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Originally posted by: Caught in the Middle
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You mean the Chief Crony has been washing the car all this time for nothing???  Only five raises in the CBED???  There is no hope.

You guys should see the latest letter out now about the legal situation in cbed.  Doty won't be around too much longer if he continues on his current course.  It is really an unbelievable read.

i've got to agree with tired old saw.  i read the last e-mail and it's confusing at best because it assumes knowledge of people that i don't know.  why Doty?  is he merely the "dean de jour?"  clearly dupree's grievances go back well past Doty.  possibly back to Ty Black's deanship.  then there's mention that he's only doing research to use for possibly publishable cases that he wants to use in a class (i probably have some of that wrong).  again, research for a class or article?  i'm confused.  been a juror twice--love to see him try to present his case to a jury.

Here is it--sorry for the html language in it, i read it from home on webmail.

FYI--"<fontfamily>Quite honestly, I [Kate Jude] would never have gotten involved in this project but for the University’s stonewalling (the word that Mr. Gore did not like, but which seems to be terribly appropriate.) . . . [T]his siege mentality that Dr. Doty seems to have developed strongly suggests that someone has done something terribly wrong and he is trying to conceal it.  There is no other reason to have University Counsel approve a routine decanal appeal decision.  There is no other reason to play this shell game with public information."</fontfamily>

Jude & Jude, pllc attorneys at law  <fontfamily>August 20, 2004  VIA FACSIMILE
</fontfamily>
<fontfamily>
</fontfamily><fontfamily>Ian C. Jones, Esquire
Adams and Reese LLP  
111 Capitol Building, Suite 350
111 E. Capitol Street
P.O. Box 24297
Jackson, MS 39225-4297

        Re:        Mississippi Open Records Act Request

Dear Ian:

On Wednesday, August 18, 2004, my office completed review of all documents that have been made available to Dr. DePree.  On the same date, I sent an email to Mr. Morgan, Mr. Gore and you detailing the documents that have not been produced so far.  Apparently, most of the remaining documents are located in the College of Business and Economic Development.  I am making a formal request to the University of Southern Mississippi that it comply with the Mississippi Open Records Act request and provide the remaining documents that Mr. Gore and you agreed to provide.

1)          CBED and SAIS information, except for limited personnel information concerning Dr. DePree that was provided this week.  

2)         Information included in Dr. DePree’s Open Records Act request that is located on PeopleSoft.

3)         Evaluations from 1996-2002 are missing from Dr. DePree’s personnel folder.

4)         Several apparently relevant binders were in the Dean's office. 

               a)    One is  for "BAC". There should be information about Dr. DePree’s membership in it. Please provide it.

               b)   CBED and CBA budgets for years 2003-2004, 2002-2003, 2001-2002, 2000-2001 should be made available for review. 

               c)    "CBA Foundation Accounts" that pertain to the Jude-DePree Endowed Scholarship should be made available.

My understanding is that Mr. Morgan was working with Dr. Niroomand in an effort to have the CBED and SAIS information ready by Friday.  As stated in his email of August 16, 2004,

Kate,
</fontfamily>
<fontfamily>I’m going to call the dean’s office and ask for a meeting at which time I will give them an internal deadline of Friday.  I have a good relationship with Dr. Niroomand so we should be able to meet shortly and it shouldn’t take long for the departments to get their information.

Joe M

This afternoon, I received an email from Mr. Morgan which stated as follows:

Kate,

Still trying…I met with Dr. Posey yesterday who told me that the dean had given each of the departments a list and told them to follow up with me.  I asked Becky and Karen in my office to stay on it until they received the information.

Joe M

5)        Folders removed from Purchasing files as indicated by "Out" markers.

In terms of the information on PeopleSoft, I believe that Mr. Morgan was to provide that.  As I recall, the request seeks the information broken down by individuals for travel, monies paid on behalf of individuals for professional fees, organization dues, etc., (e.g. MSCPA, AAA dues, etc.), and computers and software provided to CBED. 

It is my recollection that Mr. Morgan  said except for current equipment, he would not be able to trace computers to individuals.  However, based on the documents we have reviewed to date, there appear to be some computers and computer resources that are directly traceable to departments and/or individuals.  Mr. Morgan was going to provide information as to who has what computers and software at the current time. Additionally, since it should be the most convenient for Mr. Morgan and most in keeping with our request, provide the information by year and semester.  Since there are only a few years on PeopleSoft that should minimize the burden on Mr. Morgan and his staff.

We are waiting for the University to provide the remaining information or provide access to it.  As you know, during our meeting on July 30, after an extended delay, the University finally agreed to provide the information or access to it.  However, the University and the College seem unable or unwilling to provide records on a timely basis.  Therefore, if it will expedite matters, I am again prepared to send staff to review and copy documents. 

I am not surprised at the delay, since Dr. Doty apparently is concerned that academic vitae are not “public” and has asked  Mr. Gore to advise him.  As I am sure you are aware, Dr. Thames has already addressed this issue.  I hate to be unkind about Dr. Doty, but he seems to be making a mountain out of the proverbial molehill.   Now, Dr. Doty is asking Mr. Gore to review his report on a routine faculty evaluation appeal.  

Dr. DePree is collecting various information as part of a research project from which he is developing publishable case studies.  The first couple are substantially complete and Dr. DePree will be using them in his classes this fall. The information will also be part of Dr. DePree’s appeal to the Provost concerning his annual evaluations.

Quite honestly, I would never have gotten involved in this project but for the University’s stonewalling (the word that Mr. Gore did not like, but which seems to be terribly appropriate.)  I realize that Dr. Doty is quite young and terribly inexperienced.  It is my understanding that he had not even been promoted to or served as a full professor until he negotiated the promotion along with his employment as dean.  However, this siege mentality that Dr. Doty seems to have developed strongly suggests that someone has done something terribly wrong and he is trying to conceal it.  There is no other reason to have University Counsel approve a routine decanal appeal decision.  There is no other reason to play this shell game with public information.  

The ongoing pattern of stonewalling and retaliation will not quell dissent within the College and only seems to reinforce the notion that there is a “cover up.”  Unfortunately, this is what I am starting to hear from other staff and faculty. If Dr. Doty takes a deep breath and gets past his obvious dislike for Dr. DePree, this whole matter will remain what it is – a research project and gathering information that Dr. DePree plans to include in an appeal of annual evaluations. I expect the information will establish a pattern of retaliation which has deprived him of pay raises received by faculty with less productive performance.  I hope this is a matter to be solved within the University family.  However, Dr. Doty’s has apparently told a number of people within the College and the Hattiesburg community that Dr. DePree and the University are either in, or soon to be in, an adversarial situation.  
In any event, may I have the rest of the documents by next week?

                                                        Sincerely yours,

                                                        JUDE & JUDE, PLLC

                                                        Rebecca Kathryn Jude
                                                        For the Firm
RKJ/
cc:        Dr. Chauncey M. DePree, Jr.

I wonder if Joe Morgan knows that his "private" emails to Kate Jude are being broadcast through these emails from Dr. Depree?

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Originally posted by: stinky cheese man
"i'm not in the college either and it is confusing to me.  there was an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education that described Dupree's use of Open Records Laws as "weaponizing" those laws.  "

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Do you have a link or know which issue of the Chronicle this was in?  I have an online subscription.  I'd love to know more.

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Originally posted by: stinky cheese man
"off the top of my head i don't.  there was an article about some presidential searches that got messy--maybe tennessee's.  one letter from an applicant (maybe) used that expression. i thought it was an appropriate sense of how some folk look at using open records laws and FOIA requests.  since you have an online subscription (like me) look for the articles that focused on the tn presidential search."

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Thanks for the tip...I'll see what I can find.