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Auburn University

Thursday, April 27, 2006

Good morning! Here's your daily summary of news coverage of Auburn University.

Total Clips: 4

Headline		Date	Outlet
	AU students build for children	04/27/2006	Opelika-Auburn News
	AU student opinions on gays, lesbians clash	04/27/2006	Opelika-Auburn News
	UA professors best paid in Alabama, study shows	04/27/2006	Tuscaloosa News
	HaloSource enters drinking water business in india	04/26/2006	Market Wire


AU students build for children 04/27/2006 Opelika-Auburn News Joe McAdory		Return to Top
Story on AU building science students' projects for local day care centers. Exam day arrived at day care centers in Auburn. Students weren't tested on their ABCs or 123s. Instead, their ability to architecturally draw and then construct their ideas to fruition were under a microscope. Children weren't the subjects of these examinations. Instead, they were the benefactors. Thirty-one students from Auburn University's Department of Building Science spent Wednesday afternoon building a number of projects for three Auburn day care centers (Boykin, Moton and Ridgecrest) and the city's day care central office. The students were split into teams, which worked on 10 separate projects for the centers. Each team designed their own project - then gave it to another team to build. One-third of this semester's final grade depended upon the students' performance, according to associate professor Linda Ruth. "The purpose is to read working drawings. I figured it would be better to have benefactors," Ruth said. "They have to create a set of drawings for an object to be built. Teachers sent us some ideas. Students get to choose which project they want to design. "The whole process mirrors what is done in the real world," Ruth said. "They have to swap with the other teams. It makes it more complicated. The teamwork aspect is huge. All buildings are built by teams. "They feel the same way an architect does when they turn in their drawings. You get attached to a project you're designing and then attached to the one you're building." Projects completed inside the Boykin Center include "The Walk Around," where toddlers can walk around the outside of a room with the assistance of something to hold on to; an angled mailbox unit; and a rotating four-sided book display. At Moton, students constructed "The Science Center," complete with weights, measures and simple pulley machines; an entryway bookcase and shelf unit; a pick-a-book display stand; and two shelf units. Work at Ridgecrest included a loft; a wall-mounted shelf unit; and room divider. Also, a new mailbox was designed and constructed at the central office. "As college students, we don't have the resources to do these things. It's great the school is providing us with the resources to do this," said AU freshman Adam Finnegan, of Lima, Ohio. "We're learning and seeing how we can use our skills to benefit the community. "A lot is a problem-solving process, not just reading drawings but also figuring out what that person envisions." An estimated $1,100 in materials were donated by the school's building science department for the construction. Last year's project included designing and building doghouses for university faculty members. "I like the students to get a sense of the needs our community has," Ruth said. "The need is so great and our students do such terrific work. It's a pleasure for us to help them out."
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AU student opinions on gays, lesbians clash 04/27/2006 Opelika-Auburn News Donathan Prater		Return to Top
Opelika-Auburn News story on AU Gay Straight Alliance's silent demonstration and planned counter-demonstration by AU College Republicans. With black tape covering their mouths, about 30 members of the Auburn University Gay Straight Alliance gathered Wednesday in front of Foy Union to raise silent awareness of the inequities they say many gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons face in society. Today, AU College Republicans say they'll stand in the same spot to offer a different message. There's no estimate of the number of gay and lesbian students enrolled at AU, but surveys suggest it is far more conservative than peer institutions in the Southeast. Still, one of the main goals of the Gay Straight Alliance is to see sexual orientation added to the university's policy against discrimination. A bill proposed in the Alabama legislature this year to include sexual orientation in the state's hate crimes law never made it out of committee. Gay and lesbian students who took part in Wednesday's event say they represent many who are afraid to speak out. "Today is a day of remembrance and awareness of those that are forced into being silent because they aren't comfortable with the way they'd be treated if they spoke out," said Gay Straight Alliance member Mitch Franklin. Franklin said that by raising awareness in the community, people may also look for ways to address the issue. "You first have to let society know that a problem exists before we can figure out how to fix it," Franklin said. Though this is the 10th year a national Day of Silence Project has been observed, it's only the fourth year that GSA members have made a presence on the AU campus. GSA member Lawanda McCants said silence as a means of activism has the potential to resonate much more powerfully than words ever could. "Silence is a more effective means of raising awareness than talking because there are those who claim that discussing a problem is the only to solve it, but that's only true if you're being heard," McCants said. One of those people in favor of a more open dialogue on the matter is Kristy Cottrell. "It's of course their (GSA) choice to be silent, but when they do they're not exercising their right to speak," said Cottrell, chair of AU's College Republicans. The Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), created in 2005, will present an opposing view on the topic from a Christian perspective in an event being called "A Day of Truth." College Republicans will hand out literature today on the Haley Center concourse from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. "Although many College Republican members do not agree with the homosexual lifestyle, our objective is not to condemn anyone," said Cottrell, a political science and accounting double major. "We simply want to let people know that there are other viewpoints on the subject." While the GSA embraces silence, Cottrell believes that the facts about homosexuality cannot be so easily quieted. "The truth can't be and shouldn't be silenced," said Cottrell, adding that the "debate doesn't equal hate." "To be silent about the truth is a constraint, not a freedom," Cottrell said.
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UA professors best paid in Alabama, study shows 04/27/2006 Tuscaloosa News Adam Jones		Return to Top
Tuscaloosa News story on average faculty salaries at UA surpassing those at AU. An Associated Press version of this story appeared on the al.com Web site and in the Opelika-Auburn News. Professors at the University of Alabama, for the most part, are the highest paid in the state, a recent survey shows. For the first time in four years, UA professors earned more than their peers at Auburn University, according to the survey by the American Association of University Professors. "President [Robert] Witt has said repeatedly that addressing the problems related to compensation were his highest priority," said Provost Judy Bonner. "The University of Alabama must pay and does pay a competitive salary in order to attract top faculty and retain top faculty." Tenured professors at UA make, on average, $97,800, compared with $95,400 at Auburn. UA associate professors make $70,900, while their AU peers make $68,100. Instructors not on tenure track make $36,600 at UA and $31,700 at Auburn. Assistant professors at UA earn $56,100 compared with $59,800 at Auburn, according to the survey. "We have closed the gap at the assistant professor rank, but we still have further to go," Bonner said. AU spokesman David Granger said trustees have approved a 4 percent merit-based raise for this year, and administrators are suggesting that a 5 percent increase be approved for the 2006-07 year. "Our goal with regard to faculty salaries is to meet the regional average, and we're pleased with our progress toward that goal," he said. “We compete for faculty regionally, so we don't compare ourselves to any one institution." Bonner and John Vincent, the Faculty Senate president, agreed that UA competes for professors across the region. “It's deceptive to compare us to Auburn and [University of Alabama at Birmingham] when you have one with a large technical component with agriculture and engineering at Auburn and another that has a large medical faculty at UAB," Vincent said. "The region is more important." UA compares itself with its peers in the 31-member Southern University Group, which includes Auburn and most Southeastern and Atlantic Coast athletic conference members. In that group, UA salaries are close to the average. UA trustees have approved the goal of paying better than 50 percent of the salaries at SUG institutions, and Witt has vowed to raise faculty salaries of all ranks and disciplines to better than 75 percent of faculty pay at SUG institutions. To that end, trustees have approved salary increases the past two years, and administrators told trustees in November that they hope to designate $21 million for a merit-based pay increase for the 2006-2007 academic year. Bonner said the good news from two consecutive years of raises is that UA faculty pay improved compared with their peers. This year, UA associate professors began earning more than the regional average of $68,600 for their rank, according to UA numbers. "For the first time in my memory, we have moved the average salary for a rank ahead of the SUG 50th percentile," she said. "We have made real progress. Attracting and retaining top faculty is crucial if the University of Alabama is going to fulfill its mission as Alabama’s flagship and a student-centered research university." The average salary of full professors is about $1,000 below the regional average of $98,700. But UA professors gained ground between this academic year and the 2004-2005 year with increases averaging 20 percent compared with 10 percent regionally. The salaries of assistant professors lag further behind, standing about $5,000 below the regional average of $68,800. They did start to narrow the gap, with an average increase of 14 percent in pay compared with 10 percent in the region, according to UA data. "Assistant professors have received good salary increases in the last couple of years," she said. Nationally, UA pays better than the average for all teaching ranks for every type of institution, according to a federal Department of Education study released in January. However, when compared nationally with universities that grant doctoral degrees, UA salaries are less than the national average, according to the AAUP study. Nationwide, professors at similar institutions to UA are paid an average salary of $101,600, and associate professors average $71,000. Assistant professors in that group average $60,400 and instructors $40,700. The highest-paying public institution is the University of California at Los Angeles, which pays full professors $128,400. Private schools, though, pay more nationally, with Rockefeller University paying a full professor $172,800.
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HaloSource enters drinking water business in india 04/26/2006 Market Wire		Return to Top
Story mentions AU chemistry professor Dave Worley's work as instrumental in technology being put to use in India project. REDMOND, Wash. -- HaloSource, Inc of Redmond, Wash., is establishing a business presence in India to support its HaloPure water purification business expansion. Located in Bangalore, India, HaloSource Technologies Pvt. Ltd. will establish business development, manufacturing, supply chain and quality assurance functions. "Most people take it for granted that we can turn on the faucet and drink safe water. But more than three million people a year die from drinking contaminated water," said John M. Kaestle, CEO, HaloSource. "By employing HaloPure technology in affordable in-home, point-of-use drinking water purification products, we can impact this critical public health issue." HaloPure patented technology uses common halogens -- chlorine or bromine -- that have the potential to simply and safely enhance drinking water treatment systems. Internal laboratory testing at HaloSource has demonstrated that these halogens, bound to HaloPure beads, can kill bacteria and viruses often found in drinking water, promising to improve common water treatment methods. The HaloPure technology is ideally suited to low cost, point-of-use water purification applications, according to Kaestle. "The system is effective and can be deployed much more broadly and cheaply than large, central water-treatment plants and pipe systems. It is scaleable and can have an immediate impact on people's health for a fraction of the cost of large infrastructure projects," Kaestle added. "With more than 85 percent of under-developed world disease linked to contaminated drinking water, the HaloPure technology is ideally suited to meet this need," notes HaloSource founder Dr. Jeff Williams. "In 1998, we teamed up with Professor S. Davis Worley and Auburn University to further develop the chemistry and its commercial potential. It has been a long, hard road, but we are now ready with what is truly a paradigm-shifting solution that will benefit millions of people." HaloPure Business Director, Duane Dunk, notes that HaloPure offers great tasting water with superior efficacy than typical water filtration or chemical dosing approaches, including common chlorine and iodine, and does so at very low cost. "We are very excited with the market prospects for HaloPure-enabled products. These applications are simple, reliable and safe, and can meet the highest global water quality standards at affordable costs. Reliability and affordability are the keys to having an impact on this critical issue. We believe we have the right solution at the right cost." The United Nations has targeted safe drinking water as one of its critical Millennium Development Goals for raising global living standards. With more than a billion people without safe drinking water, these applications can be used every day -- in the outback, or in responding to disaster relief emergencies.
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