers' use-of-force fell by 60 percent and complaints against officers dropped 88 percent. The United Kingdom has introduced body cameras to their forces as well. According to the Hampshire, UK, police website, some officers began trials of wearing body cameras during patrols in 2006, and their departments have also found decreased complaints and use-of-force. The findings from trials on the effects of the cameras are encouraging. The cameras act as an independent, third-party witness, supporting incident reports filed by police that can be used in trials as definitive proof of what happened. These cameras can cut down on paperwork needed to be filed during officers' reports, allowing for more time for officers to respond to a greater number of emergency calls. Wrongful incident reports filed against officers can be easily dismissed by watching a few minutes of footage. The cameras the police force have been using cost approximately $800. The investment is entirely justified, but if that much money is going to be spent on them, they should be used as much as possible. Members of the public already closely scrutinize police officers, and using the cameras could increase public trust and decrease regular public scrutiny. As a condition of using the cameras, the footage should be taken seriously and not be used for petty incidents that don't constitute crimes. We applaud the APD for their initiative on using body cameras during patrols. Now we encourage them to take another step forward and require officers to keep the cameras on.