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USM Forum -- Message Board -> AAUP-USM MESSAGE BOARD -> A New Approach For The Faculty?
Post Info TOPIC: A New Approach For The Faculty?
DonutGirl

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A New Approach For The Faculty?
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I am really afraid to post this after I see the treatment N2ME got, but I have to try. Although N2ME was sarcastic at times, I am afraid I agree with two of his/her points.

1) the pubic opinion about the faculty no longer seems to be good. When some faculty write in the newspaper now, they get pounced on immediately. Those who are supporting the faculty are just former faculty and the close friends of the profs. We really don’t seem to have any general public support.

2) if the faculty feels it must still go to the press to oust Thames, I also agree that we ought to select one person who will carefully and competently express our views. I am talking about matters that specifically refer to Thames and his dealings with the faculty. I went and got that Neil McMillian column that N2ME said was against Thames but was eloquently expressed. Like he said no one in the public attacked McMillian for writing it. I can see why. It was the complete opposite of what Parker, the Religion prof, and two English profs wrote a while back. The date was March 8, 2004 and partial title is “Professors’ Plight…” Personally, I don’t think the town newspaper is a place for this type of thing, but if you still have faith in this method, then so be it. I won’t oppose it.

Now I want to say something that runs the risk of really getting me treated just like N2ME, and I regret that, but I have to do it. We all know the faculty have been enticed by “the shared governance” into writing letters to the newspapers. We all know many of us have been pleading our cases to our students, in spite of Mr. Polk recently writing we have not been. We all know we have been enticed to do other things by “the shared governance” that had bad consequences as well. We have indeed been doing these things and what have they gotten us?

Two profs were fired. The IHL went on TV to send the faculty a clear message. Then the lawyer was fired and the VP was replaced. Then that communication council was created. Now Thames is here to stay for the next few years. Is that what we won? Thames fired the lawyer and changed the VP and created that council, not to make the faculty happy, but to make a good faith effort for the IHL. Now when we still attack Thames in the papers, it really does show the IHL a lot more about the faculty than it does Thames. Do you not see what I see?

I swear I am not supporting N2ME, but the methods we are using now are clearly not working. I think it is time we try a different approach. We do need some type of PR person, one especially trained for this type of environment. Then when the Thames contract comes time to be renewed, we can let the PR person go to the media, though I doubt that will work then either.

What do you think? And though it will be hard, try not to attack me personally, ok?


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Malapropism

Date:
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quote:
Originally posted by: DonutGirl
""
As to the obvious one...I'm not even gonna go there...

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truth4usm/AH

Date:
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quote:




Originally posted by: DonutGirl
"I am really afraid to post this after I see the treatment N2ME got, but I have to try.


DonutGirl, as long as you don't personally attack other board members by saying derogative things about them and usurp other board members' names to post as if you were them, you're welcome here.  A difference of opinion is tolerated--childish behavior is not.


Although N2ME was sarcastic at times, I am afraid I agree with two of his/her points. 1) the pubic opinion about the faculty no longer seems to be good.


What is your measure of this?  A few wackos on a bulletin board for the Sun Herald?


Those who are supporting the faculty are just former faculty and the close friends of the profs.


Not true...I've written letters to all of the MS papers that have been published and I'm not a former faculty member nor a close friend of the profs.


Personally, I don’t think the town newspaper is a place for this type of thing, but if you still have faith in this method, then so be it.


The town's newspaper is not the place for Letters to the Editors?  Did I miss something here?  We're still in the United States of America, correct?


We all know the faculty have been enticed by “the shared governance” into writing letters to the newspapers.


What kind of odd statement is this?  That's like saying "The citizens of the US have been enticed by democracy into voting."  Completely ludicrous.  Shared governance is not some New Age concept...it's the principle that the best universities in the world work under.


Faculty members write letters to the newspapers because they feel as if their voices are not being heard by the USM administration.  Sounds like a good reason to write them to me.


We all know we have been enticed to do other things by “the shared governance” that had bad consequences as well.


What bad consequences?  The KY Cabal has all been fired or moved to other jobs.  SFT has been muzzled and forced to "make nice" with the faculty.  Corruption has been exposed, and changes have occurred.  Please let us know what bad consequences you are referring to.


Now when we still attack Thames in the papers, it really does show the IHL a lot more about the faculty than it does Thames.


Yes, it shows the IHL that the no-confidence vote was real, and that an overwhelming majority of the faculty do not want SFT as president.


Come back with some tangible evidence and more well-thought out arguments next time.



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N2ME

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quote:



Originally posted by: truth4usm/AH

Come back with some tangible evidence and more well-thought out arguments next time.



That was professional :(  You said you were not going to attack her and you did it anyway. Just because she doesn't agree with you doesn't mean her arguments were not "well-thought out." How are yours any different from hers? You read peoples' posts, not to understand their ideas, but only to see if they agree with you. If they do not agree with you, you go after them like a heat-seeking missile.

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N2ME

Date:
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quote:
Originally posted by: DonutGirl
What do you think? And though it will be hard, try not to attack me personally, ok?
It is nice of you to try, but you really are wasting your time here. If you do not bleed to remove Thames or if you post anything even remotely close to supporting him, your messages will not be tolerated. You definitely should not have mentioned my name in your post. I am not sure why they think because you want them to stop writing letters to HA you are a Thames-supporter, but that is what they will think nonetheless. Their minds are closed. They are now bitter. This is not a place for nice people like you.

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truth4usm/AH

Date:
Permalink Closed

quote:
Originally posted by: N2ME
"That was professional :(  You said you were not going to attack her and you did it anyway. Just because she doesn't agree with you doesn't mean her arguments were not "well-thought out." How are yours any different from hers? You read peoples' posts, not to understand their ideas, but only to see if they agree with you. If they do not agree with you, you go after them like a heat-seeking missile. "

The gaps of logic you demonstrate are astounding.  You attacked LVN personally, so you must know from whence you are speaking.  You also posed as me last night in order to give some credance to your ridiculous posts (thanks for the back-handed compliment).  I, on the other hand, have attacked arguments, not people.


Please go back to Eagle Talk if you have nothing more than this to contribute.



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The Rock

Date:
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First of all, I truly appreciate the views expressed by DonutGirl - I feel they are well thought-out and make some sense.  However, I again ask: what good will changing public opinion have on the faculty-SFT situation?  It is my opinion that a large majority of the "common folk" in Hattiesburg do not care one way or the other about this whole mess.  Even most of the alumni do not seem to care, as evidenced by the lack of a response from the Alumni Association.  Unfortunately, USM does not appear to graduate as loyal an alumnus as seen by other schools such as Ole Miss, MSU, LSU, etc.  Thus, I sense that many past graduates do not lose a lot of sleep over all of this.


Another problem with all of this is that the people of Hattiesburg do not appear to appreciate the efforts of the faculty as a whole, and rather see them as a bunch of lazy liberals that sit in their office and smoke a pipe all day - what this says about the average Hattiesburg citizen is debatable.  The people that feel this way will likely always feel this way, regardless of what some PR person tells them OR if a few "radical" letters to the editor are printed.  On that note, I agree with the post that stated that Mississippi would benefit greatly (in many ways) by educating the public about higher education.   Despite being a smaller city, Hattiesburg does not grant USM the support that other smaller cities give to their universities (AND THEIR FACULTY, for heaven's sake) that make them a "college town", such as Tuscaloosa, Fayetteville, College Station, etc.  Unfortunately, I don't feel that Hattiesburg is anywhere near this, regardless of whether or not N2ME's and DonutGirl's PR people step in.


Happy 4th everybody.


No Quarter, dammit.



__________________
truth4usm/AH

Date:
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quote:
Originally posted by: truth4usm/AH
" The gaps of logic you demonstrate are astounding.  You attacked LVN personally, so you must know from whence you are speaking.  You also posed as me last night in order to give some credance to your ridiculous posts (thanks for the back-handed compliment).  I, on the other hand, have attacked arguments, not people. Please go back to Eagle Talk if you have nothing more than this to contribute."

credance=credence


I do apologize for my misspelling...even the Queen of Spelling Bees makes mistakes! 



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Bump Kicker

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Bump

__________________
Otherside

Date:
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quote:
Originally posted by: N2ME
"That was professional :(  You said you were not going to attack her and you did it anyway. Just because she doesn't agree with you doesn't mean her arguments were not "well-thought out." How are yours any different from hers? You read peoples' posts, not to understand their ideas, but only to see if they agree with you. If they do not agree with you, you go after them like a heat-seeking missile. "


Did I miss a post in this thread? I can't find where Truth "attacked her" as N2ME says above. I also have difficulty with statements of how "shared governance" CAUSED letters to the editor. The statements lacked logic. Truth pointed this out so that communication could be possible. THAT IS NOY AN OPINION OR AN ATTACK. It just that some steps in LOGIC was missing.

N2ME why don't you explain clearly what you think she ment?

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