1. Word from the dome is that the Iowa thing may not go away.  Rumor also has it that the NCAA has been notified.  Just more reason for them to "look USM's way" now.  Stories are also filtering out that Jeff B. may get some of the debris sent his way on this one, if they can get a story together on it fast enough.  Thanks ntsft and gorod.

2. New word on the "merit raises."  Look for some of the recipients to start receiving their raise at the beginning of the school year, while most will get entered retroactively entered around October or so.  This plan will provide cover for the cronies.  It will work like this.  When an FOIA is filed, the excel spreadsheet will list several faculty getting raises under a date like 11/01/2004, when the cronies will be in the spread at 09/01/2004.  That way they will be overlooked in the whole thing.  Thanks domer.

3. News from mclubber that Larry E. is becoming more trouble than he's worth.  It's interesting to note that the whole logo scandal began with him up in Iowa.  Thanks mclubber.

4. Apologies from compaq and envelope on dropping the ball on the MBA demise story.  As a consolation, they now offer up this juicy morsel.  It seems word is going around CBED that its admin sent the command out to those "babbs' listed" CBEDers to vacate their offices in "a matter of days."  Stories are now circulating that their office phones have been disconnected, and that one of them had the ol' office computer confiscated and impounded.  Thanks compaq and envelope (you're back in our good graces with this one).

5. Many of you read the news that $500K was withdrawn from the ED Center fundraising effort, and that Senator Lott is "embarrassed" by it all.  Well, that doesn't even come close to the emotions TL is having now.  doughboy reports that TL is more like "furious" about the whole thing.  The whole project is reportedly all but dead now, and TL and Haley B. will soon be distancing themselves from it all (before killing it off officially).  Thanks doughboy.