"University of Southern Mississippi President Shelby Thames berated two suspended tenured professors Monday for not agreeing to an open hearing into the reasons for their impending terminations.
"They're robbing the students," Thames said of sociology professor Frank Glamser and English professor Gary Stringer. "They're robbing the faculty. They're robbing the supporters. They're robbing the very people who supported them from hearing the truth."
I remember being chilled to the bone when I read these words in the article in March. We know the rest of the story now (the actual hearings etc.). These words reconfirm that this man is the loose cannon who has actually robbed this university.
quote: Originally posted by: Swan Song "I remember being chilled to the bone when I read these words in the article."
Your reminding everyone of that HA article was a good thing, Swan Song. "Chilled to the bone" is an understatement. It may take some time, but this too will pass.
quote: Originally posted by: Just Plain Jane " Your reminding everyone of that HA article was a good thing, Swan Song. "Chilled to the bone" is an understatement. It may take some time, but this too will pass. "
But I think the point is that it should not be allowed to.
quote: Originally posted by: Polyonymous "the point is that it should not be allowed to."
Oh no. And please also remember these from the HA 3/12:
Thames said it is possible that he might request an investigation of Frank Glamser and Gary Stringer
and
Thames has said the unspecified allegations against the two may be criminal in nature.
and
Thames referred to criminal violations in a letter hand-delivered to Glamser and Stringer Wednesday and released to the media Thursday [...]
He also called a press conference and said the same to WDAM reporters. This is when my jaw hit the floor. I know he had some laughable, bogus charges for Gary (I mean really- is ‘impersonating a dept. chair’ criminal, even if it were true?)– but he never made any charge against Frank that I heard.
How did he get by with that? I’m not a lawyer, so someone else would have to explain to me how that is not a clear-cut case of slander?
quote: Originally posted by: Just Plain Jane " Your reminding everyone of that HA article was a good thing, Swan Song. "Chilled to the bone" is an understatement. It may take some time, but this too will pass. "
When I said "this too will pass," I did not mean this horrid mess at USM will simply disappear with no intervention. I believe two or three other posters misread me. Is your governing board nothing but a group of gutless wonders? Why have they not intervened? Do they know nothing about acdemics? Are they trying to run off your most capable faculty members? Has your administration and/or your governing board declared war on the USM faculty? Is there a conspiracy to weaken your institution into a 4th rate power? I was more than "chilled to the bone" when I learned what has happened in Hattiesburg - I felt as if I my bones had been cremated and fed to some ugly looking bird perched on top of the done. And one more thing: Where does your "middle managment" stand in all this?
quote: Originally posted by: Just Plain Jane "... Is your governing board nothing but a group of gutless wonders? ...Do they know nothing about acdemics? ... Has your administration and/or your governing board declared war on the USM faculty? .. "
Yes, yes, and yes. You must have inside information to know so much about USM's Board. Are you a personal friend of Roy Klumb?
quote: Originally posted by: Just Plain Jane "When I said "this too will pass," I did not mean this horrid mess at USM will simply disappear with no intervention. I believe two or three other posters misread me. . ."
I understood what you meant. I understood that the above was exactly what you meant!!!!
quote: Originally posted by: LeavingASAP "Yes, yes, and yes. You must have inside information to know so much about USM's Board. Are you a personal friend of Roy Klumb?"
I love your sense of humor, LeavingASAP. No, I would not know Mr. Klumb if I met him in a timber forest. I would like to suggest, however, that Klumb is only one member of the IHL, albeit a rather vocal one. In one sense, I can see how someone might be initially inclined to place the lion's share of blame on him for the disaster in Hattiesburg in view of his public statements. But Klumb is only one member of the IHL. Surely the board is not constituted in a manner such that one single member has power to do so much damage. Does one person of the board have veto power? Is not the board as a whole culpable? I realize that many years ago Mississippi's colleges got into one mell of a hess during the Bilbo administration because of inappropriate governatorial interference in college affairs. But isn't this somewhat different? After all, the governor appointed the members of the board. Can't he meet with them, and tell them to get their act together or he will "unappoint" them and bring in new appointees who will properly take care of what is entrusted to them? Surely there is some legal and appropriate way for the board to be purged if necessary. As someone said in another thread, the major problem seems to be that there are no appropriate checks and balances.
quote: Originally posted by: Just Plain Jane "After all, the governor appointed the members of the board. Can't he meet with them, and tell them to get their act together or he will "unappoint" them and bring in new appointees who will properly take care of what is entrusted to them? Surely there is some legal and appropriate way for the board to be purged if necessary. As someone said in another thread, the major problem seems to be that there are no appropriate checks and balances. "
Sorry, the governor thinks our universities are an "economic gold mine" that we should be excavating. He praised Shelby and his polymer science program at graduation. If we can get any help from him, I'd be surprised.
quote: Originally posted by: foot soldier " Sorry, the governor thinks our universities are an "economic gold mine" that we should be excavating. He praised Shelby and his polymer science program at graduation. If we can get any help from him, I'd be surprised."
Hailey has just been Barberous when it comes to compassion for the faculty and students at USM.
For the first time ever, I wrote to an elected official -- who I helped elect -- with a serious, thoughtful letter and never received a reply or acknowledgment of any sort. Governor, are you listening?
quote: Originally posted by: LVN "Governor, are you listening? "
Why does he need to listen? He knows more than we do, obviously. Why should we expect more from the current governor than we expected from, say, Cliff Finch? (At least Cliff put virtually everybody on the "governor's staff" )
quote: Originally posted by: Rudy Kazootie " I thought it was Bill Allain who put everybody (including Nicole Toy) on the governor's "staff." OUCH! Very bad joke. "
Rudy, I suspect that only a few of us oldies understand your punch line.
quote: Originally posted by: old gold "Rudy, I suspect that only a few of us oldies understand your punch line."
You're right, but we oldies but goodies deserve a few private laughs. I don't know about you, but my kids think I'm hopelessly out of it most of the time, so it's nice sometimes to turn the tables.
quote: Originally posted by: Rudy Kazootie "You're right, but we oldies but goodies deserve a few private laughs. I don't know about you, but my kids think I'm hopelessly out of it most of the time, so it's nice sometimes to turn the tables."
To use our kid's rather non-creative term, Rudy, Cool! Yes, we oldies not only have the experience gathered from the all of years we and our children have existed simultaneously, but we have the experience of all the years between the time we were born and the time our kids were born. They missed so much! We know our music, and we know their music. For the most part, they know only their music. Tell a joke, and their lack of experience sometimes makes it difficult, or impossible, to understand the punch line. Cool!
quote: Originally posted by: Flash Gordon "I was out of town when this thread first ran. Thanks for the reminder of what transpired this spring."
As educator said in the eloquent statement that received Mr. Wonderful's July 18 Quote of the Week award, "We're on a break. It's the calm before the storm. NO FRICK'N QUARTER."