Untitled Document

Monday, August 28, 2006

Good morning! Here's today's summary of news coverage of Auburn University.
NOTE: Any errors in text are due to formatting by the publication.

Total Clips: 5

	Date	Outlet
Auburn shows businesses the impact of a smoke-free ordinance	08/27/2006	Opelika-Auburn News
Ways to improve schools suggested	08/27/2006	New Orleans Times Picayune
AU develops battery technology for Army, NASA	08/27/2006	Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
Trial date canceled for AU suit	08/26/2006	Opelika-Auburn News
Riley talked to Clark on AU job	08/26/2006	Birmingham News, The


Auburn shows businesses the impact of a smoke-free ordinance 08/27/2006 Opelika-Auburn News Lindsay Field		Return to Top
Mentions study on The Economic Effects of Smoke-free policies conducted by the Center for Governmental Services at Auburn University. Auburn is following in the footsteps of its neighboring city, with plans to distribute information to public businesses regarding an anticipated smoke-free implementation day. "There is a lot of concern, especially from the hospitality industry, about the impact (of the ordinance)," said Kathryn Molnar, prevention specialist for family and children's services of Lee County. "We're planning to send implementation packets to the businesses, and I've given a timeline to Charlie Duggan (Auburn acting city manager)." Council member Ted Wilson, who spoke with business owners before the Aug. 15 meeting, requested the council hold the vote until the September meeting on their behalf. If approved Sept. 5, the ordinance will go into effect Nov. 15. "The vote was deferred at the last meeting because of some concerns from local businesses of the effect this ordinance would have on their businesses, especially restaurants and bars," Molnar said. "My coalition, The Partnership for a Tobacco Free Lee County, funded by the Alabama Public Health Department, helped support the Opelika City Council's efforts to pass and implement their ordinance." The City of Opelika passed its smoke-free ordinance three months ago today. "It's good to know that (businesses affected by the smoke-free ordinance) aren't just left out there. The 90 days will be a transition period for them," said Molnar, who received a grant from the Alabama Department of Public Health to support the clean indoor air ordinance efforts in the Lee and Russell County areas. "I have met with Charlie Duggan to offer my help and resources in supporting Auburn's efforts and in the implementation stage should the amendment be approved on Sept. 5," Molnar said. "The packets and information are paid for with grant money." The cities of Opelika and Auburn will not use any out-of-pocket expenses to pay for printed information. The Partnership for a Tobacco Free Lee County, in cooperation with the Auburn City Manager's Office, funded by the Alabama Department of Public Health, will be mailing implementation packets to all area restaurants, bars, hotels and motels a month in advance of the implementation date. This packet will include a one-page fact sheet, frequently asked questions, contact numbers, and copies of the "No Smoking" sign that the ordinance specifies that they post at all entrances. The city will also be including important resources and information on the city’s Web site to help in the transition. The City of Auburn has proposed the implementation plan to the city council. If approved on Sept. 5, the process will begin. The city plans to provide as much information as possible to the public facilities affected by the smoke-free ordinance Molnar said Opelika city officials have had no complaints, only a few questions about compliance. "We did an informal survey (in Opelika) and everybody has been happy with the results," said Molnar. Buffalo Wild Wings Bar Manager Farah Strain said their business hasn't seen much of a negative change since the ordinance was implemented in May. "I really like it. I personally haven't seen a tremendous change or a lack of business," said Strain. "Some of the employees commented on the slow business, but it was due to the summer. Business has definitely picked up some since school started back. We're back where we should be." Strain, a smoker herself, said she's enjoyed sitting in the dining area where there isn’t any smoke. "Families are hanging out a little longer and it smells better in the mornings when we come in," Strain said. "I've had a couple of the regulars at the bar make comments about coming in and it not being smokey. They enjoy that they can sit in the bar area and not have smoking around them." The Surgeon General's report released in June 2006 cites a list of studies that found no negative economic impact from city smoking bans. Closer to home, a study on The Economic Effects of Smoke-free policies in four Alabama cities, Athens, Dothan, Eufaula, and Prattville, was conducted by the Center for Governmental Services at Auburn University. The study found that the smoke-free ordinances passed in these cities since 2003 did not negatively impact restaurant economic health using key economic indicators of restaurant revenue and employment levels in the hospitality industry.
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Ways to improve schools suggested 08/27/2006 New Orleans Times Picayune Contributing, Brian Friedman		Return to Top
Mention of AU's Outreach Center's role in the planning process to rebuild post-hurricane Katrina Algiers. It's 2009, and Algiers has the best school system in the United States. What were the specific actions taken to achieve this goal? That was the question that nine teams representing neighborhoods throughout Algiers tackled at the Algiers Towne Plan Workshop on Aug. 19 at Our Lady of Holy Cross College. Residents of Algiers Point proposed incentives for parents who involve themselves in their child's school, while the team representing the New Aurora/English Turn area suggested financing dedicated solely to school infrastructure as well as the creation of a cohesive, unified school system with accountability, oversight and some creative wiggle-room for principals. To boil the situation down, we've got multiple entities that are controlling our schools, said Roy Mack, speaking for the New Aurora/English Turn group. At some point in time, we have to start devising an ideology and a philosophy toward meeting not only national standards, but international, because we're dealing with global marketplaces, and our schools are the place where this whole process starts. The workshop was the third such event in a series organized by the Algiers Economic Development Foundation, which was charged this past September to lead the planning process in Algiers by former City Councilwoman Jacquelyn Brechtel Clarkson; the Algiers Community Foundation, which was created specifically to lend a hand to the rebuilding process as well; and Auburn University's Outreach Center. Each workshop focuses on two or three issues critical to the planning and rebuilding of Algiers, said Kathy Lynn Honaker, executive director of the AEDF, and each meeting begins with a presentation from experts in the fields that will be discussed. As education was one of the workshop's key topics, representatives from the public school system as well as the new charter schools gave a brief update on the state of Algiers' schools, and a spokesperson for Concordia, a community-based design and support team, provided insights into successful programs running in the school systems of other major metropolitan areas such as Detroit and Philadelphia. Following the initial informational session, each superteam of neighborhood representatives meets to brainstorm and come up with proposals addressing that workshop's focus issues, Honaker said. Everybody gives input, Honaker said. We have a process where they all get to go around the room and give their top ideas. A facilitator is also assigned to each team's breakout session. Each group then decides on what they consider to be their best two ideas, and then they report back to the entire group. When they come out, they come out as a unified team after voting on their top two ideas, Honaker said. It's a great process, said state Rep. Jim Tucker, R-Algiers. It's a process that's brought the community together to really talk about issues and to get a variety of opinions on where we're going in Algiers. The other topic on the agenda was housing. Ulysses Williams, 58, delivering the Behrman neighborhood team's top two ideas on the subject, suggested smart, sustainable, wind- and termite-resistant housing, as well as neighborhood-financed security measures. The Algiers Point team suggested programs that would make housing more affordable to first responders, teachers and young professionals, and they also called for more riverfront development. Arienne DeBiasio, of Algiers Point, was attending her third workshop. I think it's very important that the citizens come out and express whatever is on their minds, whatever opinions, whatever thoughts they have, DeBiasio said. Copyright © 2006 The Times-Picayune Publishing Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Used by NewsBank with Permission.
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AU develops battery technology for Army, NASA 08/27/2006 Columbus Ledger-Enquirer		Return to Top
This story also appeared in the Decatur Daily, TimesDaily, Houma Courier, Thibodaux Daily Comet, Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, Gadsden Times, Sarasota Herald Tribune and Tuscaloosa news. AU develops battery technology for Army, NASA AMY WEAVER Opelika-Auburn AUBURN, Ala. - It looks like a tackle box, but weighs nearly 50 pounds. However, it's what's inside that matters most to Auburn University, the U.S. Army and NASA. After 18 months, researchers at Auburn's Space Research Institute, with their partner, Radiance Technologies Inc., last week unveiled a new technology that will provide the Army with a portable and reliable method of recharging AA batteries. The development will also help AU test a 5-kilowatt engine NASA would use for a lunar module. The Army's Research Office and Central Electronics Command funded the $750,000 project to find a source of silent electrical power. While AA batteries are thrown out, other batteries are restored by connecting a charger to a running Humvee. Our goal was to be stealth but still be able to (use the technology to) communicate, said Mary Henrixon, project manager at Central Electronic Command. The new technology isn't completely silent, but tremendously quieter than a Humvee's engine, said SRI Director Henry Brandhorst. But it creates portable energy to recharge AA batteries, a capability the Army does not have. Henrixon said each soldier uses 88 AA batteries each day. A platoon on a five-day mission would dispose of about 650. This new technology would reduce the amount of batteries soldiers use and carry, she said. The technology isn't meant to be mass produced for the entire Army, but used by specialized units only. Eventually, it could be mass produced by a company at a low enough cost general consumers could afford, said SRI Research Fellow Ray Kirby. The prototype has proved itself in more than 500 hours of laboratory testing and is capable of generating enough electrical power to charge six AA batteries every 15 minutes. This means that more than 150 AA batteries can be charged for each pound of propane fuel used, said Brandhorst. We believe that this technology has the potential to greatly increase the efficiency of supplying American soldiers in the field with battery power. Brandhorst said the project, which is far from over, will hopefully bring notoriety to Auburn, along with more research dollars, as well as attract students. What we want to do is to generate system engineers, he said of the growing field. The next phase of the project has already begun, and is set to serve as a teaching tool. The Army wants the technology to be lighter, diesel-powered and a 160-watt system. The prototype uses propane. It will take several months for another model to be created and then it will undergo torture tests by the military, Brandhorst added. We know it works. The next step is now can you make it better, Brandhorst said. Auburn is one of a few universities across the country working with Stirling technology. The prototype uses two free-piston Stirling engines, which eliminate vibration and noise. It uses heat from an external source and converts this heat to electrical power, said Brandhorst. It has only two moving parts and because the external heat can come from a multitude of sources, this technology is a reliable basis for military and other defense-related applications. The lessons learned from this project will help Auburn prepare for a $2.7 million deal with NASA. Kirby hopes the university will be able to begin testing a 5-kilowatt engine by next December. Brandhorst said NASA is interested in an engine for possible space power applications. --- Information from Opelika-Auburn News
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Trial date canceled for AU suit 08/26/2006 Opelika-Auburn News Amy Weaver		Return to Top
The September trial date for the lawsuit over term limits for members of the Auburn University Board of Trustees has been canceled, pending a ruling from the Alabama Supreme Court. Sept. 19 had been the set date since July when legal counsel for the university requested the high court overrule a decision by Lee County Circuit Court Judge Jacob A. Walker. In June, Walker ruled that plaintiff Dwight Carlisle does have the standing to question Attorney General Troy Kings opinion on the term limits of his fellow trustees. Carlisle's attorney, Bob Harris, said a recent order from the state supreme court halts any action on the case in Walker's court, including canceling the trial, until the court issues its answer. Since the matter has been in the hands of the supreme court, Harris said either side could have submitted evidence for discovery to the local court. The stay does not mean the matter is over, but rather on hold until the supreme court makes its decision. Harris has no indication when the answer will be issued. If the court rules in Carlisle's favor, a new trial date will be set. Carlisle has been fighting in the courts since March. He filed suit against fellow board members, AU Interim President Ed Richardson and Gov. Bob Riley after King issued an opinion in October declaring changes in the terms of several trustees, most notably Montgomery banker Bobby Lowder. King said his term would extend four years, from 2007 to 2011. But the term of Trustee Charles Ball of Gadsden would legally end Feb. 9 of this year. Ball hasn't been a trustee since. In the coming weeks, both sides are expected to send briefs to the state court on the standing issue. University counsel claims Carlisle doesn't have the right to file the suit and question the attorney general's opinion as an alumnus of Auburn, a taxpayer, a citizen, or as a trustee. Harris and his legal team disagreed. His position as a trustee, a role he has had since 2004, gives him the standing. Walker agreed. At the very least, the judge said state law gave Carlisle the right to challenge Richardson's decision to seek King's opinion in the first place.
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Riley talked to Clark on AU job 08/26/2006 Birmingham News, The CHARLES J. DEAN		Return to Top
This story also appeared in the Decatur Daily, Gadsden Times, TimesDaily, Herald Tribune, Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, Montgomery Advertiser and on WPMI-TV (Mobile). Retired Gen. Wesley Clark has already held one of the world's coolest titles - supreme allied commander, Europe. And Clark has tried, and may try again, to hold another pretty cool title - president of the United States. President of Auburn University may not be as cool, but Gov. Bob Riley recently asked Clark if he might have an interest in seeking that title. Riley said Clark listened to his pitch but declined to join a growing list of applicants for the top job at the state's largest university. "Did I call Wes Clark? Yes. Did I offer him the job? Absolutely not. That is not in my purview," Riley said in an interview. "But there is a search going on for a university president at Auburn, and as chairman of that board I have made several calls to ask people if they would be interested in applying for the job. That was the extent of this conversation." Riley declined to identify others he has called. 'Great leadership' Riley acknowledged that he and Clark are from different political backgrounds. The governor is a fervent Republican, an avid supporter of President Bush and a staunch defender of the war in Iraq. Clark is an avowed Democrat and has been strongly critical of how the war in Iraq has been conducted. "I've known Wes Clark for a long time. I first met him when he was NATO commander, and I knew him when I was in Congress," Riley said. "I think he has great leadership capabilities. I've watched him before congressional hearings. Politically, we don't agree on some things. But I think he's very intelligent, and he had an outstanding career." Riley said Clark told him he was flattered by the call but said the timing was not right to seek the Auburn job. "I think General Clark has several options he's looking at right now, and one might be a job with another pretty good title," Riley said. Clark is widely rumored to be mulling over another run for the White House in 2008. Though he refused to divulge names, Riley said he has contacted others who, like Clark, are capable and smart. "I want the board to consider the best people in America," he said. "I want them to consider the best academicians. I want them to consider the best leaders we have in the country. I want a person with great leadership skills, those who have those unique intangibles you see in all walks of life, including from corporate execs to military leaders to others." Riley noted that schools such as LSU, the University of Miami, the University of Oklahoma and Texas A&M have hired presidents who came from leadership roles outside academia. "I'm not by any means ruling out academicians," Riley said. "They should be in the mix. But just because somebody has a double Ph.D. doesn't mean they are the best one for the job. There is another group of people out there with a lot of talent, and all I'm saying is we should consider them as well." Auburn trustee Charles McCrary, who leads the school's search for a new president, said Riley told him of his calls to Clark and others. "I think we all want the best leader we can find for Auburn," McCrary said. McCrary said Friday that about 50 people have applied for the Auburn job. Those names are being collected by a search firm that is doing background checks on applicants. McCrary, who is president and chief executive officer of Alabama Power Co., said the list will be narrowed and the names of top candidates submitted to the board of trustees for consideration. McCrary said the board's goal is to name a new president by the end of the year.
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