September 17, 2014
K-State vs. Auburn post game day attendance battle, dean wager
Submitted by Communications and Marketing
Steve Dandaneau, vice provost for undergraduate studies and associate professor of sociology, is challenging Auburn University to a battle of class attendance on Friday, Sept. 19.
The K-State versus Auburn football game on Thursday night will bring national attention to both universities, but often left out of the discussion is academics.
The challenge will be to see which university can maintain class attendance following the Thursday night football game. Two classes have been chosen to survey, Dandaneau's Introduction to Sociology, which has 443 students enrolled and Auburn's Joseph Kicklighter's World History Part 1 class, which has 257 students enrolled.
"My guess is that Auburn and K-State undergraduates are already committed to Friday class attendance, this week and every week, but a friendly competition of this sort will help determine which campus absolutely rules when it comes to dedication to academic success," Dandaneau said.
The class with the highest percentage of attendance will receive a prize from the other school. Dandaneau will send Kicklighter's class purple wrapped Hershey kisses, in honor of K-State alumnus John Bilbrey, president and CEO of The Hershey Co. if Auburn has higher attendance. Kicklighter will send Dandaneau's class Auburn University wrapped mints if K-State has higher attendance.
The attendance wager isn't the only friendly bet between the universities. Peter Dorhout, dean of the College of Arts & Sciences at K-State, has challenged Joe Aistrup, dean of Liberal Arts at Auburn who called K-State home for 11 years before becoming a dean at Auburn in 2013, to a friendly wager with a barbecue dinner on the line.
If Auburn wins the game, Dorhout will buy Aistrup dinner at Jim 'N Nick's BBQ in Auburn but, if K-State wins, Aistrup will pay for a meal from Cox Brothers BBQ in Manhattan.
"It will be fun to have Dean Aistrup back on campus after being away for a year," Dorhout said. "At K-State, more than half of our student-athletes call our college their academic home, so as dean of Arts & Sciences, I need to get behind those student athletes and demonstrate my support in competition."
"I look forward to eating barbecue on Dean Dorhout's dime," Aistrup said. "Auburn has outstanding southern barbecue. There were so many places to pick from, but I'll choose Jim 'N Nick's. War Eagle!
"We thought a friendly wager of the finest local barbecue would promote our local businesses and generate some friendly, spirited competition among deans," said Dorhout, "Go Cats!"
For more information about the challenge follow Dean Dorhout on Twitter @KSUArtSciDean or Dean Aistrup on Twitter @DeanJoe_AUCLA.