University of Southern Mississippi Blow Up (Update)

by Liberty and Power

Hat tip to Ralph Luker . Many of the daily papers in the state are now taking the side of the two tenured faculty members who were suspended during the middle of the semester for criticizing the president of that institution, locked out of their offices, and had their computers computers seized. The president of USM is traveling an even lower road than before and is now hinting that the suspended tenured professors were guilty of criminal acts.

The protections of tenure are directly under attack at USM. If the administration there wins this, it will be a dangerous precedent for other administrators who, I suspect, are watching closely.

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Robert L. Campbell - 3/13/2004

I'm planning to say more about USM soon (and the great job that Ralph Luker had done in following the controversy is making my work much easier).

Suffice it to say that I don't believe Shelby Thames' allegations of criminal acts for a hot minute. If he has any evidence of such violations of the law, why hasn't he called in the District Attorney's office? No law requires him to wait until their employment status at the university is resolved. He wants Glamser and Stringer punished in the worst way. Referral for prosecution would quickly lead to the charges being made public. Eventually it might lead to fines or imprisonment for Glamser and Stringer. Unless, of course, Thames doesn't really have anything, and he fears that the DA's office won't listen to him.

In an academic institution, when a professor obtains proof that someone has lied on his or her vita, a standard countermove is that the professor obtained it from another institution by pretending to represent the administration--even though the professor never made any such claim. I've even seen utterly loony charges of forgery brought in, when people get desperate.