Let us catch our breaths, find new energy, but let us also carry on. There is much work to be done: the Shelby watch, to expose whatever he tries to sneak past us while we're in summer mode; and other good work--money, corruption, money, nepotism, money . . . follow that money!

Thanks Anne….along the same lines…late night thoughts here…

This summer……keep the “fire” burning….the ms sun will help us.

A few battles won……but the goal remains, Fire Shelby and restore competence and integrity in the dome.

End of the semester, students leaving and some faculty and staff, but many will remain.

Things to do….(just a few that I can think of now, good debate would be to prioritize these, use your skills and pick one or two)

Short run:

a. press for a change in email policy, have total disclosure of what has been done

b. write and lobby IHL our neighbors and friends (locally and nationally)

c. continue with investigation of hiring policies of administrators, Fac Sen is doing some of this I believe. Were normal practices followed.

d. Investigate other spending patterns besides hiring, e.g., Foundation accounts (are they open to the public, they should be since staff comes from the e and g budget), using staff to fund “Noetiquette” (aka noetic), who is profiting from the pillage of the golf course, etc. This avenue could result in an ENRON like scandal, that will be easy to communicate to a wide audience.

e. Document and let it be known how standards are dropping….e.g., students with low ACT scores admitted, CBED dropping its entrance standards, online ph.d.’s in ED for only ten thousand dollars and two ten page papers (slight tongue in cheek here), etc.

f. Get people to join the AAUP and/or other organizations. ALL FACULTY need to join. Your support for Frank and Gary would be appreciated, morally and financially.

g. Let people know that not only will the university likely be censured by a professional organization (more than one is possible), but the loss of accreditation of areas, colleges and possibly the whole university with SACS is a real possibility.

h. Keep track of the slash and burn of the coast campus as well (day care going, dining hall, etc.)

i. When you see them, thank those who worked so hard for all of us, and ultimately the students and usm. There are a ton, Frank, Gary, Amy, Noel, Fireshelby, Doug, Andrea, Stephen, Myron, Anne, Jim, etc., etc. A large number of people have showed real courage, some in often subtle ways, and we should be proud.


Long run:

a. build bridges among ourselves, AAUP or other groups (this applies to the staff as well who have suffered terribly in all this). Across the state with other universities. Also, reach out to community organizations, the teachers and staff of K-12 are our natural allies given the devastation from state funding the last few years. State employees also may be good allies (e.g., they are cutting medical benefits for all, laying off while primping up the gov’s mansion, selling our parks…to buddies I wonder).
b. These bridges could ultimately lead to a powerful force for quality education across the state. I know a number of people have a knee jerk reaction against unions, but they may be a way to allow us to coordinate these diverse interests, act, and lobby effectively. If not a union like the AFT or UAW (Brown Miller locally is a tremendous resource) maybe a coalition of some form.
c. Reform of the university governance internally and at the IHL level. Make it in the state law where faculty and staff have a say in running the university. Why should a university (the president and others) in our area be beholden totally to interests that come from hundreds of miles away and may want to see us fail? Education is too precious to leave to wealthy hunting buddies. Companies that have stakeholders from all different levels included perform better, look at silicon valley as an example.



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