Here at Auburn, we love the Auburn Creed. It embodies the values we hold dear and describes who we strive to be. In Auburn, Alabama, we see the Creed everywhere. Classic lines such as “I believe in work, hard work” are worn on t-shirts, “I believe in the human touch” is commonly quoted, there are health and wellness classes at Auburn named after the line “I believe in a sound mind, in a sound body,” and hype videos at football games often contain the line “a spirit that is not afraid.” You can’t go far on campus without finding a trace of the creed. However, there’s one line that often goes unnoticed.
“I believe in obedience to law because it protects the rights of all.”
This is a line that we don’t often quote or think about, but it’s an important one. As Auburn men and women, we believe in the rights of all being protected. George Petrie wrote the Creed in 1943, and it’s evident that the values and ideas that he wrote about have transcended the test of time. Today in Auburn in 2021, this line holds just as much relevance and importance as it did in 1943.
As the Auburn family, we have a responsibility to adhere to the guidelines set in place for us for our own protection and safety. Obeying the law means not only doing so for ourselves but for the safety of those around us. We strive to do what is best to protect the rights for all the members of our family.
I’m not even sure I knew this line existed until the summer before my senior year of college. It was during Panhellenic Recruitment. I was driving through campus after a long day, and I was the only car in sight. As I turned right at a stop sign on campus, I was waved down by a police officer on a bicycle. That’s right- I was pulled over by a bike cop.
He approached my car and told me that he pulled me over because I didn’t come to a complete stop at the stop sign. He asked me what a stop sign indicated, and of course I answered, “to stop.” However, his next question caught me off guard. “What’s the fifth line of the Auburn creed?”
I had no idea, and when I told him I wasn’t sure, all he said was “You might want to look into that. There’s some good stuff in there.”
Luckily, he didn’t give me a ticket. I returned home and looked up the creed to find out just how clever this police officer was. As funny as this incident is looking back, I’ve never forgotten the fifth line of the Auburn Creed.
Next time you’re driving around campus, don’t forget to stop at stop signs!