Allegations have emerged against Dr. Joffery Gaymon, a senior member of Auburn University's administration, who has allegedly employed race-based employment practices for years and actively encouraged race-based admission and scholarship programs within the departments under her oversight.
Her actions have prompted calls for university president Christopher B. Roberts and the board of trustees to take decisive corrective action before the university finds itself in the crosshairs of an unforgiving Trump administration.
In early May, Auburn University's student paper, The Plainsman, detailed numerous claims of wrongdoing in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions led by Phil J. Verpil.
Almost in passing, the report on Verpil said, "He reports directly to Joffery Gaymon, Auburn's vice president of enrollment."
Sources familiar with the matter told 1819 News that The Plainsman report featuring Verpil was mainly accurate, but it failed to recognize that Gaymon was the impetus behind the chaos.
According to the university's website, "Gaymon was named Vice President of Enrollment in March 2019 and oversees the areas of communications, recruitment, and admissions for future students as well as scholarships for future and current students."
"Gaymon will provide vision and leadership to Auburn's student recruitment and enrollment efforts, including strategic direction, oversight and support to admissions and scholarship administration," declared a statement at the time of her hiring under Auburn president Steven Leath. Leath left his position with Auburn just three months after Gaymon started.
Evidence, including an audio recording and multiple internal documents, provided to 1819 News suggests that the race-based activities in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions have not been done overtly by Verpil; instead, they were encouraged and celebrated by Gaymon.
With a footnote that read, "SERVINGSTUDENTSTEAMWORKDIVERSITY," a PowerPoint presentation given to Office of Undergraduate Admissions staff on Sept. 3, 2024, went over specifics of the fall 2025 First-Year application process to date. One slide stands out, listing four "Target Populations." Only one race is being targeted for recruitment: "Black/African American." It is listed as the second priority.
A second piece of evidence from the Office of Admissions also showed the same targeted race demographic.
Multiple people with direct knowledge of Auburn's admissions process spoke to 1819 News independently, providing evidence and explaining in detail how Verpil, at the behest of Gaymon, has been able to manipulate the admissions process in a way to benefit black applicants in multiple ways.
One tactic involved evading restrictions on race-based data by using the applicant's school's demographic data, with a focus on calling primarily minority schools a priority. This approach, as one source pointed out, would allow Verpil and Gaymon to prioritize students in Selma over those from Mountain Brook without overtly alluding to race.
Gaymon referenced this strategy during a forum on how the University would implement the state's anti-DEI bill. As reported by The Plainsman, the same month as Verpil's PowerPoint presentation, "Gaymon mentioned a program Auburn offers called Tiger Takeoff, which is a program that targets students throughout the state of Alabama coming from underrepresented areas." Images and videos posted by the University of the 2022 Tiger Takeoff event show that the overwhelming majority of participants were black/African-American.
"A lot of our recruitment initiatives are geared towards going after students within the state. As a land-grant institution, we have a responsibility to enroll students from all corners of the state. And so if you think about it, areas that Auburn has under-enrolled are diverse communities within the state," Gaymon was reported to have said.
When the university's Office of Inclusion and Diversity was disbanded, the Office of Admissions, under Gaymon, absorbed one of its staffers, JuWan Robinson, who had served as the OID liaison for the Tiger Takeoff program.
The university was quick to respond to multiple 1819 News inquiries.
"There is no preference given in the admissions process for students who attend Tiger Takeoff, a program designed to attract high-achieving in-state students," an Auburn spokesman told 1819 News. "In 2024, 55% of those who attended were admitted to the university. The average acceptance rate for in-state students was 62% for 2024."
The spokesman added, "The five-year-old program was first administered by the Office of Inclusion & Diversity. That office was dissolved in the summer of 2024 after the passage of Alabama Act 2024-34 (SB129). For the past two years, the Office of Enrollment Management has administered the program. While the program has always been open to all in-state students, the Office of Enrollment Management has strived to ensure that students throughout the state and high school guidance counselors are aware of the free program and that any student is eligible to apply."
A second tactic involved prioritizing the treatment of black applicants by manipulating their admissions type from score-based to "test optional," which would enable students whose ACT scores would otherwise disqualify them to have that data taken into consideration.
Neither of these practices would be evident to administrators who are not overseeing the admissions department beyond Gaymon and Virpil.
When asked for comment, the university responded, "Auburn University does not consider race in its admissions decisions and adheres strictly to all applicable state and federal laws. Admissions policies are designed to ensure that all applicants are evaluated fairly, with a focus on academic rigor. Like other nationally ranked institutions, Auburn University attracts an applicant pool reflective of various backgrounds; from that applicant pool, only highly qualified students are admitted."
Many who spoke with 1819 News said the human resources complaint process has been weaponized against those who have expressed concerns.
In an interview, one source, who spoke anonymously out of fear of retribution, said, "A lot of people don't trust H.R. right now because they do seem to back up the admissions leadership."
The Plainsman story detailed an account of three admissions staffers being placed on administrative leave due to an unfounded HR complaint during a critical time in the admissions process, leaving Verpil to fill their positions with less senior and less qualified staff. Multiple sources report that following those suspensions, the staffers were terrified of the consequences of speaking out.
One lifetime member of the alumni association who spoke to 1819 News on the condition of anonymity had this message for the school president and the board of directors: "We need to follow the laws, and if the laws are not being followed, we need to be taking action."
The alumnus went on to say, "We don't need higher education to ignore the mood and direction of this country, especially at Auburn."
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated with a response from Auburn.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email [email protected]
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning or become a member to gain access to exclusive content and 1819 News merch.
