Security on campus saw a temporary spike in the wake of the poisoning of the historic oaks at Toomer’s Corner in Auburn, according to University President Witt.
“For a brief time there was some additional security, but I believe that has been phased out,” Witt said. “There were additional patrols, and I believe, some of our portable security cameras were located at various points on campus.”
Ethan John Noah, a telecommunications film major, said he believes that it was smart on the University’s part to take the extra precaution.
“I think that it was the appropriate amount of added security,” Noah said. “I was worried about retaliation after the first allegations came out because of the intense rivalry we share with Auburn. I believed 100 percent that some AU students would take retaliatory measures against one of our landmarks such as Denny Chimes or the statues we have of national championship winning coaches.“
Students at Auburn, however, were not so pessimistic.
“I don’t think there will be any retaliation after Auburn fans saw that the guy from the Toomer’s Corner poisoning will do some serious jail time,” said Josh Ross, a sophomore majoring in finance at Auburn University.
Auburn’s Chase Parks, a junior majoring in accounting, disagreed and said the increased security was a good response to the risk of retaliation, small as it may be.
“It’s not very likely, but Auburn has its crazies just like Alabama,” Parks said. “I feel as though most Auburn fans would not retaliate, seeing as they know this was the work of one man, not of Alabama as a university.”
Witt also stressed the importance of the detachment of the event at Toomer’s Corner from the University. He said that according to UA records, the man was not connected to the University in any way.
“It was the act of a crazed lunatic, a far extreme [lunatic],” Parks said. “I don’t blame the University of Alabama at all, and I don’t think most Auburn fans do either. The arrested man is far detached from UA and its students.”
Noah disagreed and said the reputation of the University took a hit when the radio show caller, Harvey Updyke, ended his confession of poisoning the trees by saying, “Roll Damn Tide.”
“I really don’t think we can detach ourselves,” Noah said. “In this state you pick a side when you are little and that is the team you grow up rooting for and disliking the other. Even though the man arrested never attended school here or anything, he sided with us; through that [it] made us look terrible.”
