AN EXCERPT FROM THE SECOND LETTER:

Recently my father wrote a letter to the editor in support of Thames. Several angry faculty erroneously assumed my brother wrote the letter and called his office to threaten and protest. I was approached by a USM faculty member who told me how my father's letter would result in faculty wrath on my brother's medical practice and, I inferred, perhaps mine. I thought that university professors were for freedom of expression and diversity of ideas?

The last time I checked, the faculty and staff at USM are paid with tax dollars and donated funds. As a taxpayer and a donator, I would like to know that I am getting a solid work week from all the employees at USM, including Dr. Thames. I would like to know they are acting as good stewards of the equipment, including the state-owned computers they use, for which I helped pay.

All university employees should be accountable for their actions and work production. The transition to a more fiscally responsible model clearly will result in a loss of authority for some and require a greater work effort from all players on the team. I will continue to support the university with my money, regardless of who stays or goes. The side on which I choose to be is whichever one will make USM a greater institution and, consequently, propel Hattiesburg to thrive. It is time for the College Board to step in with a heavy hand and stop this melee.

John M. Guice, Hattiesburg

. . . AND A RESPONSE:

Dear John Guice,

University professors ARE for freedom of expression and diversity of ideas.  You have the right to express your ideas, and they do (or should, without fear of being fired) have the right to express theirs.  If they disagree with the ideas you express, they are free to take their business elsewhere.  If you disagree with the ideas they express, you are free to do the same.  What is difficult to understand about this?

Secondly, the ONLY way the IHL will be able to solve the problems at USM "with a heavy hand" is if it chooses to send Dr. Thames back to polymer science.  There is simply no way for the IHL to solve the problem "with a heavy hand" in any other way unless it plans to fire three quarters (if not more) of the USM faculty.  It will then need, in a few years, to fire most of the new hires once they, too, discover that they cannot work with or trust an autocrat as president.

Your letter reveals, in numerous ways, a fairly shocking ignorance of the ideals of a true university as well as of the nitty-gritty practicalities of how a successful university actually operates.

Another excerpt from that font of wisdom, Dr. John Guice:

"I think there is no doubt some of the faculty have resorted to backdoor political tricks to usurp his authority.I think there is no doubt some of the faculty have resorted to backdoor political tricks to usurp his authority."

What the h*** is he talking about?  If this were the case (and I WISH that some of these political tricks were a reality!), then SFT would be gone, gone, gone.  What an *idot*!

Another question for Dr. Guice:  do doctors give "a day's work for a day's pay?"  Does that include overcharging insurance companies/Medicaid at the cost of taxpayers?  Hmm...inquiring minds want to know!

Is anyone else sick of this "days work for a day's pay" (or as this guy puts it "solid work week") theme that seems to run through most of these letters? On another thread someone mentioned how the USM faculty teach the most credit hours per person and I think even most students per faculty member of all the Mississippi schools.

Is there a faculty member out there who would be willing to write a letter about these facts to the papers?

I don't see any indication that he knows about the board, so he wouldn't know what was or wasn't done here.  He indicates a direct conversation with a faculty member.  In any case, I wrote him an educational, polite letter.  I won't post it here because it contains personal information (my salary at USM for one thing) but it did strongly address the "day's pay" issue to which Tiger also alludes.  And which I also am throughly sick of.

A Day's Pay for a Day's Work!!

quote:

---

Originally posted by: LVN
"Yes, Truth, they do.  I have managed a doctor's office and been a Residency Coordinator at a medical school.  They work as hard as anybody on the planet, and if you could see what the Medicare/Medicaid/Tricare/Blue Cross reimbursement levels are, you would be shocked.  I have written to Dr. Guice.  I don't think he's an idiot, but I do think he is ill-infomred and angry about being threatened."

---

LVN:  I didn't mean to start a wrong-headed thread about drs.--I was just upset at what Dr. J. Guice had written.  My point, however badly stated, was to question the public assumption (yet again!) that university professors are somehow more "lazy" and less "accountable" than other professions.  This is simply not true. 

I'm so tired of this line of argument by seemingly well-educated people that I could spit nails.  How can we counter this?  Should we even try anymore?  AAAARGH! 

quote:

---

Originally posted by: Stephen Bushardt
"   I assume that I am the poor soul who engaged Dr. Guice at the Lake Serine Grocery.  He was certainly not threatened by me and I believe we misread his letter on this.  It was only conversational and informing him how I perceived some of my colleague felt on the issue.  I have always liked him and continue to do so.  If I have offended him, I appologize and will write him a note to that effect.  I also like his brother Chuck as well.  I regret that we are where we are with the division between USM and the community and divisions that are emerging within the community.  I asked the members of the board to be a little more tolerant of those in our larger community.  Thank you."

---

Dr. Bushardt:

I think it is difficult to be tolerant of someone who states that USM faculty members just need to give the taxpayers of MS "a day's work for a day's pay."  This line of thinking is wrong-headed, misinformed, and just plain dangerous right now.  As a USM faculty member, I would think that you, too, would be appalled to see this line of reasoning among the larger community.

The question is:  how do we begin to repair this apparent "bad image" that USM professors seem to have among those community members?  Any suggestion you might have would be helpful.

Truth AKA Andrea Hewitt

I posted this on the website a little more than 6 weeks ago.  It may be as relevant today as it was then.  It's important not to let this website (within the constraints of FireShelby's objectives) sink in to a kind of Groupthink.  Dr. Bushardt, thank you for your influence in the community.

What is your sphere of influence?

Not everyone is going to attend a rally, put an "Impeach Thames" bumper sticker on a car, wear one of the very cool Polk/McMillan t-shirts, stand a visible broom upside down, or even write signed letters to newspaper editors or board members.  Many of the people on this website have and will continue to do these things.  Those that have been out front activists cannot be commended enough and their efforts are truly making a difference.   However, some people cannot or will not because of their positions in the community.  Some cannot or will not because of the much touted fears of reprisal.  Some cannot or will not because it's just not their style.  That doesn't mean that these people can't be or aren't being effective.  Everyone has individual spheres of influence - business dealings, community groups, places of worship, school functions, neighborhood gatherings, golf, dinner clubs, political meetings... A great deal is going on behind the scenes - don't rule out its importance!

Determine your sphere of influence and make the most of it.