weeklyreports_11_14

D. Harold Doty, Former Dean, College Of Business, University Of Southern Mississippi, Current Dean College Of Business, University Of Texas At Tyler There have been a number of inquiries from and website searches by our colleagues at UT-Tyler about Harold Doty's history as dean at the College of Business at Southern Miss. Here is a little background provided by Harold, Patty Munn, George Carter and other sources. This brief report and other reports and editorials paint a troubling picture.

The Cautionary Tales A Guest Editorial by Susan Green-Lewis Pennsylvania State University (PSU) is a Tier 1 (U.S. News & World Report) national institution. PSU was founded in 1855, and it is now home to more than 45,000 students.

Dear usmnews.net: Recently I was at an academic conference and was talking with some people there. The subject of “Harold Doty” came up, and one person there said, “Harold Doty is a sociopath*.” (*See Editor's note on complete version.)

. . . breaking news . . . Is a Racial Divide Forming on USM Campus? HATTIESBURG – The Hattiesburg American’s breaking news links reported on 14-Nov-2011 that several sorority students at USM were placed on sorority probation after a photo showing them dressed in blackface and costumes, reportedly in an effort to reflect the 1980s characters in the Huxtable family on the television sitcom The Cosby Show, became public. The costumes were worn as part of a 1980s- themed costume party that occurred off campus.

Special Report Series Downward Mobbing as Blood Sport Former CoB Dean in Hot Water Once Again PART 12 As the excerpted portion of Jeremy St. John’s complaint above points out, there is no end to the lengths to which Doty will go in order to continue a mobbing campaign against a targeted faculty member.

Latest USM Race Controversy Goes National Major Media Grab Story and Run with It As Mary Margaret Halford’s 15-November-2011 report for The Student Printz entitled “Students on probation after blackface incident” points out, the latest race controversy to hit the USM campus has gone national. The story, which broke locally on 14-November-2011, hit national newspapers, and even some national television networks, only hours later.

Saunders Quiet, Students Angry Latest Race Controversy at USM Stirring Debate, Thought As Mary Margaret Halford’s 15-November-2011 report for The Student Printz entitled “Students on probation after blackface incident” points out, some USM students are angry about events involving Phi Mu sorority members attending an off-campus party in blackface, an attempt to portray cast members of the retired television sitcom, The Cosby Show. One of those is senior news-editorial major Amber Grubbs, who spoke with Halford:

. . . breaking news . . . Provost Lyman Resigns; More to Follow? HATTIESBURG – Late on 16-Nov-2011, USM public relations officials announced that USM provost Robert Lyman has resigned his administrative position and moved to the faculty ranks. Citing “personal reasons” for Lyman’s resignation, USM president Martha Saunders noted that Lyman helped move the academic side of the USM house through some rough times in recent years.

Special Report - Where is Martha Saunders (in the Galaxy Tab Scandal)?In August 2011, when the Galaxy Tab scandal first broke, usmnews.net and its readers raised the obvious question -- "No doubt this was an inside deal ... where was the bid for these services? Was this the best price the State could negotiate for an "experiment"?" Now three senior administrators at Southern Miss have been suspended for their role. However, one must ask, what is Martha Saunders' roll in this mess? Certainly, Saunders was front and center in the PR extravaganza, all smiles, as she passed out the Galaxy Tabs to selected students. There she was taking credit for her offering as if she were Mrs. Claus.

Where was Martha Saunders (in the Galaxy Tab Scandal)? Part 2 There's Always Time for PR On August 22, 2011, Dr. David Davies, Dean of the Honors College, wrote in his blog "The Hattiesburg American's Ed Kemp did a Terrific Article on the project [Samsung Galaxy tablet computers], which has been publicized widely across the country in technology blogs and elsewhere." And, he is absolutely right. Take a minute and run a Google™ search. There are scores of pages repeating the story. Take a look at just the first page of the search. Here are just three examples (of hundreds and hundreds): (click here for part 1)

Burying the Scandals Editorial The Galaxy Tab computer scandal is not the first time Southern Miss has been implicated in the misuse of University and state funds. In April 2010, usmnews.net and the local newspapers were reporting on the situation surrounding possible misconduct in the USM Research Foundation.

31st & Pearl A $20 Million Mistake? Last week’s inexplicable loss by USM to lowly Alabama-Birmingham sent the Eagles’ record to 9-2 on the season. It also cost USM its spot in all of the national top 25 polls. More than all this, however, is the likelihood that USM’s choke-job in Birmingham may end up costing C-USA at least $20 million.

USM Swarmed by Scandals Events of the Last 10 Days Have Rocked 100 Year Old Institution Late on 21-Nov-2011 The Hattiesburg American reported that USM Lady Eagles basketball star Rachel Vigers has been dismissed from the women’s basketball team. The dismissal stems from Vigers’ 19-Nov-2011 arrest by Pearl River County Sheriff’s officials on an intent to distribute marijuana charge that was based on possession by Vigers of about 2 pounds of the illegal drug.

. . breaking news . . . Faculty Leaders Express Surprise Over Lyman Resignation HATTIESBURG – Late on 16-Nov-2011, USM public relations officials announced that USM provost Robert Lyman has resigned his administrative position and moved to the faculty ranks. Citing “personal reasons” for Lyman’s resignation, USM president Martha Saunders noted that Lyman helped move the academic side of the USM house through some rough times in recent years.

“Turns Out iTech was in Error” USM HONORS COLLEGE DEAN PLACING ‘TABLETGATE’ BLAME ON COFFMAN Johnathan Wilkes, a senior in USM’s Honors College, expresses (above) the sentiment of the 700 to 1,000 USM students who were given new Samsung Galaxy Tab tablets by USM at the start of fall semester (2011), only to be told in late November-2011 that USM, not the selected students, owned the tablets after all.

Perez Hilton Derides USM, Phi Mu Sisters Another National Hit Taken by Institution Widely-followed celebrity gossip columnist Perez Hilton recently took a break from his usual reporting to deride USM and its Phi Mu sorority chapter over the “blackface incident” that now has national news media focusing on the Hattiesburg-based institution.

The EuStachy Code Another Look at Larry Eustachy's Destruction of USM Basketball Now in season #8, Eustachy is adding a number of new players to his Golden Eagles basketball team. These are listed in green in the table above. The table above adds seven new Golden Eagles to Larry Eustachy’s cumulative roster at USM.

“I Assumed . . . the Details had been Handled Properly” USM PRESIDENT MARTHA SAUNDERS DISTANCES HERSELF FROM LATEST SCANDAL Thanks largely to The Hattiesburg American’s veteran higher education reporter Ed Kemp’s recent work, members of the USM family perhaps now have their best glimpse at the character, or lack thereof, of USM president Martha Saunders.