Hey Guys, Read ASAP!!!!!

Date: Apr 19, 2004

Hey Guys, Read ASAP!!!!!

Date: Apr 19, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: elliott
"USM just revamped its website (new colors, logos, pictures, etc.). There is a brand new picture of Angie Dvorak on the VP page for her. They must think they're at USM forever. Let's scour this thing immediately and see what sanitizing they have been up to....."

yep -- saw that since my explorer page opens up to USM. Lisa's office must be working overtime . . .

Date: Apr 19, 2004

Hmmm... Nifty SREB & SACS logos. Must remember to check the SACS books tomorrow. It used to be verboten to use their logo & the accreditation statement had to conform to their boilerplate. Or else. (Actually, it used to be a "must" statement in the Criteria.)

Now we got a SACS violation! :grin:

Date: Apr 19, 2004

Is it just me (am I missing something) or has all of Angie's prior experiences in academia etc. been removed from the site? Are they gearing up for the hearing by removing everything from the web?

Date: Apr 19, 2004

Once again, Thank you FS for this website!! Power remains in these ranks.

Date: Apr 19, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: elliott
"Is it just me (am I missing something) or has all of Angie's prior experiences in academia etc. been removed from the site? Are they gearing up for the hearing by removing everything from the web?
"

Elliott,

Look under http://www.usm.edu/research/bio-dvorak.html

Date: Apr 19, 2004

Interesting how they re-vamped the website, put up a new pic of Joe Paul, re-did Angie's bio, yet still no info on VP for Business (CFO) Gregg Lassen or CIO Homer Coffman. Hmmm...

Date: Apr 19, 2004

Is it my imagination or does Dr. D's new picture put you in mind of "Mirror, mirror, on the wall, whose the fairest one of all?" re: the evil queen from Snow White? It is erie.

Date: Apr 19, 2004

Note the two uses of "initiating." Nobody ever gives her a job (she's not qualified for), she "initiates" everything herself. For an English Ph.D., this is pretty silly writing.

Date: Apr 20, 2004

But there are still some messy connections...The mysterious Dr. Richard Hadden, MD is still listed as a Professor with a PhD in the on-line PhD program in international development. The unapproved "executive masters" in economic development program is still being touted as "fully accredited" and still links to an industry trade association that continues to promote it. There is a cryptic message for interested parties to be sure and supply their e-mails in case the website is changed.

Date: Apr 20, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: elliott
"USM just revamped its website (new colors, logos, pictures, etc.). There is a brand new picture of Angie Dvorak on the VP page for her. They must think they're at USM forever. Let's scour this thing immediately and see what sanitizing they have been up to....."

I'm not sure about the use of the SACS seal, but their description of posting statements is still strict and clear:

http://www.sacscoc.org/pdf/advertising.pdf

The Dvorak bio is to my eye the same as it was. I gave it a quick read and it looks the same.

Fire Shelby · Status: Offline

quote:
Originally posted by: friend
""

I've got a screen shot of the pre-edit website bio.

Date: Apr 20, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: friend
"'m not sure about the use of the SACS seal..."

Again, the new Principles of Accreditation are vague, but the older Criteria for Accreditation (which are generally used by peer reviewers as a guidebook even now) was pretty explicit:

"The logo or seal of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools must not be used by the institution."

That's from section 1.6, p. 15, of the 1998 edition of the Criteria. And that is what used to be called a "must statement." There are no exceptions to "must statements." This is every bit as serious an infraction as hiring unqualified faculty, although it is a tad easier & cheaper to correct.

Date: Apr 21, 2004

I resent all this bull**** about the Web changes. I changed the Web site, along with the NEW Web team (we haven't had one for about 3 months now, if anyone cares) because the former pages were UGLY!!! That's it -- ragged and UGLY!

The new Web team offered to do a quick redesign to make it look better, and I said "Yes, PLEASE!"

As for the bio pages and new pics -- I did those personally. I simply added new pics instead of the very poor ones that were there before that made Dr. Paul ghost-like, Dr. Hudson sweaty, and etc. I updated ALL of the pictures I could with what we have in our archives. I used the bios that were there already -- if they are innacurate, then someone should freaking tell me and I will change them. If I changed or deleted something inadvertantly, someone should freaking call me and tell me so.

PLEASE QUIT creating conspiracy theories where there are none!!!!

YES, I DO work in the Marketing and Public Relations office -- MY NAME IS JENNY WATSON AND I AM A VERY NICE PERSON who has helped MANY of you make lovely and neccessary changes to your Web pages over the past few years.

For the record: I LOVE MY JOB. I maintain a number of the university Web sites, review university sites, am the keeper of images and logos, and am the administrator for usmnews and usmmailout.

AND: If you didn't already know this about me, my mother is a professor in the English department! (Sorry for outing you, Mom, but this had to be said...)

Therefore, I am in a very difficult position here being happy in my job and liking my boss and having personal ties to the faculty whom I care about and respect as well. I refuse to chose sides. Anyone who thinks that is wishy washy can come and live a day in my shoes.

Don't you folks realize that sweeping generalizations that you make about our department and the people in it are dangerous and hurtful??

I recognize that many people have been hurt in various ways because of this turmoil, and what will come to pass about that remains to be seen. I happily leave the rendering of decisions of that magnitude to the judge and mediators.

My point is this: do you not realize that some of your generalized commentary regarding what you percieve as "the other side" is just as damaging and hurtful as the supposed negative commentary of the folks you are derriding?

I am not an "evil PR spin doctor," and I was simply trying to make the university Web site more attractive and professional looking now that we have people back in positions that can do so. It was MY idea and MY doing, PERIOD.

If I messed something up, or posted something innacurate, please call me and tell me so and I'll fix it as best I can.

You don't like it?? Call me and tell me so.

You want to see shadow creatures and conspiracies in everything? Go ahead -- but you are wasting your time and potentially hurting others who do not deserve it. It will all come around to us karmically in the end, and my conscience is clear.

Jenny Watson
Web Developer
Department of Marketing and Public Relations
266-4494
jennifer.watson@usm.edu

Date: Apr 21, 2004

Wow. I can't spell to save my life. Sorry about that...

Date: Apr 21, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: swissmiss
"

In all seriousness - NOT being facetious - this made me cry! What a horrible, horrible mess this has become. Would someone with integrity please step up to clean house and start over.

Date: Apr 21, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: At a loss
"In all seriousness - NOT being facetious - this made me cry! What a horrible, horrible mess this has become. Would someone with integrity please step up to clean house and start over."

I also felt very sorry to read this post. It is a shame what has happened to USM in the past few months. All of this could have been avoided if President Thames had acted more responsibly. As I mentioned in another post, though, I really feel USM can bounce back with a new leader, and, as I have mentioned in several other posts, both the university and the state of Mississippi can come out of this looking very good if the best academic traditions (including tenure and shared governance) are reaffirmed as a result of this whole mess.