The day that I heard Richard Spencer, alt-right leader and white supremacist, was coming to speak on Auburn University’s campus, I was horrified. Only a few days after controversy rose over a new ‘White Student Union’ distributing anti-semitic flyers on campus, I thought that Auburn may have been turning into something completely different from the campus I initially fell in love with. Boy, was I wrong.

Auburn’s student body did a beautiful thing on Tuesday night. We lived out the creed and did not let Spencer’s speech drive a wedge between us like he intended to do. Instead, students of every color, religion, and political ideology came together to support one another and promote equality.

I attended both the Auburn Unites music festival and the protests following Spencer’s speech. I truly, maybe even for the first time, saw the Auburn Family at work. It was amazing to see our student body support each other and promote inclusion during an event that was meant to do the opposite.

While, yes, there were some alt-right protestors, they were not Auburn students. In fact, our very own students literally ran the alt-right protestors out of town . We resisted with “a spirit that is not afraid” and showed the alt-right that their hateful rhetoric completely contradicts our values as a university.

While Spencer ranted on with his hateful words of white supremacy and ethnic cleansing, students were celebrating diversity with a music festival on the green space and resisting him with protests outside Foy hall. We refused to cower to his fear-mongering and showed him that we love and appreciate every single student on our campus.

I hate that it took a neo-Nazi coming to campus for me to realize this, but I truly fell in love with the Auburn community all over again this Tuesday. I can wholeheartedly say that it really is great to be an Auburn Tiger.

The Auburn Creed

I believe that this is a practical world and that I can count only on what I earn. Therefore, I believe in work, hard work.

I believe in education, which gives me the knowledge to work wisely and trains my mind and my hands to work skillfully.

I believe in honesty and truthfulness, without which I cannot win the respect and confidence of my fellow men.

I believe in a sound mind, in a sound body and a spirit that is not afraid, and in clean sports that develop these qualities.

I believe in obedience to law because it protects the rights of all.

I believe in the human touch, which cultivates sympathy with my fellow men and mutual helpfulness and brings happiness for all.

I believe in my Country, because it is a land of freedom and because it is my own home, and that I can best serve that country by "doing justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with my God."

And because Auburn men and women believe in these things, I believe in Auburn and love it.

-George Petrie (1943)