Thames

What's ahead

The anger that boiled over on the Hattiesburg campus of the University of Southern Mississippi with the March 5 suspensions of two tenured professors has given way to sorrow among many faculty and to indifference on the part of some students.

The enthusiastic outrage evident during a unanimous March 7 Faculty Senate vote of no confidence was missing on Friday when the same senate voted to ask the state College Board to request USM President Shelby Thames' resignation.

Thames has maintained that he will not step aside.

And underneath the laughter and cat calls when long-time English professor and poet David Berry destroyed three teaching excellence awards on Friday in protest of actions at USM ran a current of sorrow.

"Many of us don't endorse every word that was said here, but we all are profoundly sad to see our university come to this point where a great teacher and poet is so alienated that he turns to this symbolism," said retired history professor Neil McMillen who is teaching at the university part time.

Berry broke the plaques in protest over what is happening at USM. He will retire at the end of the semester, four years earlier than he had planned.

"This is one more indication of how bad things have been," said Angela Ball, chair of the English department.

Several USM faculty members say they are saddened by Thames' attempt to fire English professor Gary Stringer and sociology professor Frank Glamser. After two hours of testimony from Thames at a termination hearing on April 28, the professors and the university reached a financial settlement that requires USM to pay them for two years. However, Glamser and Stringer will have no duties with the university and are prohibited from publicly criticizing Thames or his administration.

"Certainly among the old hands, people do love the university," said associate theater professor Stephen Judd. "Even me, I came here six years ago when it was really a special place. It's certainly become a sadder place. We're watching wonderful people who've been here years leave early. A lot of the culture that older, established faculty members create has gone away."

Thames last week created the President's University Council to bring together six faculty, six staff members and six students to improve communication on campus. Because the members will be named by deans, many faculty view the council as an attempt to make the elected Faculty Senate and Staff Council obsolete.

"There are real genuine concerns about the undemocratic nature of this," said associate English professor Ellen Weinauer. "It is clearly an end run around the Faculty Senate. The Faculty Senate has said things the president and his people don't want to hear.

"Over and over again, we're told that only one idea can circulate," she said. "It's a tragedy for the students."

But some students praised Thames' effort or were willing to give it a chance.

"I think it's a good idea," said criminal justice major Robert Harris of San Antonio, Texas. "You're going to get communication between all those people. It seems like it would be a good idea. We'll see."

With exams this week and graduation Friday, most students are concentrating on last-minute studying and aren't distracted by the campus tension.

"I think it depends on whether you know the teachers," said Emily Vincent, an athletic training major from New Orleans. "I haven't known any of the ones who were fired or quit but a friend of mine had Dr. Glamser. She said it was distracting."

History major Justin Ranger of New Orleans said many students aren't interested.

"It really doesn't concern a lot of us," he said. "My teachers don't like it, and they talk about it a lot."

Senior Jared Loftus of Sumrall came to know Thames better than most students during his year as president of the Student Government Association. He has found it hard to draw a conclusion about who's right in the on-going disagreements between the faculty and Thames.

"I gained a lot of respect for him," Loftus said. "When (faculty) are telling you totally different sides and say they're 100 percent sure, it's hard to know. It blurs things up, that's for sure."