Reproduced below is an item from one of the message board threads that appeared well before the USM press release spin:was out concerning 4th tier status. This pre- spin posting suggests how very predictable USM's official position can be when bad news occurs:

Sideshow Barker: All right, fellow carnival workers, the US News ratings show that USM has dipped from a 3rd tier institution to a 4th tier institution. How are we going to show the public that things are still well and good in River City?

Merry-Go-Round Operator: I know, I know. The US News data is evidently scheduled to appear in a book entitled America's Best Colleges 2005. So why don't we simply prepare a press list that says "USM named in "America's Best Colleges 2005." No need to call attention to the drop from third tier to fourth tier. Razzle dazzle them. Light up the midway. Open up the gates, here comes the press. Truth in packaging. Yes Sireee!