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(August 25, 2009) The ECO Terminal A Newsletter Relating to the Elimination of Economics Programs Did Student Protesters Get the “Saunders Shuffle”? According to The Hattiesburg American’s higher education reporter Ed Kemp’s 25-Aug-09 article entitled “USM students protest possible cuts,” at one point during the silent protest (of the elimination of the economics major at USM) a few USM student protesters walked through the Aubrey K. Lucas Administration Building, where the oral appeals (of the $8 million in budget cuts) were being heard. That small parade “prompt[ed USM] President Martha Saunders to come outside and ask one of the protesters . . . [about] the reason for their presence,” according to Kemp. One student told the president that they were protesting for an open forum in which USM constituencies could voice their concerns about the decision to eliminate the economics major at USM. According to Kemp, upon hearing this explanation Saunders turned around and headed back inside the AKLAB. She later told THA that there are no plans to hold such a forum, or an event of the kind, in order to discuss the cuts.

(August 26, 2009) “You Can’t Handle the Truth.” N777AQ may be familiar. If not, it should be. It is a tail number used for identifying and tracking airplanes. This particular number is the found on President Saunders’ plane. It is leased from USM’s Foundation during this time of recession and severe budget cuts, including the potential demolition of an entire academic program. Dr. Saunders has taken steps to conceal information about its flights. As a result, she is obscuring the inefficiency and ineffectiveness of her decision.

(August 26, 2009) "Anonymous" Describes Why ECO is Doomed Ominous News from USM Forum –Message Board A recent posting to the USM Forum -- Message Board relayed some ominous news to the CoB's 9 tenured/tenure-track faculty who were slated by USM administrators for elimination in early Aug-09. That posting, by "Anonymous," is inserted below:

(August 28, 2009) Lyman Looks Better Second Time Around THE LATEST NEWS ON THE USM BUDGET CUT OF 2009-10Lyman Gives Up the Goods USM provost Robert Lyman was once again interviewed by The Hattiesburg American's higher education reporter Ed Kemp about the $8 million Aug-09 budget cut at the institution. Lyman told Kemp – for Kemp's 27-Aug-09 story entitled "Concern raised over cuts at USM" – that Southern Miss is putting tenured/tenure-track faculty in economics and technical and occupational education on the chopping block as a result of program elimination.

(August 28, 2009) Fruit from the Grapevine As talk continues to swirl around the campus at Southern Miss, more and more of the focus is on the more clearly emerging triad of President Martha Saunders, Provost Bob Lyman, and Dean Denise von Herrmann (College of Arts and Letters [CoAL]). This is a liberal arts trinity that appears to be protecting the CoAL from any major budget cuts in the roughly $8.5 million university academic budget cuts for next fiscal year.