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YOUR VIEW: Alumnus Troubled by Players' Behaviors in Outback Bowl

January 21

Editor, the Auburn PlainsmanWhile I was thrilled with the outcome of our Bowl game, I was very disappointed with the way the team conducted itself on the field.I have always taken a great deal of pride in the way Auburn conducts itself compared to a lot of other teams during competitive events: not taunting, no excessive trash talking, etc.I realize players get pumped and it is ridiculous to think that none of it should go on but not to the extent that I saw in this bowl game.We looked like the Miami of old or worse yet, Bama.On almost every play I saw us trash talking for a while to the player that had been hit Not once did I see us help an opposing player up.This is a bowl game, not Bama.

YOUR VIEW: God, Gambling and Randy Owens: Where Does it End?

January 21

Editor, the Auburn PlainsmanThere is a strange business relationship that has emerged involving gambling and bingo in Alabama.I am sure it surprises no one in Alabama that those entities and individuals who continue to push gambling in Alabama, specifically bingo, seem to have a limitless supply of cash and are being somewhat successful in using their clout to force their interest on the rest of us.The news media has touched on possible conflicts of interest involving Attorney General King and possibly Gov.

YOUR VIEW: Auburn's Hazing Rules Out of Line?

January 21

Editor, the Auburn PlainsmanI am a FH Alum (93) and, like many others, think that the sanctions against FH fraternity are excessive.There were three hazing items listed in The Plainsman article: verbal harassment, requiring pledges to perform errands or chores and conducting interrogations.If there was verbal harassment, it was, much like the "interrogations," isolated.FH is about "Building Men," not tearing men down.If FH was not serious about what it is doing on the campus of Auburn University, it would not have expelled three brothers who were involved in any hazing activity.As far as the chores that a pledge does, they are no different from any chores a brother performs.This is not a hazing violation (Ala.

YOUR VIEW: Benefits for Same-Sex Couples at AU Not Fine With AU Alumnus

December 3

Editor, the Auburn PlainsmanThe Plainsman editors argue that Auburn adopt a same-sex benefits policy.

YOUR VIEW: Fascist Tells Meaning of Christmas

December 3

Editor, the Auburn PlainsmanWith all of the crass commercialism associated with the modern holiday season and, given the fact that America was intended to be a Christian nation-state, a member of the United Fascist Union pointed out at the December meeting of our Grand Council, perhaps, we should remind the masses of this message.Turning to the book of books, The Holy Bible, for inspiration, we found this passage which we deem suitable for the occasion."And at that time there were shepherds abiding in the fields keeping watch over their flocks by night and lo, an angel of the Lord appeared unto them and the glory of God shone round about them and they were sore afraid.

Your View: Former Professor Talks About Basics of Pedestrian Safety

November 19

Editor, the Auburn PlainsmanThe large number of nighttime car/pedestrian accidents in Auburn leads me to propose an obvious solution:Anyone studying any of the graphic arts or architecture learns in his freshman year the power of value: that is, lights and darks.In other words, wearing black at night renders a pedestrian, bicyclist, motorcyclist, or any vehicle almost invisible.DON'T DO IT!WEAR WHITE AT NIGHT!It rhymes, so you can remember it.Don't wear black helmets or leathers, even shiny ones, if you want to be seen and protected.Professor Clark Lundell, head of industrial design, told of his Navy years when lots of sailors were hit by cars at night when their uniforms were all navy blue. White caps helped, but the more white the better, unless it snows.Remember: WHITE AT NIGHT!Or you may wind up decorating the front of a truck.Nicholas D.

Your View: Belittling Women is not a Part of How Southern Chivalry Should be Defined

November 19

Editor, the Auburn PlainsmanI was recently referred, by a friend, to an article appearing in the Wall Street Journal regarding football traditions in the SEC.Auburn's program acts as a primary example of many points made by the author.What I find particularly appalling and embarrassing is the quoted material offered to the publication by members of Auburn's student body which illuminates, proudly, a part of our campus culture which should be discouraged, if not at least hidden.That part of the culture being the "dating games" for the football season (as labeled by the author and illustrated by Auburn students).The most humiliating, though telling, part of the article is the characterization of women given by various fraternity men regarding football knowledge and femininity/masculinity.One particular student claimed that it was undesirable for a girl, who is a date, to be more knowledgeable about football than a boy because it is "emasculating."Instead, a desirable candidate is a girl who can adequately baby-sit and nurse a drunken and childlike man who is too inebriated to behave with maturity and decorum.I find it completely ridiculous that one would find a knowledgeable girl emasculating; what is emasculating is that you "gentlemen" cannot get your acts together and stay sober enough to stand up, refrain from violence and diminish your consistent ability to offend the rest of the population of game attendees through brash yelling and profanities.What is also emasculating is the unified abandoning of academic responsibilities of many Auburn men (and women) days in advance of a home game as evidenced by absence from classrooms and campus in general in favor of partying downtown.Perhaps if we gave more attention to becoming an institution known for our academic endeavors rather than our date selection and football program, then Auburn wouldn't be negatively portrayed in an international publication, thus providing an avenue for commentary which labels Southerners as "uneducated" and "sexist." What is additionally laughable is the statement that all of this is part of "Southern chivalry" and part of "building better men."I hope that "Southern chivalry" does not truly involve degrading women by scoring them as potential dates based on the criteria of who can best nurse a hangover while looking the sexiest in an orange dress.I also hope it does not mean provoking fights in the stadium, cursing our players in times when we're struggling to score, and getting tossed onto the pavement by Jordan-Hare security before the game even commences due to being intoxicated to the point of irrationality.Women, I also implore you to consider yourselves worth more physically and intellectually than accessories to this behavior, beings only useful as mannequins and supporters of unappreciative men.Do not concern yourselves with purchasing cute dresses and accompanying boys to parties, suffering all the while through the above-mentioned behavior simply to get a good seat and a plate at a tailgate celebration; rather, view yourselves as good enough contributors to our campus to denounce this behavior and work to discourage the Wall Street Journal's published, negative perception of our institution's current social climate.Benjamin ArnbergPearl ShieldsGraduate Students, English

YOUR VIEW: Coalition Believes Cessation Programs Should be Covered by Medicaid

November 12

Editor, the Auburn PlainsmanAccording to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control, Medicaid expenditures attributable to smoking total nearly 22 billion dollars annually, representing 11 percent of all Medicaid expenditures.

YOUR VIEW: AU Alumna Angered by Honors Not Shown for Fort Hood Soldiers

November 12

Editor, the Auburn PlainsmanI am an alumna of Auburn University and have always been proud of that achievement.However, today I was ashamed of my alma mater by the lack of respect shown for those brave soldiers who died and were injured at Fort Hood this past week.I attended today's game expecting to see the American flag being flown at half staff and expecting a moment of silence to be observed for those victims of this latest act of terrorism in America.I was appalled when I saw the flag flying high and the pre-game festivities carried out as usual.This lack of acknowledgement is in opposition to Governor Riley's own directive issued Friday that flags should be flown at half staff on state government buildings until sunset Tuesday.While Jordan-Hare Stadium is not a government building, it is part of a state university.It's ironic since he was actually attending the game today in order to bestow honors on Auburn University's latest Homecoming Queen.The lowering of the flag to half staff should have been an obvious action to take regardless of any political directive.I was so distraught by this lack of respect that I questioned a security guard and eventually contacted facilities personnel via text message when I couldn't locate an actual person.The response I received stated that they had not received "any official notification" and that they would investigate.Needless to say the flag was not lowered during the game.

YOUR VIEW: Fan Calls for Tighter NCAA Rules, Penalties

November 12

Editor, the Auburn PlainsmanOn Dec. 28, 1905, the NCAA was birthed along with a rules committee in a meeting attended by 62 colleges.

Your View: Bookstore Assistant Director Supports SGA Textbook Plan

November 5

Editor, the Auburn PlainsmanI would like to write in support of the SGA and library's efforts to put textbooks on reserve for students.

Your View: Sessions' Vote Against Franken Amendment Hazardous, Shameful

November 5

Editor, the Auburn PlainsmanThank you Senator Sessions for yet again embarrassing the great state of Alabama.Earlier in the year during the Justice Sotomayor confirmation hearings, Sessions made our state seem backwoods and racist during his times to question.Sessions was more concerned with asking questions about race and empathy than about Justice Sotomayor's extensive judicial record.Sessions all but called Justice Sotomayor a racist.Guess it takes one to know one, right, Senator Sessions?Now, Sessions has topped himself by voting against an amendment of Senator Franken of Minnesota that would defund federal contractors that force their employees to use arbitration.Franken's amendment would allow for the employee to chose sue in court as an option as well as choosing arbitration.But we cannot have employees have choice and rights, can we Senator Sessions?Franken introduced his amendment because of a 2005 incident involving a KBR (Halliburton) employee in Iraq.Ms. Jamie Leigh Jones was working in Baghdad on a KBR worksite when she was gang-raped by some of her fellow employees and locked inside a railroad container for more than a day.But Ms. Jones had signed a contract waiving her right to sue in court, instead having to take her claim to an independent arbitrator.Sessions seems to think that the federal government should have zero power over the contractor's to which we give government contracts.We would not want the government meddling in government business, would we Senator Sessions?Sessions also believes that the Franken amendment will lead to the elimination of arbitration altogether.Looks like someone has been using his Jump to Conclusions Mat."Arbitration agreements allow parties to avoid the cost of litigation, a benefit that may be of particular importance in employment litigation, which involves smaller sums of money..." said Sessions.By this, Senator Sessions, do you believe that gang-rape deserves a "smaller sum of money"?Arbitration also allows the employers to basically hide the crime, thus it could happen again.

Your View: SGA President Urges Students to Continue Support for Football Team

October 29

Editor, The Auburn PlainsmanFriends, I heard a story yesterday that I felt is worth sharing with you all.In the heat of the battle against LSU on Saturday, Kodi Burns took a shot to the chin that cut open his lip and knocked out two of his teeth.Kodi came to the sidelines with the teeth in his hand.The trainers sewed his mouth up, wiped off the blood and Kodi went right back in the game and ran the ball as hard as ever.He never quit.The game was a tough, tough loss, but none of our players ever quit.They scored their only touchdown of the night on the last play of the game.One thing I noticed was that the LSU student section got there early, stayed late and made a lot of noise until the very end.They made the difference for their team.We play Ole Miss on Saturday in a game that we need to win to become bowl eligible.Between now and Saturday, you might see signs or stickers that simply say "11:21, be the difference."We had those signs and stickers made to remind all of you that kickoff is early on Saturday.It's at 11:21 a.m.

Your View: Outgoing Dean Corrects Last Week's Article

October 29

Editor, The Auburn PlainsmanI am writing to indicate that the headline "Reaccreditation Causes Dean to Retire" in a front-page story of the October 22 Plainsman was a misrepresentation of a well-written and accurate article by Mr. Blake Hamilton.As the focus of the story, it is to be noted that I am not "retiring," but plan to step down as Dean of the College of Sciences and Mathematics and to continue to devote my time to Auburn University by returning to teaching and research as a professor of chemistry and biochemistry.Furthermore, for the headline to suggest that I was leaving my position because of reaccreditation implies that I was backing away from the responsibility.On the contrary, COSAM is in an excellent position for its role in the University's reaccreditation, but I did not see myself as Dean in 2013 (4 years from now), when the on-site evaluation will occur, and believed that it would put my successor at a disadvantage to take on such a crucial process without the option of being involved in the early data gathering and analysis steps with a vision to the future.With that said, I regret that more care was not taken in reading Mr. Blake's article in determining a more appropriate and descriptive headline to accompany it.Similar quality control should have been accorded the name associated with the photo that was associated with the article.Stew SchnellerDean, College of Sciencesand MathematicsProfessor, Chemistry and Biochemistry

Your View: 'Thanks' from Iowa State

October 29

Editor, The Auburn PlainsmanAs an Iowa State fan I want to thank you for taking our football coach last year.You were also kind enough to send us one of your assistants to be our new head coach.He has done an incredible job at Iowa State.

Your View: President's Nobel Prize Win Justified, Should Cause Pride, Joy

October 15

Editor, The Auburn PlainsmanThere has been a lot of outcry over the Nobel Peace Prize being awarded to President Obama, considering the president is only 10 months into his first term and the deadline for nominations was two weeks into his presidency.While the Nobel Peace Prize has always been a politically motivated award (given to two critics of George W.

Your View: Possible Way of Ending the Old Federal Income Tax

October 8

Editor, The Auburn PlainsmanThe passage of the 16th Amendment to the Constitution authorized the Federal Income Tax.The 16th also created an ever-being-replenished pool of tax dollars.Every payday withholding tax goes into this pool.This money has created a deeply entrenched spending industry in Washington, D.C.Citizen protests of increased federal spending are essentially worthless.Look at spending since September 2008, despite many reasonable protests.What can be done?Repeal the 16th Amendment.The replacement will be the CONSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT TAX (the CST). Under the CST, the Federal Budget will be divided among the states by a fair-to-all-states formula.This "1040 formula" will be based upon income totals taken from greatly simplified tax returns from all income earners.No Federal bureaucracy will create the formula.Each state's citizens will decide how to tax themselves to pay their state's share of the budget. The CST will have multiple constraints on federal spending.

Your View: 'Outburst by Tennis Star Inappropriate'

October 8

Editor, The Auburn PlainsmanWell, I must state that something like this does not surprise me.After all, we have an undisciplined spoiled brat who is underworked and overpaid that probably never had to earn a living unless you consider hitting tennis balls all your life as some sort of labor.I am not familiar with the rules of tennis (nor do I want to be), but it seems apparent that this sport has a rank order of judicial authority similar to other sports.Evidently the line judge is subordinate to the chair umpire so it would seem that if one is not satisfied with the decision made by a line judge they would simply appeal to the chair umpire.But when people are raised to believe that winning is the only thing and everything else is discounted one may draw the conclusion that what Ms. Williams did was perfectly acceptable and appropriate.Let's see, "screaming at an official with a jabbed finger" and stating: "I'm going to shove this ball down your (expletive deleted) throat."Even John McEnroe (another spoiled brat) was taken aback by her behavior. If I were the line judge (whether or not I was familiar with America's culture or lack thereof), I would have felt sufficiently threatened to seek out the protection of law enforcement.Williams should have forfeited the match, been arrested and banned from tennis.Her ill-gotten gains then could be rightfully distributed to accomplish more important things than rewarding the tirades of a selfish materialistic ego.The question that remains for all forms of organized sport is where does one draw the line between protest and a complete disregard for authority.A public apology is simply not acceptable and the sponsors of Ms. Williams need to be made aware of this through direct contact up to and including the boycott of products.As the old television commercial states "anything less would be uncivilized."Joe BialekCleveland, OH