FROM FACULTY SENATE  LISTSERV: 

Dec. 13, 2004
>
>Dear Faculty Senators,
>
>      I was disappointed in reading a quote in the Saturday, Dec. 11th edition
>of the Hattiesburg American.  Three paragraphs in the article read as follows:
>
>Exline said she was disappointed that even though she asked to speak to the
>Southern Miss Faculty Senate to address concerns they may have about the
>probation, she was told by president David Beckett to wait until January to
>speak to the group.
>      " This administration has been criticized for lack of communication,"
>Thames said.  "How can you communicate when people won't have you to
>communicate with you?"
>      Beckett could not be reached for comment.
>
>I think the record needs to be set straight here.  At the meeting Thursday
>afternoon, called by the USM Administration, a chronology of "SACS events"
>leading to the present probation was presented by Dr. Exline (attendees at the
>meeting included the deans, provost, Dr. Exline, Dr. Thames, and leaders of
>various councils, including the Faculty Senate).  After the chronology was
>given we were asked not to discuss it as such a discussion might lead to
>blaming
>individuals rather than focusing on solving the problem.  Since we were asked
>not to discuss it, I felt bound not to do so.  That is the cause of the
>comment
>from reporter Kevin Walters in the Friday, Dec. 10th Hattiesburg American that
>"while he [Beckett] provide Senate members with some information on how
>Southern
>Miss came to face the loss of its accreditation, he could not publicly discuss
>other information brought up at the meeting.  Among items he didn't want to
>discuss was a chronology of events behind the action by SACS."
>
>     When I am asked by a party or parties not to discuss an issue I feel
> bound
>to honor such an agreement.  As we now know, the entire chronology was
>subsequently listed in the Hattiesburg American on Saturday morning.
>
>      After we were asked not to discuss the chronology, a member of the
>administration asked if any meetings of campus groups were going to be held in
>the near future.  I do not know why that question was asked, however, I
>replied
>that a Faculty Senate meeting was being held later that afternoon.  Dr. Exline
>then asked if I wanted her to attend the Faculty Senate meeting planned for
>that same afternoon.  This was not a private conversation, rather it took
>place
>within the afternoon meeting.  I only had a second to make this decision, and
>my response was no, but that our next regularly scheduled meeting of the
>Faculty
>Senate was in January and we wished that she could attend that meeting and
>discuss the SACS issues.  My reasoning for this answer was as follows.  The
>Faculty Senate does not usually have December meetings.  Our meeting in
>December
>was a specially called meeting and was
>an outcome of the November Faculty Senate meeting where it was determined that
>we needed to have a special meeting to deal with two important issues:  post
>tenure review and an incident on the Gulf Coast.  The need for a special
>meeting
>and its two items for discussion was therefore set well ahead of the
>annnouncement of the SACS probation.
>
>      The revision of the post-tenure review policy was mandated by the
>IHL, to whom the USM administration reports.  We had been told repeatedly that
>we needed to finish this revision before Christmas.  Therefore, although the
>SACS probation was clearly "newsworthy," the Faculty Senate needed to focus on
>the two items which were the reasons for having the meeting.  Second, it
>seemed
>to me that if I could not speak about the chronology leading to SACS
>probation,
>then Dr. Exline could not speak about it either!  Finally, I also knew that
>more detailed information about the reasons USM is on probation would be
>released on a SACS website and sent in written form to the adinistration
>in the
>future, but before our January Faculty Senate meeting.  I concluded,
>therefore,
>that it would be more productive to ask Dr. Exline to attend our next meeting,
>which is next month.  Keep in mind that our next meeting is one month
>away, USM
>will be on probation for a minimum of 12 months.
>
>      I was disappointed to read that the Faculty Senate had been accused
> of not
>being willing to communicate.  A very good question at this point is, if it
>were true that we did not want to communicate, then why would I have asked Dr.
>Exline to come to our next Faculty Senate meeting?  Everyone at the Thursday,
>2:30 meeting heard me ask her to attend the January meeting.  At the Faculty
>Senate meeting later that day I repeated that I had asked Dr. Exline to attend
>the Janurary meeting to discuss the SACS situation with us.
>
>      I am now in my sixth consecutive year on the Faculty Senate.  Throughout
>that time we have always been open to communication and done our best to be
>open to anyone who wished to speak or address us.  During the present academic
>year the Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate has met every month
>with Dr.
>Thames and we have had good conversations with him.  We have also met with
>other members of the administration when it was important to do so.  On a
>personal level, I have had numerous conversations with members of the
>administration in the context of called meetings and in conversations between
>just two parties.  These conversations were always conducted civilly, with the
>goal of providing input to better our university.  There was and is no
>cause to
>accuse us of not being willing to communicate.
>
>      As I read the Hattiesburg American article Saturday afternoon it was
> clear
>to me that I had no choice but to ask Dr. Exline to address the Faculty Senate
>as soon as possible.  The chronology of events leading to SACS probation had
>now
>been published, and morevoer our commitment to communication had been called
>into question.  Consequently, I telephoned Dr. Exline Saturday afternoon
>at her
>home.  I told Dr. Exline that I was unhappy that the Faculty Senate had been
>unfairly accused of not wanting to communicate, and asked her if she could
>meet
>with us this week.  Dr. Exline replied that she would be able to meet with us
>this Wednesday, December 15th  at 5:00 PM to discuss the SACS probation.  I
>thank Dr. Exline for agreeing to meet with us.  As always, our meetings are
>open
>so I urge all Faculty Senators to attend, and invite other interested
>individuals as well.  We are searching for a room at present (the Hall of
>Honors
>is taken - caps and gowns are passed out there for this Friday's graduation).
>As soon as we have a room I will send that information out on facsen.  Thank
>you
>for your service to university as Faculty Senators.
>
>                                                  Sincerely,
>
>                                                  Dr. David Beckett
>
>                                                  President, Faculty Senate

I would like to add to Dr. Beckett's comments. At the Thursday meeting, after Dr. Beckett had announced that FS was meeting later, I announced that Graduate Council was meeting on Monday afternoon. I also reminded her that Academic Council meets next in February.

I attended that GC meeting today as I am a member of that council. I learned that Dr.Exline did NOT request to attend this meetingbut in a conversation with Dr. Ed Mann, the GC chair, that they thought she should attend the meeting in January.

I think an apology is in order. Obviously Dr. Thames - on the one hand- states he doesn't want to place blame, and on the other hand has taken a number of opportunities to do just that.

quote:

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Originally posted by: Amy Young
"I would like to add to Dr. Beckett's comments. At the Thursday meeting, after Dr. Beckett had announced that FS was meeting later, I announced that Graduate Council was meeting on Monday afternoon. I also reminded her that Academic Council meets next in February. I attended that GC meeting today as I am a member of that council. I learned that Dr.Exline did NOT request to attend this meetingbut in a conversation with Dr. Ed Mann, the GC chair, that they thought she should attend the meeting in January. I think an apology is in order. Obviously Dr. Thames - on the one hand- states he doesn't want to place blame, and on the other hand has taken a number of opportunities to do just that. "

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I heard that Dr. Exline had to be in Jackson today.  That may be why she couldn't attend GC.  I don't blame Dr. Exline, but SFT was out of line with his comment in the paper.