Parts of Heisman Drive to be closed until August
The westbound lanes of Heisman Drive, which runs from the Stadium Parking Deck to South Donahue Drive, will be closed starting March 2 through late August.
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The westbound lanes of Heisman Drive, which runs from the Stadium Parking Deck to South Donahue Drive, will be closed starting March 2 through late August.
A student memorial is becoming more of a reality as the SGA student senate passed resolutions to initiate building a student memorial on campus.
At its most recent meeting, the Auburn Board of Trustees approved the initiation of a project to build a two-building academic and laboratory complex to replace Allison Laboratory and Parker Hall.
At its last meeting, the board of trustees approved the initiation of a project to build a two-building academic and laboratory complex to replace Allison and Parker Halls. The buildings will be called the academic classroom and laboratory complex (ACLC) and will serve as a part of the University's master plan to enhance student success. According to University architect, Jim Carroll, the ACLC, along with the soon-to-come Mell Classroom Building will help increase student engagement on campus. "The reason we are adding these spaces is to increase the opportunity for student success," Carroll said. "This project is transformative for Auburn University." The two-building complex will house classrooms and laboratories for The College of Sciences and Mathematics," Carroll said. Facilities management underwent studies to determine what buildings on campus required the most maintenance and operation, and that was Allison and Parker Halls, according to Dan King, associate vice president for facilities. "(Allison and Parker) are in serious disrepair," King said. "The new buildings that would go on that site can provide capabilities far in excess of what Parker and Allison can currently provide the university." According to former SGA president Logan Powell, the complex would house classrooms, laboratories and team-based learning spaces. Powell said the university will incorporate interactive learning styles, such as easel learning. "Easel style is where you sit down at a round table with interactive maps and televisions," Powell said. "It allows visually interactive learning and I think COSAM students really desire that and want to see that from the campus." Carroll said this type of learning could change the landscape of how Auburn students learn. "We wanted to reach out to the college sand schools and see if they were able to rethink their classroom strategies and to see if they could utilize more problem based and engaged learning," Carrol said. The university is currently going through the selection process for a designer and a construction manager by interviewing potential firms. "We are excited to the next phase of work," Carroll said. "We look forward to get our designers and out construction managers on board and make this project a reality for Auburn." A date has currently not been selected for demolition but the classrooms are planned to be ready for use by fall 2018. "This is something that students can really benefit from," King said. "It will bring great things to this university."
Auburn students may never have to pay for textbooks again if the latest bill proposed by the SGA senate passes next week. At its meeting next Monday, Feb. 23, the SGA senate will vote on a proposed bill that could provide students with free or inexpensive online versions of textbooks. Presented by senators Walker Byrd and Justin Mathews, the proposal would provide students with free or inexpensive "open textbooks" through a nonprofit organization, OpenStax, based out of Rice University. "We as students should have purchasing power of the books we buy, but we don't," Byrd said. "The professors require a book and often times you have no control over how much that book is going to be." According to Byrd, 63 percent of students choose to not buy a textbook because of the cost. "The average cost an Auburn student pays for textbooks is $1,200 and that's only if they are taking 12 hours," Byrd said. "Students shouldn't have to choose between having to buy food and having to buy textbooks -- they should have both." The proposal includes a plan to provide textbooks at a low cost to all students. "Open education recourses are teaching and learning materials that have been posted online under open licenses granted for everyone to use freely and legally," Byrd said. "It levels the playing field so all students have the same opportunities." This would also benefit professors, Byrd said. "(Professors) can mix multiple open education resources together to fit their needs," Byrd said. "They have free reign to mix, distribute, amend or change anything in the book if they deem the material not fit for their class." If passed, it will be taken to administration, according to Mathews. "We will take it to University senate and then to higher administration," Mathews said. "We want to talk about how we can begin implementing this because it is a radical solution to a big problem." Byrd said this decision could greatly benefit students. "This has the potential to totally transform student life at Auburn because it saves students a lot of money," Byrd said. In other senate news: -Passed a bill to request $300,000 of the student activities reserve fund to construct a student memorial. At last week's meeting, Feb. 9, senate was presented with a project to build a student memorial on campus, remembering the Auburn students, faculty and alumni who have passed away. The memorial would replace the existing Garden of Memory at the corner of Mell Street and Samford Avenue across the street from the President's mansion. The next step for this project is to present it to administration and according to Byrd, they are already on board. "We have pledges from the administration saying that they are in this too," Byrd said. "This will be something we tackle fairly soon as we step into office." -Passed a bill of the ratification of the School of Nursing's council constitution.
Two 35-foot-tall live oak trees will be planted at Toomer's Corner Saturday, Feb. 14, but the University is asking fans to hold off on rolling until 2016. Landscapers are scheduled to begin planting the first oak at 7:30 a.m. and the University is inviting the public to attend. But do not bring the toilet paper. Mike Clardy, director of University communications, said he hopes Auburn fans will self-police themselves as the trees acclimate to their new environment. "I know everybody is ready for the tradition to return to the corner, but it's just not time yet," Clardy said. "We have to give the trees a chance." According to horticulture professor Gary Keever, it's not the act of rolling the trees that is harmful--it is how the toilet paper is removed. "In the past, they use high powered hoses and blown the toilet paper out," Keever said. "The pressure knocks leaves and small stems off the trees and weakens them." Keever said the trees need at least two growing seasons until the trees are strong enough. "We as an Auburn Family have a lot invested in these trees and we want them to be around for generations," Keever said. "If we can be a little patient while the trees are being dug, transported and planted, we are all going to be better off." In the event that the trees are rolled, work crews will remove toilet paper by hand, according to Ben Burmester, project manager. "Saturday is a culmination of years of work to bring the trees to the corner so it's an exciting time, but we hope Auburn will respect the work we have put in," Burmester said. Businesses will open early on Saturday and College Street and Magnolia Avenue will be closed from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
A student memorial may be the newest building project for SGA according to Jackson Pruett, executive vice president of initiatives and senior in political science. At the next meeting, Feb. 16, the senate will vote on a proposal to begin working on a student memorial to honor the students, staff and alumni who have passed away. If passed, the memorial will be constructed across from the president's mansion at the corner of Mell Street and Samford Avenue. According to Jack Wagster, assistant vice president of facilities and sophomore in business, the area would be 4.25 acres and replace the existing Garden of Memory. "It is going to serve students both past and present to honor members of the Auburn Family that have passed in a way that people can share their memories and thoughts in a tranquil place," Wagster said. A pathway would run through the memorial lined with seven pillars, each representing a different part of the Auburn Creed. The memorial would not contain plaques with names so all members of the Auburn Family can appreciate the space. "We want to avoid this being an individual memorial," Wagster said. "We want it to be an Auburn Family community space, so we don't want to honor one person more than another." According to Pruett, if the resolution is passed, the project will be taken on by the 2015-16 executive staff to be brought to the April meeting of the Auburn University board of trustees. The good thing about this bill is that it's the next three executive officers' [project]," Pruett said. "It is a perfect passing of the torch project, and they can carry this as an important effort in their term." In other senate news -Passed a resolution of a ratification of The Graduate Student Council Constitution -Introduced a proposal to be voted on next week regarding the ratification of the School of Nursing's constitution
The University will be receiving a jumbo update with the approval of construction for largest video board in college football at the Auburn Board of Trustees meeting Friday, Feb. 6. The board voted on and approved a proposal to replace the south end zone scoreboard with a larger and more modern video board to be completed by the first home game against Jacksonville State on Sept. 12. According to Jay Jacobs, director of athletics, the new video board will be approximately 200-by-105-feet. The project will also include the addition of new ribbon boards to the upper decks, as well as a new public announcement system. "It will be the biggest and best in college football," Jacobs said "It's what our fans deserve, it's what our students deserve and it's what our football team deserves, so why not do it first class?" University President Jay Gogue said numerous studies have been conducted to learn exactly what improvements fans wanted to see in Jordan-Hare. The studies concluded that people wanted improved sound and visuals. "This isn't a response to please someone like me, but a response to fans that want to hear better and see in a bigger and better way," Gogue said. "When athletics looks at the game-day experience, they want it to be the best it can be for the fans." According to Dan King, associate vice president of facilities, the video board project will begin in March with the removal of the current scoreboard and demolition of the existing steel structure. Construction of the new foundation and steel structure will be completed over the summer. Installation and testing of the video board is estimated to be completed in August. "The schedule for this project has to be very aggressive to complete it by the 2015 season," King said. "This is a failure-is-not-an-option project. It's not to say there won't be some tense moments as we head into August, but I think we are OK." According to Jacobs, the $13.9 million project will be paid for by the University and then reimbursed by the athletics program. "(The athletics department) has over $20 million in reserve, but we don't want to take our reserve and cash out right now, so we are going to borrow this money for a year or two," Jacobs said. "Then if we move forward with any other renovations to the stadium we will go ahead and create a bond like we've been doing for 100 years at Auburn." Jacobs said he is excited to see how this upgrade will benefit the University. "We are one of the few schools in the nation that plays for a sold-out audience for every game and we are going to have to continue to do things to make sure that people want to come on campus," Jacobs said. "It's a great tool not only for athletic recruiting, but academic recruiting as well." The board of trustees also approved a two-building project that would replace the existing Allison and Parker Halls. The new buildings will include new state-of the-art classrooms and laboratories. SGA President Logan Powell said he is looking forward to how these buildings will improve learning for students. "It will bring a lot of innovation and new ways to learn," Powell said. "There will be a lot of interactive type learning, especially for the COSAM areas." Construction will begin in summer of 2017 and the buildings are estimated to be ready for use by the 2018 school year. The board of trustees also approved: -Construction of a new School of Nursing to be located at the corner of Lem Morrison and North Donahue Drives. The new facility will provide administrative offices, instructional classrooms and clinical and simulation areas. -Phase II of the Samford Park project, which will begin construction summer 2015. This project will include the construction of a new walkway from Toomer's corner to Samford Hall. "The plan would be to line the walkway with approximately 30 descendants of the original Auburn Oak trees in February of next year," King said. -Proposal brought by the College of Veterinary Medicine to construct a food animal research facility. -Proposal to build a facility in the Auburn Arena to support the women's volleyball team.
DEBATE: Monday, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. in the Student Center Ballroom. VOTE: Tuesday, Feb. 10 until 9 p.m. Log on to AUAccess, click the campus life tab and follow the link to cast your vote. CALLOUTS: Tuesday at 10 p.m.
The University Senate voted on and approved a proposal that will limit the number of times a student can repeat a class in which they receive a D or F at their meeting Tuesday, Feb. 3, in Broun Hall Auditorium. Constance Relihan, associate provost for undergraduate studies presented the proposal that will limit the number of times a student can repeat a course in which they receive a D or F to two times. According to Relihain, there are limits on repeating courses in which a student receives an A, B or C, but now students will be limited when it comes to courses they receive a D or F as well. "We have found that many students repeat courses multiple times," Relihain said. "It would be better off for that student to switch to a major that is better sited for his or her talents." Relihan said limiting the number of times a student can retake a course would benefit students by allowing them to graduate in a timely manner. "If there is a legitimate reason for a student to take a course a third time that can certainly be done," Relihan said. "But the policy calls for a conversation between the student and the academic associate dean prior to enrolling in that class." In other University Senate news: -Proposal approved to revise the wording of the introduction to the Capacity Policy -Took nominations to replace Mark Taylor of the University Writing Committee when his term is complete in 2016. -Took nominations for Rules Committee Members to be voted on at the March senate meeting. -Introduced an information item regarding changes to staff and faculty athletic tickets. "Instead of faculty and staff having to use a specific gate and show their ID and ticket when entering the stadium, they now will receive general admission tickets," said Brian Keeter, director of public affairs. "It's a much easier process and you don't have to worry about using your ID."
The Auburn board of trustees will hold its second meeting of 2015 at Auburn University at Montgomery on Feb. 6, at 9 a.m. in the Taylor Center. The Provost will propose the approval of construction of a two-building academic classroom and laboratory complex to replace Allison and Parker Halls, and the selection of the architect and construction manager. This project would provide classrooms and instructional laboratories, according to the board of trustees' meeting agenda. The Provost will propose a project to build a new School of Nursing facility to include classrooms, instructional spaces, simulation laboratories and administrative offices. The new School of Nursing will support the increased size of the nursing program, according to the agenda. The request for the board is to approve the project initiation and approve the selection of architect and construction manager. College of Veterinary Medicine representatives will propose a new food animal research facility. The college will request Foil Wyatt Architects, the same firm that completed the Bailey Small Animal Teaching Hospital to complete this project, according to the agenda. During its meeting in November, the board adopted a resolution authorizing the commencement of the architect selection process for the Carol Ann Charles E. Gavin III Engineering Research Laboratory renovation project. The architecture firm is Steven & Wilkinson of Atlanta. The action before the board is to approve the architect selection. Board members will discuss the approval of the Samford Park Redevelopment Project budget, funding plan, site project program and design. The project would include creating a brick, tree-lined walkway from Toomer's corner to Samford Hall. Athletic department representatives are proposing the video board in the south end zone of Jordan-Hare Stadium be replaced and operational by August 2015. The board members will discuss the request to approve the project program, budget and project fund according to the agenda. Representatives from the athletic department have been researching ways to improve game day experience, such as enhancing amenities, improving areas used by student-athletes and recruits and the possibility of additional seating. Members of the board will discuss the approval of 360 Architecture, Infinity Architecture and B.L. Harbert International Inc. as the construction managers for the project. Representatives from the athletic department will also propose a project to add on to a section of the Auburn Arena to provide facilities for the women's volleyball team. Board members will discuss the approval of the project and commencement of the selection process for an architect.
The student body now has the chance to choose the newest dining venue on campus. Senators Walker Byrd and Elizabeth Moody introduced three options for students to vote on in the spring election at the SGA Senate meeting Monday, Feb. 2. The three options to be voted on are Plains to Plate, Mell Street Cafe Powered by Freshens and Einstein's Bagels. "You can spend your Tiger Card money anywhere on campus so why not choose where to spend it," Moody said. According to Moody, the new dining hall will be on the bottom floor of the Academic Success Center on Mell Street. Construction will begin on it in 2016. "Plains to Plate would turn into kind of a Plains to Plate 2.0," Moody said. "It would be expanded and revamped to be better than it is now." Byrd said the Mell Street Cafe Powered by Freshens would mean much more than smoothies. "Mell Street Cafe would have tons of great options like salads, crepes, flatbreads and rice bowls, and the potential for the Freshens headquarters to test out new options," Byrd said. In other Senate news: - Voted on and passed a referendum for the 2015 Final Lecture Selection. The Final Lecture is given by a professor that has made contributions to the University and will be held on April 7, 2015 - Voted on and passed a referendum for a Constitutional Amendment Proposal to change the minimum GPA requirement for elected officials in SGA from a 2.25 to a 2.5. "This is something we have been leaning towards for a while," said Senator Abby Lemons. "We want to encourage people to still have a strong academic responsibility in addiction to their extracurricular activities." - Voted on and passed was a proposal to officially recognize Auburn as a Styrofoam-free campus.
The Audience cheered and rose to their feet as Jessie Garrison was crowned Miss Auburn University 2015 at Auburn High School's Preforming Arts Center Saturday, Jan. 28. Garrison also won the swimsuit and lifestyle competition and said she is excited and honored to be able to represent the university she loves. "I feel shocked," Garrison said. "I had to take it in. I didn't think it was my number. I thought it was someone else. I really had to soak it in, but I've never been more proud." Also placing in the pageant was first runner up Jill Vinzant, second runner up Madelyn Gathings, third runner up Caroline Elliot, first runner up Kendyl Jones and talent winner Erica Williams. For her platform, Garrison chose Dancing for Heart and Soul. "I've been dancing since I was 3," Garrison said. "It's my passion. I will be helping underprivileged children and giving them the opportunity to preform on a stage like I did tonight." Garrison celebrated her victory alongside Miss Auburn University 2014, Meg McGuffin, who passed on her crown. "I'm so excited for Jessie," McGuffin said. "I had an eye on her the whole week. She just has this glow about her, and I think she is going to do really special things on this campus." McGuffin said she is sad that her year as Miss Auburn University is over, but excited to see Garrison fill her shoes. "It was really bittersweet," McGuffin said. "I understand that all good things come to an end, but I wasn't quite ready yet. The emcee keeping the crowd entertained for the evening was Sarah Stone Armstrong, Miss Auburn University 2000. During her time at Auburn, Armstrong was involved in Camp War Eagle, War Eagle Girls and Plainsmen and was a Top 5 contestant for Miss Auburn. The Miss Auburn University Pageant is sponsored by the SGA and featured performances from Miss AU 2014, AU Rhythm and AU Capella. Katie Willoughby, student director of Miss Auburn University, said she thought the pageant ran smoothly. "I thought it went fantastically," Willoughby said. "I still can't believe that we are here already, and we get to start this experience. We are so excited." Willoughby said she is happy to have been able to be a part of the pageant. "Not only was I able to work behind the scenes and do the planning, but I was able to get to know these 19 amazing women," Willoughby said.\0x200B
The 2015 Miss Auburn University pageant will be Saturday, Jan. 31 at 7 p.m. at Auburn High School. Tickets are $5 and will be sold at the door. "Miss Auburn University is the female equivalent of Aubie here on campus," said director of Miss AU, Katie Willoughby. "She is our figurehead that represents Auburn women." Miss AU serves the University and community throughout the year by attending events, such as Dance Marathon and being a role model for Auburn women, according to Willoughby. Once crowned, Miss AU will advocate for her chosen platform throughout the year. "Each Miss AU gets to bring exactly what she wants to the table during her year of service," said Miss AU 2014 Meg McGuffin. "She needs to be somebody who has a heart for service and who is a role model for other Auburn women." Morgan Gunter, contestant and junior in early childhood education, said she has been working hard to balance school with pageant preparation. "It's been a little crazy, but it's also been fun," Gunter said. "When I'm in school, it takes away the stress I may have about the pageant, and when I'm in practice I can totally take my mind off school." According to Willoghby, the pageant will consist of a group opening number, an on-stage question, swimsuit competition, talent competition and an evening wear category. The contestants will also complete an interview. Ann Marie Leonard, contestant and freshman in broadcast journalism, said she is excited the pageant is almost here. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous, but I'm more excited than anything," Leonard said. The winner of Miss AU will receive a years worth of tuition valued at $7,900 for Alabama residents and 2/3 tuition (valued at $14,908). Second runner up will receive $4,000 in scholarship, the third runner-up will receive $2,000 and the fourth runner-up will receive $500.
The SGA Senate held their first meeting of 2015 Monday, Jan. 26, at 7:30 p.m. Treasurer Richmond Gunter introduced a plan for future SGA cabinet members to spend the $1.3 million in the student involvement reserve fund throughout the next 4 to 5 years. "The reserve fund is where student activity money goes that has not been spent by Student Activity Projects (SAPs) during the course of the year," Gunter said. "The problem is there has not been a lot of vision or planning to spend this down in a way that benefits the student body and also has an affect that lasts several years." According to Gunter, the SGA cabinet has put together a plan to spend the money in ways that would benefit future SGA members as well as the entire Auburn student body. "We wanted to be the group that sat down and put together a bold vision for the future," Gunter said. Spending would include improvements to the Student Involvement office, creating a student memorial, transforming the Student Activities Center into a functional auditorium and improvements to the Student Center. The SGA would especially like to see expansions to the Student Center, according to Gunter. "Auburn's Student Center is currently smaller than Georgia State's," Gunter said. "I think this current space underserves the students, and it will only get worse." In other Senate news: The SGA Senate introduced three proposals to be voted on next week. The first proposal, introduced by Sen. Natalie Thomley, is a proposal for SGA to add a referendum to the Spring election ballot for candidates for the 2015 Final Lecture. "The final lecture is given by a professor who has made extraordinary contributions to Auburn University," Thomley said. The second proposal is a request to change a Constitutional Amendment, which will be voted on by the student body. In order for a change, 25 percent of the student body must vote with 10 percent approval. Presented by Sen. Abby Lemons, the amendment would change the GPA requirement for joining SGA. "This amendment will propose a GPA requirement from a 2.25 to a 2.5," Lemons said. The last proposal to be voted on next week is to recognize Auburn as a Styrofoam-free campus. "This is a resolution that recognizes all the hard work put in by Tiger Dining and the Office of Sustainability to make our campus a little more environmentally friendly," said Luke Carlson, senator for sustainability.
Chicken Salad Chick will hold its grand opening Feb. 10 in Foy Hall after several months of construction delays. According to Ali Rauch, director of marketing at Chicken Salad Chick, a ribbon cutting ceremony will take place the morning of opening day. "We expect it to be a very strong turn out, and we are planning accordingly," Rauch said. "We are preparing ourselves to be able to handle a rush of students." The new restaurant plans on bringing in at least 800 students a day, according to Will Sallustro, district magager of Tiger Dining's partner, Chartwell. The restaurant will be the first Chicken Salad Chick to open on a college campus and Chicken Salad Chick founder, Stacy Brown, is excited to have been able to help in the design process. "We came from Auburn, so we hope the students are proud that it is the only Chicken Salad Chick to be on a college campus," Brown said. "The University has been just great to work with." According to Glenn Loughridge, director of Tiger Dining, Campus Dining is excited to partner with a brand that loves Auburn as much as Chicken Salad Chick does. "We love the idea that this is an Auburn brand, they are really dedicated to giving back to the University throughout their growth," Loughridge said. The restaurant will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and feature 10 of Chicken Salad Chick's 15 flavors. The restaurant will feature three custom order stations as well as an open-air refrigerator that will offer single sides, scoops and pounds of chicken salad. "Students will be able to grab and go if they please," Rauch said, "They don't have to wait to get a sandwich made, but if you do order a sandwich, we expect to be able to have your plate to you while you are still at the counter." According to Loughridge, the restaurant planned to open by the end of 2014, but poor weather and difficult scheduling set back the construction process. "Many times building projects on campus go so differently than what you except to have," Loughridge said. "There was an expectation that a lot of work would get done over the winter break, but the rain really set us back." Loughridge said construction was mostly done in the evenings, when there are fewer students on campus. "We have to be respectful of students," Loughridge said. "The first concern is their safety." The restaurant will have 50 seats inside as well as an outdoor patio area when construction is complete.
President Obama delivered his sixth State of the Union address, outlining his plan for "middle-class" economics before the Republican-controlled congress last night. Obama said, "Tonight, we turn the page," arguing the country is prepared to move forward economically and stressing a focus on the middle class and a plan to provide two free years of community college to young Americans. Reed Dudley, member of College Democrats of America and junior in anthropology, said she believes the president's proposals are stepping stones for our generation to succeed. "I feel that the proposals that president Obama laid out are game changers for America's young people," Dudley said. "I thought it was a very strong middle-class State of the Union that really focuses expanding all opportunities, especially for young Americans." According to Alicia Valenti, president of Auburn University College Democrats and senior in public administration, the group held a watch party in the Student Center. "It made it much more fun because we were excited about the proposals and laughed at the Republicans' lack of enthusiasm," Valenti said. Valenti said she believes the proposals will set the party up for the next election. "I hope that it'll force people to questions the GOP's priorities," Valenti said. However, members of Auburn University College Republicans and Auburn Conservatives for Tomorrow were not as excited about the President's proposals. Elizabeth Slagle, vice president of the College Republicans and junior in business, said she believes the President's proposal for free college seemed like a good idea on the surface, but nothing in life is free. "Someone has to pay for it, and that's taxpayers," Slagle said. "I firmly believe that now is the time for everyone, especially college students, to educate themselves and do research about what domino effects Obama's policies will ultimately have on us as we enter the workforce and pay taxes." Alexander Mendez, member of Auburn Conservatives for Tomorrow and senior in political science, said he believes the President was too focused on new policies and not focused enough on past failed policies. "The president spoke pretty inclusively about the middle class and his focus on wanting to have free community college and extending aid to students, but he didn't expand on how we wants to help students with student loans," Mendez said. "He only talked about the few (policies) that worked very minimally, in my opinion." The full State of the Union address can be viewed here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/sotu
The Sigma Chi fraternity will not return to Auburn's campus this semester as previously planned, according to Hank DeSanti, junior in accounting and chapter editor. The International Fraternity's charter was suspended in Nov. 2013 after hazing allegations reported by members of the community through the national hazing hotline. DeSanti said the charter was to be suspended until Jan. 2015, but the chapter has collectively decided to not return until at least 2017. According to DeSanti, the fraternity has been in contact with nationals since the charter was suspended. "We met face-to-face one time, but I have been in contact with them a few times a month," DeSanti said. "We would talk about what [national's] process and plan to bring us back on campus was going to be." However, after several months of conversation, Auburn's chapter of Sigma Chi declined national's offer to return to campus. "They were just trying to see how committed we were to it and make sure that we would be on board for the process (of coming back to campus)," said Adam Bettis, member of Sigma Chi and junior in business administration. "They were very nice about it, but we were on different pages of what we wanted to do and what they wanted to do." Nationals only offered 10 brothers to return to the fraternity. Last fall, nationals conducted a review of all active brothers. DeSanti said chapter members were unsure of the standards that were set in order to decide what brothers would return and who wouldn't return. "Everyone was judged pretty quickly," Bettis said. "A bunch of good guys got left out. Looking at that information it was tough for us to do something that would inhibit us from being with our best friends." According to DeSanti, each brother underwent 15-minute interviews. According to DeSanti, the chapter was unsure of the standards that were set in order to decide what brothers would return and who wouldn't return. "That's only a 15 minute interview with each person, and I don't know how they decided in those 15 minutes," DeSanti said. "There were some people who we looked at as very valuable assets, but they wouldn't budge in us trying to get those people in." Sigma Chi nationals and Interfraternity Council did not comment. As of now the fraternity plans to rent their house on Magnolia Avenue to another fraternity.
Two new proposals were introduced at the first University senate meeting of 2015 Tuesday, Jan. 13 at 3:30 p.m. in Broun Hall Auditorium. Constance Relihan, assistant provost for undergraduate studies, presented the proposals. The first is concerned with limiting the number of allowable course repeats with grades of D or F. "Approximately six percent of our students had taken a non-repeatable course three or more times, and I have seen student transcripts of students who have repeated a course up to seven times," Relihan said. The classes that are being repeated most often are lower level prerequisite courses, such as calculus II, English and differential equations. Currently, students who receive a D or an F in a course are able to retake the course as many times as they would like. The policy change would only allow students to repeat a course twice. Upon the third attempt to take the class, students are encouraged to seek academic counseling and must receive written permission from an academic dean. "This policy would make sure a conversation occurs so that the student can have the unpleasant or difficult conversation with someone about whether they really have what it takes at this point in their life to succeed in whatever the major is," Relihan said. The second is a change in wording of the capacity policy, regarding students transferring majors. The current policy requires a student to "be in good standing," meaning a GPA of 2.0 or higher with the University in order to transfer majors if the major does not fall under the CAP policy. Majors that fall under the CAP policy have a maximum number of students allowed in that major because of the limited number of studio spaces, specific accreditation standards or limited physical space on campus for students. However, if there is no CAP policy on a major, any student in "good standing" is able to transfer. The new policy would change the wording of the preamble to the CAP policy and only require students to be "currently enrolled" in the University. "The goal here not to alter the current approved enrollment limitation policies for majors that have good and legitimate reasons for it," Relihan said. "It is to make sure students who are currently enrolled are able to transfer into any other major that is an open enrollment major." Relihan said this change could benefit students who have below a 2.0 and believe their skill set would be fit for another major instead of struggling in a certain major. The Academic Standards Committee introduced the proposals as Pending Action Items and will be voted on at the next University Senate meeting on Jan. 22. Other senate news: Two proposals that were introduced in the November University senate meeting were voted on in the meeting. The first proposal regarded the revision of the Conflict of Interest policy within the research department to make the policy as clear and effective as possible. "Employees [conducting research] must report any conflicts held by themselves or their immediate family which relate to the employees institutional responsibility," said Art Chappelka, faculty research council chair. The proposal was voted on and passed with 87 percent. The second proposal voted on was adding a library representative to the graduate council. George Flowers, dean of the graduate school, re-introduced the proposal. "We are looking to add a standing member of the graduate council from the to represent the libraries," Flowers said. "We are asking for a representative to review curriculum and other items within the graduate council." This proposal was voted on and passed with 97 percent.