AU Perspective: Auburn Trustees Impose the Creed

The month of February venerates Valentine’s Day. A holiday (dare I type Holy Day?) evoking remembrance of executing Saint Valentine by 3rd Century Roman Emperor Claudius II for secretly marrying Christians. In similar oppressive zeitgeist, February is also known for annual Auburn University Board of Trustees [BoT] meeting in Montgomery, rather than in Auburn as usual. This year’s February BoT meeting fittingly fell on Friday the 13th and was uniquely wicked as the Trustees promoted a hostile ‘back-room’ takeover of all AU personnel policy. The Board passed a resolution adopting the “Auburn University Governance and Authority Policy.” The suppositious purpose of this resolution was to impose a “Code” of Conduct where the “Creed” supersedes all prior policies in conflict with the arbitrary and capricious Code/Creed, and revoke all prior delegations of authority to approve procedures for administration of faculty personnel policies.

Easier to appreciate the potentially corrupt and lawless resolve of such sudden BoT actions considering the final sentence of the resolution, “...each member of the Board of Trustees voting in favor of the adoption of these resolutions hereby waives any and all applicable notice and timing requirements, as well as any and all other objections that may otherwise be available to be raised concerning these revisions.” Changes of this sort evoke serious concern for righteous faculty and academic administrators paying attention, yet in his January remarks to the University Senate addressing the upcoming Board meeting, President Chris Roberts noticeably failed to mention anything about a new Governance and Authority Policy now observing in retrospect.

Some of the Auburn faithful asked why they’ve not read/seen any reporting on this in the ‘main stream media’ when asked for their input. The faculty who actually discovered this proposed BoT resolution resulted only by meticulous combing through the 164-page packet of board materials posted on the web shortly before the February meeting in Montgomery - a tactic commonly used in the Lee County Corruption playbook said one AU alumnus. The proposed resolution and policies were buried on page eighty of the packet and were transmitted to the Board via AU’s General Counsel with a history of aiding and abetting employees’ civil right violations. Those interviewed who witnessed the February University Senate Meeting (just four days after the Board meeting) were not surprised President Roberts failed to attend and answer questions... how some long for the days of President Gogue’s attendance record.

The Board’s actions appear yet another end-run around AU faculty, shared governance, attempting to supersede well-established faculty policies and procedures in the Board-approved faculty handbook with the “Code” and the “Creed”. Furthermore, BoT demands strict conformity with Board policies and governing documents, “including, WITHOUT LIMITATION, the Auburn Creed.” Putting aside the arbitrary and capricious nature of the “Code” and the “Creed” - the Auburn “Creed” specifically references “walking humbly with my God.” This constitutes obvious 1st Amendment violation; the “Creed” appears to require a belief in Auburn and a requirement to “love it”. Sadly too many in Lee County have shown more fidelity/belief in Auburn, Felon Hubbard, et al than God - so much for the 1st Commandment. There is no ‘one man’ John Denson caliber trustee standing against this sort of abomination on the AU BoT these past years.

Given Auburn is legally part of the State government of Alabama it remains unclear how an individual can be required to “love it” and not run afoul of the US Constitution’s 1st Amendment civil right as a (ab)user of federal funds. Absurd BoT actions are further revealed by explicitly subordinating all Board policies to the federal Constitution inside AU’s new “Governance and Authority Policy,” while putting 1st, 5th and 14th Amendment civil rights in jeopardy enacting this new “policy”. Thus, in true Sharia Law, Caesarian authoritarian circular reasoning, one might argue the new policy voids the new policy! As the ‘wings of corruption’ have carried many AU politburo members far… later than sooner this circular reason must come in for a landing -- even if another ‘Crash Leath’ type landing.

The “Code” and the “Creed” proffer enormous problems for the BoT and individual members of the Board given they’ve apparently acted to seize total control over all policy and impose strict conformity. This is typical for what Lee County installs as immoral, incompetent legal counsel ‘public servants.’ The “Creed” and the “Code” require “obedience to law”, demanding “all Auburn personnel shall be held to the same standards of conduct,” asserting “we do not tolerate retaliation against those who do speak up,” and, “we prohibit retaliation against personnel who file complaints in good faith.” One would certainly think the phrase “All Auburn personnel” certainly includes Deans, Provosts, the General Counsel, and the President, et al public servants. Imagine how much better AU would be today and how much less taxpayers and students would’ve been saddled with in legal expenses if administrators and Counsel had actually prohibited retaliation and responded to sound complaints these past decades.

How does the Board explain their conduct toward the likely recent violations of federal law (the 1st Amendment and USC 1983) by ‘retaliator-in-chief’ President Roberts? - one faculty member asked. Many recent 1st Amendment lawsuits have been included in media reports and the Board is certainly aware of the very serious long standing prior lawsuit from Prof. Majdalani against then-Dean Chris Roberts BEFORE corruptly (from within) rewarding Roberts with the Presidency. Have they fired President Roberts or have they instead been rewarding him with double the raises they made available to faculty? - was another question posed. What has the Board done about the numerous prior and ongoing acts of illegal retaliation carried out against Professor Michael Stern and others in the Department of Economics? Of course, the Econ Department is not alone in suffering this retaliation as others fear even more harm in their hostile work environs. What happened to the ex-Dean found liable for the malicious violations of Prof. Stern’s 1st Amendment rights? An English Professor [https://www.alabamagazette.com/story/2023/01/01/opinion/call-her-kat-privett-duren-that-is/2478.html] accused of being a witch?

Was this ex-Dean dismissed from the institution or rewarded with a massive salary double that of many other academically productive political science faculty? The law requires due process and equal protection. One can only hope the AU BoT will now be held liable for maintaining a two-tiered system of injustice which rewards and protects corrupt lackeys. I’ll close once again leaving readers to decide if ‘witch burning’ Christian administrators, now empowered to AU BoT ‘Creed Mullahs’ is an improvement.

Postscript: Appreciate responses to the last AU Perspective: https://www.alabamagazette.com/story/2026/02/23/opinion/au-perspective-tuberville-residency-and-coachs-florida-paper-trail/10239.html. Perhaps the best comment was expecting to see ‘Tuber-grubber’ nomenclature for yet another ‘good Auburn Man’ sucking the marrow out of AU currently residing in Florida. Leaving it for readers to decide, seems most won’t be wasting their vote on this ineligible candidate, regardless of the corrupt ‘rubber-stamping’ by John Wahl, et al soviets. Mr. Wahl did not expect to be so poorly received [3-10-26 Republican Party event] by the attendance of small government conservative folks in Lee County, judging by Wahl’s demeanor.

John Sophocleus is a retired Auburn instructor, the 2002 Libertarian nominee for Governor or Alabama, 2024 Libertarian nominee for U.S. Senate, and a widely published political commentator.

Opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Alabama Gazette staff or publishers.