This message posted on Gulf Coast faculty list last week by "Vincent" in reply to HA Article about cost of Glamser/Stringer Affair (Article follows posting). Who is "Vincent" ? Since it was on the faculty list he must be faculty, right? Got this third hand. Warning: metaphor alert.
__________________________________________________________________

"Where are the Women of Mississippi?

Much less, the women at this university?"

Amazingly, I get an email from a faculty member that quotes a sophomore
(that's right, we are now supposed to defer to sophomoric wisdom) as saying
(in reference to the negotiated "forced retirement" package of two
professors who took it upon themselves to be - private investigators,
officials of the inquisition, males who look into female success, or were
they just males who enforced the "glass ceiling"), "That's a lot of money.
I think it could be spent in a better place,"

Well, isn't that nice?

In defense of the sophomore who made this rather naive statement, I, too,
believe that the money could have been spent in "a better place!" On the
other hand, it would appear that students (this student, at least) have
somehow forgotten that it was not the Administration that erred, but the
faculty members who agreed to a severance package (they were not fired, per
se), as a part of their dismissal from the university!

Additionally (and incredibly), a junior at the university stated (according
to this email that was so important that it had invaded everyone's email -
like SPAM) junior Kevin Hundt said. "I actually had professor Glamser as a
sociology professor and he was one of my best professors. I didn't think he
should have been fired. None of this would have happened if they didn't try
to fire the professors."

"They" did not try to fire the professors - the professors left and asked
"not to be sued" by the woman they investigated! How hard is this to
understand? I am happy "Glamser" was a good professor, but did he not leave
his students with the skills to think? For example, If the professors were
serial killers, does the fact that they taught a good class dismiss their
murders of countless women as "OK, 'cause they taught good classes?"

Is there a reason we do NOT look for students to define equality, morality,
and even fair play at the university level? If so, why would Watkins, et
al. disseminate this tripe?

So (not to offend the southern belles of Mississippi - God forbid), in
California, women at the university level (in any capacity) would have been
outraged that these two so-called "men" took it upon themselves to
"investigate" the credentials of women (a woman) who had earned a
position(s) in higher administrative levels of academia! These two
so-called"males" who commented that their (physical) offices contained more
important stuff than the "purses of the secretaries" they entrusted their
life's work to, were chauvinistic fools to say the least!

Make no mistake about it, women at universities in California (any
university in California) would have been incensed to learn that "male"
professors (who saw the culmination of their life's work to be private
investigations of women's credentials) were locked out of their offices!
Indeed, they (women of California) would have demanded these chauvinistic
jerks be locked IN their offices! The strategy of these women would have
been to have some NOTICEABLE effect on chauvinistic thinking, when they set
fire to the buildings in which these jackasses were officed! Women of
Mississippi, make no mistake about this difference between you and the
women of industrialized nations (states). You should be ashamed that you
let jackasses like Will Watson address you in this manner!

The fact that males at this university insist on making light of the fact
that a woman was (perhaps illegally) investigated by "male" faculty members
is disgusting! I can stand up for women everywhere; however, women in
Mississippi need to learn to stand up for themselves!

Where are you, you fine ladies of Mississippi,

Vincent

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>Ray's Report:

>Hattiesburg American 6/28/05
>
>Deal, fees cost USM $457,000
>
>By Reuben Mees
>
>The attempted firing of two University of Southern Mississippi professors has
>left students and taxpayers bearing the burden of approximately $457,000 in
>expenses.
>
>The state College Board recently reported paying law firm Adams and Reese
>$107,589 in fees associated with the case that rocked the university in the
>spring of 2004.
>
>Those fees are on top of the approximately $350,000 settlements with sociology
>professor Frank Glamser and English professor Gary Stringer - both of whom
>walked away from the university with full salary packages for two years.
>
>"That's a lot of money. I think it could be spent in a better place," said
>sophomore Madison Moore. "I understand that legal fees can add up, but I think
>the university could have taken it on in a better manner."
>
>The legal costs began adding up when Southern Miss President Shelby Thames
>attempted to fire the two tenured professors who were looking into the
>background of a former administrator.
>
>It concluded after a public hearing with Glamser and Stringer getting two
>years of full salary in exchange for not speaking of the matter. They will be paid
>through the 2005-06 school year.
>
>Thames and Glamser both said they were bound by the agreement to not
>discuss the matter for at least two years.
>
>"When this matter was settled, it was agreed by the parties that there
>would be >no further comments about this matter and, therefore, I am precluded by the >agreements from making comments," Thames said in a prepared statement.
>
>Alumna and Thames supporter Bonnie Drews said she was shocked to learn of the
>extent of the legal fees from the case.
>
>"Wow. That's something way out of my sphere of information and I doubt if very
>many alumni are in that loop either," she said. "I doubt if very many
>people at all know about this."
>
>Some faculty and students also feel the price tag was high.
>
>"I was really surprised to see the amount of money that was spent," said
>retired physics professor Ray Folse. "I was also surprised to see the payment came in last August and it took (the College Board) this long to approve it."
> hate to see all that money spent that way," junior Kevin Hundt said. "I
>actually had professor Glamser as a sociology professor and he was one of my
>best professors. I didn't think he should have been fired. None of this would
>have happened if they didn't try to fire the professors."
>
>American Association of University Professors chapter president Amy Young, who
>handled fund raising for Glamser and Stringer's legal defense, said the group
>raised about $42,000 from local faculty and residents as well as from
>academics across the country.
>
>Those funds covered most of their legal expenses but the professors were
>required to pay some of their own costs as well.
>
>Originally published June 28, 2005
>