This Week @ AU

To the Auburn Student Family:

This past week has been a sad one. Two members of our student family died, both as a result of automobile accidents.

For any young life to be lost is tragic, and we hope that those of you who were friends with these students will seek out our counselors in Student Counseling Services if you feel you need someone to talk to, and that you will remember these students while sending your prayers and thoughts to their families and friends back home.

It is exciting to be a college student, being away from home, and enjoying all the enthusiasm that comes with new friends and new places. But, please remember that we all care about you, as do your families and friends in your hometowns all over the country. We want you to be safe and 'think safe' at all times. You've heard it before, but it's never more important than when you are experiencing independence for the first time: don't drink and drive, never walk alone at night, don't ride with someone who has been drinking, be an example to your friends and don't encourage reckless behavior, use Tiger Transit or call a police escort if you are in a situation where you don't have a ride, report suspicious behaviors or situations, and if you are having trouble adjusting to college life, please, again, use the services of our excellent, professional counselors.

Each year we host forums or other events encouraging you to take care of yourselves and look out for those around you, hoping to avoid tragedy. Meanwhile, our Dean of Students office and student government association will be hosting student safety forums or other activities, and I encourage you to participate. You may be part of a much larger family now, but it's still a close-knit one, and we care very much about your welfare.

Sincerely,
Jay Gogue
President

Beginning on Monday, Sept. 29, the Auburn University Marching Band will be competing against six other collegiate bands in ESPN's online Battle of the Bands. The Auburn Band was selected by ESPN and Paramount pictures as one of seven bands in the country to participate. Each band selected was asked to perform the theme music from the latest Indiana Jones movie, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The videos are posted on ESPN.com for fans to vote for their favorite performance. The winning band will be featured on College Gameday on Oct. 11, and will receive a $25,000 donation. The winner is decided by an online vote, so the band needs as many Auburn fans as possible to go to the site and vote daily in order for them to take home the grand prize. The voting starts Monday, Sept. 29 at the following Web site: http://promo.espn.go.com/espn/contests/indianajones/. Don't forget to vote each day. Let's support our Auburn University Marching Band! War Eagle!

To improve your chances of having announcements for This Week @AU included in the weekly digest, items should be submitted one to two weeks in advance when possible. Typically, This Week runs on Monday afternoons, occasionally on Tuesday morning. Also, repeats and corrections, especially those submitted with errors to the Office of Communications and Marketing, will be done at the discretion of the editor. Thank you for your assistance in making This Week @AU a success.

Students are encouraged to attend one of the upcoming seminars titled "Ultimate Money Skills: Scholars, Dollars, Budgets and Bills." The sessions will be this Thursday, Oct. 2, in 113A Lowder Business Building at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. It's a dynamic and energetic presentation about how choices that students make about money while in college can have a direct impact on their future financial success and can help them make better decisions during and after their time at Auburn. Two times have been scheduled for the 50-minute seminar so that as many students as possible can attend. The free, interactive seminars will show students how to achieve the critical understanding of appropriate credit use; understand the basics of banking; design their own budget; take control of student loan debt; minimize debt to maximize wealth; and protect their identity and avoid identity theft. The presentations are sponsored by monster.com, Bank of America and the Auburn Spirit Foundation for Scholarships. No products will be sold to students. For more information, contact Lucy LaMar at 844-9178 or lll0003@auburn.edu.

Monday, Sept. 29, UPC hosts their major concert of the fall semester. The rock band, O.A.R. will be performing in Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum. Tickets are available the day of concert from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. between Haley and the new Student Center, as well as at the door while they last. Be sure to bring your student ID! The concert begins with special guest "Simplified" at 7:30 p.m. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. and the first 750 people to the floor will receive wristbands for floor seating. The painting workshop scheduled for Oct. 2 will be postponed until further notice. Any students interested in participating in an Art Exhibition should submit their work to the UPC Office, suite 3130, room 3149, in the new Student Center by Oct. 3. The exhibition will be held Oct. 6-8 and the location is to be announced. Cash prizes will be awarded. Further questions can be addressed at 844-4788 or www.auburn.edu/upc.

The September meeting of the Society for Conservation Biology will be held Tuesday, Sept. 30, at 6 p.m. in 112 Rouse Life Sciences Building. This meeting will feature discussion and a presentation from Wayne Barger about our upcoming activities at Coon Creek. There will also be a preview of the upcoming "Field Technique Workshops." Additionally, Adele Balmer will present a brief summary of current conservation issues in politics, including the positions of current presidential candidates. New members are always welcome! Please direct any questions to hodgeac@auburn.edu.

Professor Ileana Vargas Jimenez, dean of the College of Education at Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica, will be welcomed as a guest lecturer by Auburn's College of Education on Wednesday, Oct. 1. Jimenez's visit stems from a collaborative academic and research partnership formed by the colleges last year for the purpose of faculty exchanges, doctoral program development, mutual program enrichment, joint research projects and the enhancement of Auburn's outreach and research activities. Jimenez will address the topic of Costa Rican education in a 10:30 a.m. lecture in 2225 Student Center. The event is open to Auburn faculty and students, as well as the general public. She will discuss the structure of Costa Rica's educational system, as well as the factors that have led to the nation having one of the highest literacy rates in the world (94.9 percent, according to the United Nations' Development Programme Report of 2007-2008). Jimenez will be joined on her visit by two fellow faculty members, Carlos Alvarez, director of International Affairs, and Jorge Salazar, professor of health. While Auburn's College of Education faculty members have formed a strong connection to Costa Rica, students have a similar opportunity. The college offers study abroad opportunities in Costa Rica in the form of semester-long teacher education international internships through the Consortium of Overseas Student Teaching and short-term, course-based service-learning placements. For more information on the study abroad opportunities, visit http://education.auburn.edu/internatl/index.html.

Everyone is invited to the second annual Cater Hall Illumination in support of breast cancer awareness Wednesday, Oct. 1, from 6:30-6:45 p.m. The brief ceremony will feature Auburn employees, Aubie and Zeta Tau Alpha leaders as Cater Hall is illuminated with pink lights. Speakers will discuss the importance of early detection; there will also be a survivor recognition. Breast cancer survivors and families are encouraged to participate. Also, the Jule Collins Smith Museum is joining in the support of this effort by illuminating the museum during the month of October. For more information, contact Jenny Swaim at 703-4025.

The Auburn Asian Association will be showing The Darjeeling Limited this Wednesday, Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. in Dudley B6. This Wes Anderson film, starring Adrien Brody, Owen Wilson and Jason Schwartzman, follows three brothers as they venture across India on individual spiritual quests. The viewing is free and is open to the public. The Darjeeling Limited is rated R.

Join Auburn Soccer this Friday, Oct. 3, at 7 p.m. and help "Cram the Complex" as the Tigers host the Ole Miss Rebels at the Auburn University Soccer Complex. The goal is to break the all-time attendance record! Admission is free and the first 250 fans to the game will receive a free "Cram the Complex" T-shirt from University Village. It's also All Auburn, All Orange and Spirit Points will be awarded. For more information on Auburn Soccer, please visit www.AuburnTigers.com.

The Auburn Alumni Association and the Nashville Auburn Club will cosponsor a tailgate party Oct. 4 in Nashville, Tenn., preceding Auburn University's football game against Southeastern Conference rival Vanderbilt University. The event begins four hours prior to kickoff behind Vanderbilt Stadium's northern end zone. Admission is $25 per person and includes a buffet, non-alcoholic beverages, music and special guests. Tailgate tickets may be purchased in advance by contacting Deborah Freeman at (615) 332-2409 or dfreeman@nsm-seating.com. Proceeds benefit the Nashville Auburn Club's scholarship endowment. The Auburn Alumni Association is a nonprofit organization designed to support the allegiance between Auburn University and its graduates and friends. The group is composed of more than 45,000 dues-paying members. For more information, see www.aualum.org.

Join the Forest Ecology Preserve at the Mary Olive Thomas Demonstration Forest on Moore's Mill Road (approximately one mile past the Ogletree Shopping Village, on left) for an astronomy program on Saturday, Oct. 4, from 7-10 p.m. The Auburn Astronomical Society will have their high powered telescopes set up for your viewing pleasure. A constellation laser show and a space movie with out-of-this-world snacks will make this a great evening for star lovers. Not appropriate for children under age 5. Admission is $2 for members, $3 for non-members. Check our Web site at www.auburn.edu/preserve if weather is questionable. Call Jennifer Lolley at 707-6512 for more information.

The Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art at Auburn University will celebrate its fifth year of service to the regional community with “Art in Motion,” a sports-themed birthday party, on Sunday, Oct. 5, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The celebration is free and open to the public. Live music will be provided by the Saugahatchee Ramblers and birthday cake will be served. The afternoon’s events in the museum and on its grounds will reflect both the museum’s fall exhibition, “Visions of Victory: A Century of Sports Photography” and Alabama Tourism’s 2008 Year of Alabama Sports. Activities planned for children and young adults will include foot races, drawing, a hands-on examination of cameras and curating a mini-exhibition. In addition to “Art in Motion” activities, participants will be able to try print and papermaking with Amos Paul Kennedy Jr., an internationally recognized printing press artist and resident of rural Alabama. Kennedy will demonstrate the process of making prints using paper recycled from the museum’s offices. A collection of Kennedy’s works are on display through Oct. 5 in the museum in an exhibition titled “Posters From the Black Belt.” In conjunction with the exhibition, the museum will present “Proceed and Be Bold,” an independent documentary film about Kennedy’s life, art and work. The film will be screened at noon and 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 2. Following the 4 p.m. screening, director/producer Laura Zinger will discuss the film. The posters on display are available for purchase for $20 each. They may be reserved at the Museum Shop and will be available to be picked up on Oct. 5, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. For more information about the exhibit or the birthday celebration, call 844-1484.

Are you a military veteran? Did you know Auburn University does not have a veterans’ organization, activity, or club? Would you like to be a charter member of a new veterans’ group? Doctoral student and Army veteran Steve Pattillo wants start a veterans’ organization on the Auburn campus and is looking for veterans interested in joining. He has a professor willing to be the group’s advisor but members are needed. If interested, please contact Steve at spp0001@auburn.edu. Once there is sufficient interest, an organizational meeting will be scheduled and advertised.

The Auburn University College of Liberal Arts Department of Art will present an artist talk by glass artist Jiyong Lee who is currently showing his work with Brian Frus in Biggin Gallery. The exhibition, "Life: Segmentation and Seed," features 17 glass works by contemporary glass artists, Jiyong Lee and Brian Frus. Jiyong Lee will present an artist talk on Friday, Oct. 10, at noon in 005 Biggin Hall; a closing reception will follow the artist's talk. The exhibition can be viewed in Biggin Gallery, 101 Biggin Hall through Oct. 10. (Biggin Hall is located on the AU campus at the corner of Magnolia and College Avenue.) All events are free and open to the public. Gallery hours for "Life: Segmentation and Seed by Jiyong Lee and Brian Frus" are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information contact Barb Bondy, exhibitions and lectures coordinator, at 844-3483.

Enhancements to the AU ALERT emergency notification system were released recently, including access to a new dashboard interface. With the new AU ALERT dashboard, users will have more flexibility in editing their contact information, be able to request text messages to more than one cell phone number, prioritize their contact numbers, and view past alerts. The first contact number listed in the dashboard will be the priority contact number for each user, and will receive voice/text alerts before the message is sent to non-priority numbers. Additionally, modifications have been made to the system to improve delivery times. A test will be conducted in October to evaluate the effectiveness of these changes, with the date and time of the test to be announced in the near future. To sign up for AU ALERT or update your profile, please log on to AU Access and go to the AU ALERT channel on the Campus Life tab. Questions or comments regarding AU ALERT can be directed to AU Public Safety and Security by e-mailing aualert@auburn.edu.

During pre-game ceremonies at the Auburn vs. Tennessee football game on Saturday, Sept. 27, the War on Hunger Committee of 19 donated $11,000 to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to help the organization in its efforts to feed hungry school children in the developing world. This latest donation brings the total raised by Auburn students for WFP to $30,000. Accepting on behalf of WFP was Douglas Coutts, senior staff member of the organization and distinguished visiting professor in Auburn's Department of Nutrition and Food Science. Begun in 2004, the War on Hunger is a dynamic partnership between Auburn and the World Food Programme, the largest humanitarian organization in the world. The Committee of 19 is the student leadership arm of the initiative representing every school, college and major organization on campus. Since its inception, more than 70 universities across North America have joined with Auburn to form the alliance of Universities Fighting World Hunger. This growing social movement is committed to raising awareness about hunger, teaching students how to become advocates for the cause, and using the academic resources of the university (i.e., teaching, research, and service) to find both short and long-term solutions to the hunger crisis.

If you are not ready to come by 303 Martin Hall for help with choosing a major or your job search but you have some questions, check out these resources: www.auburn.edu/career provides resources and Web sites. "Tigers Prepare" blog (http://tigersprepare.blogspot.com/) covers job preparation and search topics. The "Tigers Explore" blog (http://tigersexplore.blogspot.com/) explores choosing a major/career topics. Check them out and feel free to comment! Call 844-4744 with any questions.