Untitled Document

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

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Total Clips: 3

	Date	Outlet
Possible Hate Crime Investigated at Auburn University	04/25/2007	WTVM-TV
Hate crime probe continues	04/25/2007	Opelika-Auburn News
AU Biofuel Expert Discusses Environmental Benefits	04/24/2007	WTVM-TV


Possible Hate Crime Investigated at Auburn University 04/25/2007 WTVM-TV Associated Press		Return to Top
This AP story was carried by Tuscaloosa News, Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, WALA-TV and WJSU-TV. Just days after the Virginia Tech massacre, police are investigating a possible hate crime at Auburn University. Police say a South Korean student has been attacked. Auburn police say it happened four days after the shootings, but the victim didn't immediately report the crime. The f-b-i has been called to join in this investigation. Because, police are concerned the student may have been attacked as a result of last weeks massacre. Investigators say a South Korean student reported to them, that he was taken to the hospital with minor injuries after being attacked by four white males outside a dorm on Roosevelt Drive. "He told us when he asked these guys why they were assaulting him and they told him because he was Korean," said Captain Jerry Holder. Most students are shocked. "I don't think this is the norm at campus, in fact it catches me off guard cause the great thing about Auburn is it's the loveliest village on the plains and that's what college is about, diversity and embracing different people," said Rachel Bowman. But at least one student says she's not surprised. "I know a lot of people were talking about what happened at Virginia Tech and they think it's wrong and they were saying bad things about people from other cultures," said Meghan Kelly. Rui Zhang is Chinese. He says he hasn't felt any anger towards him because he's Asian as was the Virginia Tech gunman. "I think it's been different to me or other students from South Korea, because at this University and this city people are very friendly towards people," Zhang said. Meanwhile police say they have no witnesses and no descriptions of the attackers, expect that they were white men. "If this guy was assaulted just cause he was an Asian male then obviously that is wrong and we want all of our students to feel safe in their environment, this guy being a Korean male is no more responsible for what happened at Virginia Tech that you or I are," said Captain Holder. Police do not know if the men were students. They are hoping someone will come forward with the information they need to make some arrests. Police say no other Asian students have reported having any problems on campus, since the shooting.
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Hate crime probe continues 04/25/2007 Opelika-Auburn News Amy Weaver		Return to Top
Authorities may never know why a Korean student was assaulted on the Auburn University campus last Thursday night, but are actively looking into the possibility that it was a hate crime. The day the Opelika-Auburn News reported that an 18-year-old Korean man told police four male assailants beat him up because of his ethnicity, law enforcement officials were busy investigating and fielding countless calls from the media. Auburn police Capt. Jerry Holder said the Opelika office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation was notified of the incident when the report was filed Saturday. The victim, fearing retribution, had to be convinced to report the attack which took place outside Mary Lane Hall, an on-campus residential building, shortly before midnight Thursday. Because the incident came the same week a Korean-American student ravaged the Virginia Tech campus, Holder said law enforcement is taking the matter very seriously. 'We are working it together,' Holder said. 'We are looking at the assault part of it, they (the FBI) are looking at the civil rights part.' Supervisory Special Agent Michael Gavin confirmed that the FBIs Opelika office 'has opened a hate crime investigation' on the matter. If it is determined that the matter was a hate crime, Holder said it becomes a federal matter completely. The assault itself is a misdemeanor charge. Holder said authorities are highly concerned that a student was assaulted, whether it was racially motivated or not. 'We dont want students to be afraid,' he said. 'They have a right to feel safe in their society.' Anyone with information about the assault should call the Auburn police at 501-
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AU Biofuel Expert Discusses Environmental Benefits 04/24/2007 WTVM-TV Brock Parker		Return to Top
An Auburn University expert on biofuels says it's time to look for alternatives to ethanol. Doctor David Bransby says the U.S. cannot sustain the amount of corn needed to make ethanol a replacement for gasoline. He says biomass fuels are the way to go, and they don't compete with food supplies. There are many concerns about oil and its impact on the environment, and Bransby said it's time to replace fossil fuels with biofuels. "We reduce the amount of carbon we're taking from below the ground and putting into the atmosphere because plants take carbon out of the atmosphere. When we make a fuel from them and burn it, we're just cycling," said Bransby, AU College of Agriculture. Bransby is a major supporter of using switchgrass and wood as biofuel. He said within the next two years the U.S. will double ethanol production, putting an enormous strain on supplies of corn, food and the economy. "The price of corn since last fall, it was $2.80. It's gone over $4.00, up to $4.20," said Bransby. He said it will be a big benefit if biofuel plants can be made small enough for farmers to have on their property. "If we could make it a 'mom-and-pop' thing and have local farmers able to produce and sell gasoline in a small town, I think that's wonderful and could benefit everybody," said student Justin Goggins. While the demand for switchgrass is low right now, it could become a cash crop. "Switchgrass we can grow on very poor soils where we can't grow corn. In many ways, it's not going to compete with corn, food or anything. You can grow it on land that you can't grow a food crop," Bransby said. Bransby is considered one of the top experts on biofuels, even briefing President Bush twice in the last few months. He believes biofuels will help the United States decrease its dependency on foreign oil. Bransby said the U.S. has five percent of the world's population, but uses 25 percent of global oil reserves.
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