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(January 10, 2009) Editorial I called Pollard Aircraft Sales (the current owner of N777AQ, the plane that USM proposes to lease from the USM Foundation for $1.8 million plus) at approximately 2:30 pm, Janu-ary 8, 2009. I advised a Pollard representative that I am a full professor at USM, I do cost benefit analyses of USM administrators’ expenditures, and that administrators’ expenditures of student tuition and taxpayer dollars warrant scrutiny. I asked whether N777AQ had been sold or leased. A representative advised that "it's sold" and that the sale is expected to be "buttoned up" within a week.

(February 5, 2009) Town Meeting Meets Airplane Town Meeting There are stories circulating at Southern Miss that President Saunders will take the opportunity at her called “town meeting” on February 12th to spin control two issues at once. One is the budget crisis facing Southern Miss and the other is the albatross known as her airplane.

(February 13, 2009) Town Meeting Highlights: Everything is on the Table . . . . . . except my airplane. I “made” the money for the lease-purchase by cutting administrators when I got here. I know that every other item does not count like that in the budget, but surely the President has some privileges. The airplane is for essential University travel; that term is defined solely by me. Disregard Southwest Airlines has $99 flights, this is efficient.

(February 16, 2009) D. for Dissembler Martha D. Saunders Dissembles about USM Plane at USM Town Meeting On 12-Feb-09, USM students, faculty and staff, along with other concerned citizens gathered on USM's Hattiesburg campus (USM-GC joined via webcast) for a Town Meeting to hear USM president Martha D. Saunders (shown below) speak about the budget crisis facing USM. Saunders opened her presentation by stating that "[t]his is a time for candor and for realistically facing conditions in our University budget. It's not a time for hand-wringing or retreat."

(March 30, 2009) "The Plane, the Plane!" A Brief Examination of the Expense Associated with Saunders' Plane USM President Martha Saunders' decision to lease a Beechcraft King Air turbo-prop airplane in 2009, in the midst of multi-million dollar budget shortfalls facing the University, will most likely go down as one of the more egregious acts of her presidency. That plane, which was purchased by the USM Foundation and is being leased to USM, is costing Mississippi taxpayers $31,500 per month, based on a 5-year lease (60 months) agreement at $1.89 million.

(March 31, 2009) "Dr. Saunders, You are Cleared for Takeoff" Another Look at the Expense Associated with Saunders' Plane I pulled your reader's analysis of USM President Martha Saunders' decision to lease a Beechcraft King Air turbo-prop airplane in 2009, in the midst of multi-million dollar budget shortfalls facing the University, off of your website. I wanted to complete his or her brief analysis of the costs associated with that plane, which was purchased by the USM Foundation and is being leased to USM, is costing Mississippi taxpayers $31,500 per month, based on a 5-year lease (60 months) agreement at $1.89 million.