June 16, 2011

Page 1

The Auburn Plainsman A Spirit That Is Not Afraid www.theplainsman.com

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Vol. 117, Issue 32, 8 Pages

Judge denies gag order in case Natalie Yarid News Editor

Lee County Judge Jacob Walker III denied a gag order requested by the district attorney in the case of Harvey Updyke Jr., who is accused of poisoning the Toomer’s oaks. The judge chose to allow the The Alabama Rules of Professional Conduct to govern the behavior of Updyke and his attorney.

Harvey Updyke

Glennon Threatt, Updyke’s attorney, said he is pleased with the decision.

“I think that’s great,” Threatt said after the decision was announced. “You know what they wanted was more than that. They wanted us to be prohibited from talking to the media at all, and you’d have to ask them why they felt that was appropriate. You know I disagree.” The gag order request, filed in May by the district attorney’s office, was in-

tended to seal case records. The order would create restricted access to future court affairs and prohibit the parties involved from speaking with the media. The judge said he would not seal records, except for those concerning mental evaluations. Walker said he would let the interaction between the attorneys and the public be governed by the state’s rule

of professional responsibility. The status hearing is set for August because both the prosecution and defense voiced concerns about being prepared to go to trial by the tentative court date set for June. In late May, Harvey Updyke pleaded not guilty. He claimed a mental disease or defect caused the two counts of first-degree crim-

inal mischief, two counts of desecrating a venerated object and two counts of unlawful damage, vandalism or theft of property from a farm-animal or crop facility. The delay in court date allows the time needed for the results of mental evaluation to be made available and the appropriate tests to completed on the soil of Toomer’s trees.

Trash, sewer rates increase to cover costs Andrew McCaslin Writer

Students looking for places to live off campus next semester should keep in mind that sewer and trash rates are expected to rise. Tim Woody, director of environmental services in Auburn, said the increase in rates will only affect students living in duplexes and rental houses, as these services are contracted by the city. Trash services for apartments are contracted by private companies, so residents of those areas will see no change in their rent. The reason for the increase is because of a number of economic factors, including the rise of expenditures, the breakdown of equipment and lack of revenue to cover expenditures. Currently, Auburn subsidizes between $619,000650,000 per year for trash services. Woody said the rate in-

crease will cut the current subsidization in half to $350,000. Even with the cut, trash services will still depend on subsidies. The rate increase will allow other cost portions, currently paid by the general fund, to be allocated to the solid waste management fund. The cost portions include workers’ compensation, fleet service and general management costs. Difficulties with outdated equipment are another cost allocation the rate increases are expected to address. According to Woody, 14 of the 26 trash collection vehicles are in need of repairs that will cost more than the machines themselves. The rate increase, Woody said, will create a reserve fund for the swift replacement of equipment. The Auburn City Council voted on the issue June 7, » See rates, A2

Alex Sager / PHOTO EDITOR

Auburn will be switching from Blackboard to a new system named Canvas in 2012.

Blackboard changes coming soon Kristen Ferrell Campus Editor

It is hard to take a class at Auburn and not have to use Blackboard to look at grades or turn in assignments. Professors depend on it, and students check it often. Soon though, Blackboard will not be a common word heard on campus. Auburn has begun the process to replace Blackboard for a new learning management system, Instructure Canvas, and the University Senate recently approved the recommended replacement. Because Auburn’s license with Blackboard Vista ends in 2013, the University decided it will not renew its contract with Blackboard. Instead, a group was created to search for a replacement. The Learning Management System Working Group began searching in Decem-

I just don’t like change. Blackboard is not rocket science.” —Noel Eason senior in english education

ber and has done its homework to find the best system for the University. After narrowing the search down to five learning management systems, LMSWG found the one it thought was best and recommended to switch to Canvas at the recent Senate meeting. “We need to replace the current managing system,” said Kathy McClelland, chairwoman of LMSWG. McClelland said the change needed to be made because Blackboard was no longer supporting Vista, which is the operating system the University runs on.

The recommendation was approved, and McClelland said everyone involved in the evaluation process supported the transition to Canvas. “Overwhelmingly, the faculty liked Canvas,” McClelland said. “It’s a product I think everyone will come to love.” McClelland said Canvas is a learning management system that was created as a class project by two students who were fed up with Blackboard. Students will quickly notice that this learning management system is geared toward their needs, with many of its key features including Facebook notifications and video chat. “It was developed with the students’ perspective,” McClelland said. McClelland said the transition should startimmediately. This means professors and administrators will start using it as soon as fall

semester, and McClelland said that by fall 2012 everyone on campus should be using Canvas. The main concern is how easy the transition will be. It may be hard for students to understand the change in systems, because many believe the current system is fairly proficient. LMSWG representatives assured the Senate the system would be worth the time and effort. “I just don’t like change,” said Noel Eason, senior in English education. “Blackboard is not rocket science.” Eason said she loves Blackboard, but she wouldn’t mind changing systems as long as the new system wouldn’t be too hard to learn because Blackboard is a system she heavily depends on for her classes. “Blackboard is something I use daily,” said » See Blackboard, A2

Inside  Campus » A3  |  Classifieds » B2  |  Opinions » A4  |  Intrigue » B1  |  Sports » B3

Alex Sager / PHOTO EDITOR

Transit bus driver, Edward Meek, pushes the ignition button in one of the hybrid buses.

Cleaner rides for students Tyson McKinnon Writer

Going green is more than a trend at Auburn University. It’s also being implemented in many modes of transportation around campus. Efforts by Auburn University to leave a smaller carbon footprint are both diverse and ambitious. At the forefront of the advances is the Tiger Transit bus system. The service added six hybrid buses to its fleet in August. Like the other Tiger Transit buses, they have a regeneration system in place

which reuses emissions. All Tiger Transit buses meet federal emissions standards. Hybrid Tiger Transit buses look just like the other 49 Tiger Transit buses around campus, but come with a heftier price tag. They each cost about $181,000, according to Rex Huffman, manager of transit services. Nonhybrid buses cost about $143,000. All Tiger Transit buses are replaced within five years or upon reaching » Read the rest online at

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