The Tiger Times

The

Tiger Times

It’s A Party With SAA

The Auburn Student Alumni Association (SAA) is the student chapter of the national Auburn Alumni Association. It was established in 1999. It is a diverse and active organization that serves to bridge the gap between students and alumni. It is currently the largest student organization at Auburn with more than 3,500 members. SAA hosts several events every year to give students the opportunity to mingle with alumni and network, as well as have fun. The biggest events are the Block Party at the beginning of the school year, the Shrimp Boil in the fall, and Pig-Out in the spring. These events are free for students and alumni, and $10 for people in the community who choose to come. Members are also welcome at the Alumni Association hospitality tent on game days, which provides another networking opportunity for students to meet and mingle with alumni. The organization is run by the Student Alumni Board, or the “SAB” for short. This is the governing body of the SAA. Members of the board are chosen through a highly selective application and interview process in

November of each year. There are 10 committees that make decisions and run the different aspects of SAA. Another way that SAA is involved with the Auburn Alumni Association is for the Beat Bama Food Drive. Every year our student alumni association competes with Alabama’s student alumni association to see who can collect the most cans. SAA has teamed up with the Lee County Auburn Club to help collect cans. This also provides networking opportunities for students and alumni. There are many benefits to students who join SAA. Students receive membership cards that give merchant

discounts; free admission to SAA sponsored events, free entry to the Alumni Association hospitality tent on game days, free admission to certain Auburn athletic events, and of course, a free t-shirt. But best of all, you can use the alumni center to study during finals when everyone knows how crowded the library can get.

Healthy Tigers Wellness

Initiative“Many of the employees refuse to participate because they do not

want to see the scale, or think that we are ‘watching’ for overweight employees that might be a health risk...”

Healthy Tigers is the Auburn University employee wellness plan. It is a new healthcare benefit for Auburn University employees who subscribe to Auburn University’s health insurance plan. Employees who participate in the health and wellness screening program can earn a $25 per month credit on their health insurance premiums. The screenings are coordinated with the Auburn University Pharmaceutical Care Center, which is located in 2155 Walker Building.

The health screenings will include completing a short health and wellness questionnaire, having a finger stick blood test to check cholesterol and blood sugar levels, and getting a blood pressure measurement. Tammy Hollis, one of the program coordinators for Healthy Tigers, said, “Many of the employees refuse to participate because they do not want to see the scale, or think that we are ‘watching’ for overweight employees that might be a health risk. These people are unaware that the height, weight and body fat measurements are optional. Additionally, the university is not tracking these health numbers; this program is simply to benefit employees whose numbers for the three tests are within healthy range.” However, should an employee’s results be outside of the arranged limit, they will be sent to their primary care facility. From there, their doctor can give them a full physical and discuss treatment options. Once an employee has seen their doctor, they are eligible for the discount as well. Hollis said that many employees have not been to the doctor in forever, and are unaware of any health issues that they might have. The purpose of the program is not for the university to track statistics about its’ employees health numbers; the purpose is to catch and prevent health issues now, before they become major issues later. This will help cut

costsof health care in the long run for employees. Over 4,000 employees are eligible, and a little over half have participated in the program. So far, Hollis says the overall feedback has been that people are excited and have been very complimentary. She also said that there are no pay raises for this year, so a chance to receive $25 off of insurance a month has been a huge incentive for employees. There have been other wellness programs in the past, but they never gave any rewards or incentives to participate. The results of the screenings will be available immediately during the appointment. If the screening is completed before November 30, 2010 and if the results are within normal limits, the employee will be immediately eligible for the 2011 premium discount, which will take effect January 1, 2011. Employees will be able to schedule appointments

online through the Healthy Tigers web site or by calling the AUPCC at (334) 844-4099.

Traveling Abroad:

Definitely Worth

the Tim

e &

Money“The experience in a different country is unlike any experience you could ever have in America. It’s completely unexplainable, the way that you learn in a different country is so much different than the way that you learn in a classroom.”

Many students are aware that there are study abroad programs, but they are unsure if it would be something they would be interested in or if it is even worth it. Most students have to fulfill two semesters of a language requirement before they can graduate, but most do not realize it does not have to be in a classroom. Additionally, many people are unaware of the extended benefits of traveling abroad besides the academic credit earned. Senior Juliet Hellman described her trip to Costa Rica and the benefits she saw from traveling abroad: “ I choose to go to Costa Rica because in a classroom you really only learn grammar and vocabulary, and if you study abroad in a different country you get to learn a lot about the culture and you have more hands-on experiences.” She recommends traveling abroad to anyone who wants to learn a different language. Senior Megan Norfleet traveled to Arricia, Italy with the Department of Human Sciences study abroad program. Norfleet listed her favorite part of the experience was that she was able to travel so much. Her group went to many different parts of Italy, including Rome and Venice, enabling her to experience more than just one city or culture of Italy. Norfleet said, “I learned a

lot about being in a different environment and learning how to adapt to a different environment, with a culture that speaks a completely different language than you.” She added, grinningly, “I also had a blast. It was so much fun.” Both Norfleet and Hellman agreed that they definitely recommended studying abroad to anyone who wants to go. Norfleet adds, “It just adds so much to your college experience and allows you to have experiences that you would never get to do under any other circumstance.” Hellman concurred, “The experience in a different country is unlike any experience you could ever have in America. It’s completely unexplainable, the way that you learn in a different country is so much different than the way that you learn in a classroom.” The positive experiences and testimonies of two students who went to different parts of the world should speak

for itself. Although both a classroom and study abroad program will provide a student with the same foreign language credit, a classroom could never provide the same experience of seeing another culture and language spoken firsthand. For about the same amount of money as a semester at Auburn, a semester abroad will give you both the credit in the classroom, and the experience of a lifetime.

THE LILLY

LEDBETTER STORY

On October 21st, women’s rights activist Lilly Ledbetter came to Auburn University and delivered a lecture about her career and experience fighting back against the law. The lecture, “The Lilly Ledbetter Story: Ensuring that Women are Paid Fairly,” highlighted Ledbetter’s historic leadership experience that resulted in the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act in 2009. Ledbetter came to Auburn to deliver the Extraordinary Women’s Lecture as part of a student lecture series that the Women’s Leadership Institute is hosting this year. The Women’s Leadership Institute, or WLI, creates a network and cutting-edge learning environment to empower all women for a lifetime of leadership. “We established a student lecture series that we felt would be a place in a small arena for students to be able to interact with a very significant leader. Barbara Baker, director of WLI, said, We didn’t want a big arena where students just see a leader in a distance. We wanted someone who would really be able to speak to thestudents one-on-one. Ledbetter’s story was about her journey through her career and her eight year quest for equal compensation. For 19 years Ledbetter worked for Goodyear Tire & Rubber in Gadsden, Alabama. She earned performance awards for her hard work and accomplishments, but was paid

significantly less money than her male counterparts. At the end of her career at Goodyear, she was tipped off anonymously that she was being paid much less than the men who held the same position. From there, Ledbetter took her case to court. Initially, the jury found Goodyear guilty and awarded Ledbetter compensation for her losses. But Goodyear appealed and a higher court reversed the decision and took away all the money Ledbetter had been given. Ledbetter fought back and took the case to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court initially agreed with the ruling and found Goodyear not guilty. Ledbetter did radio talk shows and created as much PR for herself as possible while she was in Washington. She testified twice in the house and senate each, and the judge ruled that the tire giant had violated the Civil Rights At of 1964. This was the first time since the Equal Pay law of 1963 and Title 7 of 1964 that any changes had been made to the laws concerning equal rights. Her law was named the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, or the Paycheck Fairness Act. It was the first law that President Obama signed when he came into office. Ledbetter said, “It was never about the money, it was about what was right. I never get tired of telling my story, not because I am significant, but because it

touches each of you out there. You all have mothers and aunts and sisters and women in your lives that this affects. I never wanted fame or to be a household name; I just wanted fairness and a good life. I just don’t understand how pay is still not equal.”

Auburn Scholarship Campaign

The Auburn Scholarship Campaign is a new initiative dedicated to building funds to support current students and future scholars who will enhance the intellectual potential on campus. It is dedicated to providing the brightest students, who are the Spirit of Auburn and Academic

Scholars, additional scholarship funds. The campaign will increase endowed scholarship funds for Auburn students and give the university the ability to attract quality students.

One of the development officers, Mary Baird, said she speaks with alumni to raise private donations. Baird said, “The best gift alumni can give is money for a scholarship because there is great personal satisfaction in knowing they are helping students who may not have been able to attend Auburn otherwise.” Students who have received scholarships from donations have also made speeches to alumni about how it enabled them to attend Auburn, to encourage the campaign. Students who have a 3.0 gpa are eligible to apply for academic scholarships. From there, a scholarship committee decides who should receive the scholarships. There are committees for specific colleges and even departments. Donors can decide on the terms of the agreement or commitment for their scholarship money. They can designate the scholarship to go to a certain type of student, specific department or even for a specific cause, like studying abroad. Donors are allowed to make the terms as specific as they please, but they are encouraged to keep them as broad as possible to ensure that there are students who meet the criteria to receive them. The donors get to name their scholarship, and many of them choose to honor someone who has passed away or who was special to them, like a professor. William Koons III, an Auburn alum from ’77, described his

reason for donating money for a scholarship: “I wanted to give something back to Auburn; a place that has given my family and me so much. Although I have given to the university in the past, this initiative was especially appealing. I wanted to give something to academics by creating an endowment for scholarships. Combined with my company’s matching gift program, this was an easy opportunity to capitalize on.”

Woofstock: Calling All Pet Lovers

The Lee County Humane Society will soon host its 10th annual Woofstock event at Kiesel Park. This will be a family friendly celebration for Lee County residents and their pets. There will be live entertainment and family activities, as well as humane society adoptions. The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, September 11th. Admission is free for the day except for some small fees for some of the activities, but all proceeds will benefit the local Lee County Humane Society. There will be several dogs from the shelter present that could be adopted. Families who are interested in adopting can fill out an adoption form during the event and may take their new pet home from Woofstock. Lee County Humane Society public relations director Stacee Peer also included that there will be a children’s fun area, pet contests, canine demonstrations and Frisbee-dog demonstrations, and live entertainment from some local artists from Tom Spicer’s Garage Band Camp.

“It’s a really fun day with your dog and it incorporates some of the things we do here every day at the shelter.” Peer said. The Delta Zeta sorority will be volunteering their time at the event as well. They are the bronze level sponsors of the event, and helped to raise more than $1,000 for Woofstock. The sorority’s philanthropy chair, Kristen McCall, said that each year Delta Zeta has its new members complete a service project, and this year they will be helping at Woofstock. McCall said the new members will be helping to set up and take down, judging some of the pet contests and working many of the various booths that will be there. The sorority will also have their

own booth at the event to promote their upcoming philanthropy, DZ Doggy Dayz in the Park on October 17th. The girls have also been passing around flyers to promote Woofstock. “Anything they need us to do, we’re going to try to do as best as we can,” McCall said.

Contact:Meaghan Brantley

[email protected]