With origins going back to 1960s, the War Eagle Girls and Plainsmen are charged with the duty and honor of representing Auburn University students to faculty, administrators, and the community. The group was chartered to serve in unity with the Office of the President in conjunction with the Auburn Athletic Department and Auburn Alumni Association as the official hosts and hostesses of Auburn University
War Eagle Girls & Plainsmen, also referred to as WEGP, have provided integral services to Auburn University since the group’s inception. WEGP has a long-standing reputation of excellence, tradition, and dedication.
A legacy of camaraderie, chivalry, and honor is an enduring institution among the members. The group consists of 13 women and 13 men, with Miss Auburn serving as a member during her tenure.
The duties and responsibilities of the War Eagle Girls and Plainsmen are far-reaching and broadly defined, as the services provided to Auburn University often prove to be as diverse as the personalities within WEGP. There is no archetypical War Eagle Girl or Plainsman, just as there is no formulaic approach to addressing the issues pertinent to the University. Specifically, the War Eagle Girls and Plainsmen oblige numerous facets of Auburn by hosting University sponsored events and receptions, as well as working cooperatively with student organizations and athletic programs.
One of the most visible functions of the War Eagle Girls and Plainsmen is during football season. Jordan-Hare stadium is alive with activity, often augmented in many areas by the War Eagle Girls and Plainsmen. The group hosts pre-game tailgates held at the President’s Home. In addition, the alumni association’s tent is staffed by WEGP, as is the President’s suite, which is often where Board of Trustee members and other friends of Auburn University enjoy one of the South’s most familiar autumn pastimes. Other special events occurring while playing at home are hosted by the group, including on-the-field assistance and presentation, a final wish of good luck to the Auburn Tigers at the conclusion of Tiger Walk into the stadium, and passing out shakers in the student section.
When playing outside of Auburn, the War Eagle Girls and Plainsmen offer an equally vital service to the University, by representing the ideals upheld by Auburn men and women in a respectable and trustworthy manner. Many assignments are worked preceding and following the football games, hosting alumni and friends of Auburn University.
The group is present at less visible gatherings as well. This is often where the War Eagle Girls and Plainsmen exhibit their unwavering love for Auburn . For example, when Vice President Cheney gave the commencement address at Auburn’s graduation exercise in 2005, the War Eagle Girls and Plainsmen met the Vice President at the airport and helped host his visit. They helped form the Vice President’s impression of the Auburn spirit.
The group regularly gives campus tours to visitors of Auburn, including prospective students, friends, alumni, and international visitors. Frequently WEGP hosts visiting dignitaries, alumni gatherings in one of the over 120 Auburn clubs in the United States, groundbreaking ceremonies of Auburn’s ever-growing campus, graduation commencement exercises, memorial services, the Special Olympics games, the Golden Eagle’s reunions (held for alumni of fifty or more years), career expos, Board of Trustee meetings, and a plethora of other activities.
The outlook for the War Eagle Girls and Plainsmen is strong, as the group is well established on Auburn’s campus. It is truly an honor to represent Auburn University as a member of the War Eagle Girls and Plainsmen.