Bob Mount: Fraternity should be congratulated

The AU chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon has instituted a testing program for illegal drug use, which, when fully implemented, will require all of its active members and pledges to undergo periodic tests.

The program was instituted by active chapter members based on a recommendation by chapter adviser Greg Smith and members of the SAE House Corp., the fraternity alumni group that owns the house and the property on which the house is located. The announcement appeared in an article by Ellison Langford, beginning on the front page of last Thursday’s edition of The Auburn Plainsman.

An editorial in the paper applauded the action and encouraged other Greek organizations ‘to take note of what SAE is doing and soon follow suit.’ SAE is the largest social fraternal organization in the nation and the Auburn chapter is the only one that has adopted a drug-free policy. I congratulate the SAE brotherhood for its wisdom in taking this exemplary action.

On page B8 of the paper, the following question was posed to four students: “Do you think all fraternities should be drug tested?” I was astonished by the response of Ally Kendal, a sophomore in business, who said, “Not really, partying is kind of associated with their lifestyle.” Hmm.

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A week or so ago, a physician friend and I were discussing my smoking habit. He told me his wife was a smoker and had drastically reduced her daily use of regular cigarettes by using electronic cigarettes. He suggested I give them a try. I did, and by golly, they’re working. I’ve cut my usual 10 to 15 Winstons daily to fewer than five. And the E-cigarettes don’t emit second-hand cigarette smoke, but water vapor instead.

A few years ago, She Who Must Be Obeyed, who has a sense of smell as acute as a bloodhound’s, restricted my indoor smoking to my smoking parlor, my bathroom that has an exhaust fan. I tried my first E-cigarette in her presence, and she declared the vapor emanating from its end to be odorless. “It’s okay for you to smoke these anywhere in the house,” she proclaimed.

The E-cigarettes were invented in China and apparently no one questions the contention that the vapor they produce is harmless. Some health authorities suggest, however, that the devices, when used for nicotine delivery, could be harmful to the user. Anyone interested in these products can consult Wikipedia or a popular brand’s Web site, http://www.saveasmoker.com.

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Houston, Texas occupies most of Harris County, and some of its subdivisions are being overpopulated by wild hogs. I suggest that the County Commission contract with Sarah Palin and her wolf-hunting associates to come to Harris County on a hog-hunting expedition.

Bob Mount is emeritus professor of zoology and entomology at Auburn University and writes a weekly column for the Opelika-Auburn News.