Vote For Crystal Hollobaugh!

[Metro_Retro_Bull]

"Only" down by 7,137 now ...

I think Auburn has created an MIT-like scam ...

Day Burress (Clemson)   2632 / 5 %  

Lindsey Buehler (Penn State)   8146 / 16 %  

Casey Martin (Texas Tech)   8180 / 16 %  

Chelsey (UCLA)   863 / 1 %  

Alaina Carson (Auburn)   17864 / 36 %  

Crystal Hollobaugh (South Florida)   10727 / 22 %

[hightechbull]

Too many SEC homers voting here.

Who would you rather see win round one?

a) a short Katie Couric look-alike, albeit cute Alaina Carson

or

traditional blonde Florida hottie Crystal Hollobaugh

A Big East girl from West Virginia won it last year, so get with it Big East homers - start stuffing the ballot box.

[No_Willie_Jokes_Yet]

The site has to track IP addresses or cookies or both. Someone probably created a little code that clears the cookies and revotes or refreshes the IP address and then revotes.

[MikeG]

I can't believe someone would have the nerve to stuff a ballot box like this--- shameful I tell ya, just shameful.

[Guest]

The site has to track IP addresses or cookies or both. Someone probably created a little code that clears the cookies and revotes or refreshes the IP address and then revotes.

The site doesn't track IP addresses.  I could vote multiple times just by clearing the cookies set by the site.  The hard part is the supposedly "random" password that needs to be entered into a an input box -- I say supposedly because it looks like there is a finite list of words.

But you I completely agree that someone probably developed the code to stuff the ballot box.  No way there could be that many votes without it.

[hightechbull]

Things are slowly changing  

Day Burress (Clemson)   2784 / 4 %  

Lindsey Buehler (Penn State)   9476 / 16 %  

Casey Martin (Texas Tech)   9171 / 16 %  

Chelsey (UCLA)   926 / 1 %  

Alaina Carson (Auburn)   19359 / 34 %  

Crystal Hollobaugh (South Florida)   14811 / 26 %  

but Crystal is still 4,500+ votes behind

[BigShoop]

Hopefully, LT doesnt see this one...

[kdawgy_orlando]

I can't believe someone would have the nerve to stuff a ballot box like this--- shameful I tell ya, just shameful.

It's not like Auburn has had any issues . . .

Auburn's academic probation is lifted

By Bob Johnson

Associated Press Writer

AUBURN  Auburn University was released from academic probation by its accrediting agency Tuesday, removing a cloud that hung over the school's students, faculty and administration for the past year.

"It was something I was worrying about," said Bridgett Beasley, an Auburn senior from Mobile. "I'm graduating and all of us were concerned about whether our degrees would be worth anything. It was a big deal."

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools placed Auburn on probation last year, citing in part a finding of micromanagement by trustees. A recent report by SACS said it wasn't satisfied with Auburn's effort to get off probation and that the school would have to do more to prove that some trustees don't improperly control or influence other board members.

But at its annual meeting in Atlanta, SACS cleared Auburn, a step that interim President Ed Richardson had been working toward as he restructured staff and dealt with trustee issues for months. Richardson presented SACS officials with three recently conducted independent audits of financial arrangements involving trustees.

"I am very pleased we can now get on with further improving Auburn University rather than devoting so much time to this process," Richardson said Tuesday afternoon in a telephone news conference.

If Auburn had lost its accreditation, the school wouldn't have been able to get federal funds and students' degrees might not be accepted elsewhere  a fact very real to Auburn seniors nearing graduation.

But senior Rusty Hart of Orange Beach said he wasn't too worried because he figured Auburn officials would fix the problems that got the state's largest campus on probation.

"I just thought it was something they would definitely fix because there was no way people would want to come to this school if we lost our accreditation," said Hart as he studied at Auburn's student union building.

Another senior, Joe Koswoski of Huntsville, said Auburn students were aware of the SACS probation, but he said the Auburn football team's No. 3 ranking in college football polls has been a bigger topic of campus conversation.

"Most definitely. Ten times more I would say," Koswoski said.

The decision to remove Auburn from probation was made earlier by SACS executives and announced Tuesday.

After announcing the Auburn decision, SACS Executive Director Jim Rogers said the school still will be monitored but that it should congratulate itself for getting into shape.

"They have addressed the issue. It's been a very challenging period of time for the university," Rogers said.

Richardson said as part of that monitoring, Auburn will be required to submit two reports to SACS in September  one on financial ties between trustees and the other on the trustees' evaluation of Richardson's job as interim president.

"This is a confirmation that this institution is under the control of the president," Richardson said.

The earlier report from the special SACS committee had expressed continued concern about the relationship between board members Bobby Lowder and Jack Miller, a Mobile attorney whose law firm has done more than $2.6 million in legal work for Colonial Bank, where Lowder is chief executive officer.

Lowder's office in Montgomery said Tuesday that he would have no comment on Auburn being taken off SACS probation.

The Auburn University Faculty voted last week to ask Lowder and Miller to resign from the Board of Trustees.

Conner Bailey, a rural sociology professor who is chair-elect of the faculty organization, said he is relieved that Auburn is off probation, but continues to be concerned about the relationship between the university and the trustees.

"The fact that Auburn has to make reports to SACS suggests that Auburn has more to do," Bailey said. "This is a good step for Auburn. Most faculty were in favor of removing probation so we can move forward and initiate a search for a new president."

He said the University Senate, an organization of faculty, administrators and student leaders, has expressed a desire for a permanent president to be in place by Jan. 1, 2006.

Richardson, former state schools superintendent, said he plans to remain an interim president and not seek the permanent position.

He said one of his next priorities will be to work with University of Alabama officials to develop bills to improve higher education for lawmakers to consider in the upcoming regular session of the Alabama Legislature, which begins Feb. 1.

He said one of those recommendations might be that the Legislature develop a mechanism for removing trustees. State law currently contains no language concerning removal of members of the board of trustees.

"We will consider that. I think it would be helpful to everyone quite probably that that be in there, but we want to wait and see what SACS advises us to do," Richardson said.

"I am very pleased we can now get on with further improving Auburn University rather than devoting so much time to this process," Richardson said Tuesday afternoon in a telephone news conference.

If Auburn had lost its accreditation, the school wouldn't have been able to get federal funds and students' degrees might not be accepted elsewhere  a fact very real to Auburn seniors nearing graduation.

But senior Rusty Hart of Orange Beach said he wasn't too worried because he figured Auburn officials would fix the problems that got the state's largest campus on probation.

"I just thought it was something they would definitely fix because there was no way people would want to come to this school if we lost our accreditation," said Hart as he studied at Auburn's student union building.

Another senior, Joe Koswoski of Huntsville, said Auburn students were aware of the SACS probation, but he said the Auburn football team's No. 3 ranking in college football polls has been a bigger topic of campus conversation.

"Most definitely. Ten times more I would say," Koswoski said.

The decision to remove Auburn from probation was made earlier by SACS executives and announced Tuesday.

After announcing the Auburn decision, SACS Executive Director Jim Rogers said the school still will be monitored but that it should congratulate itself for getting into shape.

"They have addressed the issue. It's been a very challenging period of time for the university," Rogers said.

Richardson said as part of that monitoring, Auburn will be required to submit two reports to SACS in September  one on financial ties between trustees and the other on the trustees' evaluation of Richardson's job as interim president.

"This is a confirmation that this institution is under the control of the president," Richardson said.

The earlier report from the special SACS committee had expressed continued concern about the relationship between board members Bobby Lowder and Jack Miller, a Mobile attorney whose law firm has done more than $2.6 million in legal work for Colonial Bank, where Lowder is chief executive officer.

Lowder's office in Montgomery said Tuesday that he would have no comment on Auburn being taken off SACS probation.

The Auburn University faculty voted last week to ask Lowder and Miller to resign from the Board of Trustees.

Conner Bailey, a rural sociology professor who is chair-elect of the faculty organization, said he is relieved that Auburn is off probation, but continues to be concerned about the relationship between the university and the trustees.

"The fact that Auburn has to make reports to SACS suggests that Auburn has more to do," Bailey said. "This is a good step for Auburn. Most faculty were in favor of removing probation so we can move forward and initiate a search for a new president."

Copyright 2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[Sitting_BULL]

Lets keep voting.