The following is the first in a three-part series surrounding ongoing legal action between the Board of Supervisors and Southern University System President Ralph Slaughter.
Since the Board of Supervisors’ March 27 decision not to renew Southern University System President Ralph Slaughter’s contract, the university has watched administrators and board officials wrangle over legalities, among them a series of lawsuits filed by Slaughter alleging polling by the Board and the impending April 27 regular legislative session.
Though it is unclear if an alleged “political” agenda was at work to oust Slaughter, faculty senate president Sudhir Trivedi asked a question on the minds of many in the university community, “Why all the secrecy?”
Trevedi, who disagreed with the board’s initial decision, is concerned about Southern’s current financial woes saying it was a “bad move” considering the financial crisis sweeping the nation – especially in higher education.
“We’re in a financial crisis,” he said. “Southern doesn’t stand to gain much.”
Albert Samuels, assistant professor of political science, affirms that the secrecy surrounding the Board’s decision reeked of politics.
“It’s hard to come to a conclusion if you can’t offer a sensible reason to fire him (Slaughter),” said Samuels.
“Looks like politics. The board is saying, ‘You’re doing a good job, but you’re fired.'”
Initially, after the board’s 11-5 vote not to renew Slaughter’s contract on June 30, a follow-up April 15 meeting was scheduled to determine if Slaughter would be allowed to serve until the end of the fiscal year.
On April 1, the board canceled the meeting after another 11-5 vote decided to allow Slaughter to fulfill his June 30 term, with the option to reapply to serve as interim president position – following his contractual termination – until a replacement is selected.
Last Thursday, Slaughter filed the first of three lawsuits, including an April 3 suit filed against past and present members of the Board of Supervisors.
Current chairman Tony Clayton and past chairman Johnny Anderson are among the names listed in the suit along with Dale Atkins, a former member of the board, and Lea Polk-Montgomery, a current board member.
Assistant professor of history Ava Baham, another member of the faculty senate, did not endorse nor condemn the board’s decision since she was not in attendance at the meeting, but commented on the issue.
“The president had a contractual agreement to fulfill until June 30. But in the three years (Slaughter’s) been here, he’s left no real legacy, but I’ll leave that to be determined by someone who watches these things more closely than I do.
“The board’s decision will only be good if they (search committee) intend to do an honest, good search for a president, and not have someone waiting in the wings, waiting to lobby the state’s legislature. The candidate should be someone of national stature, and can lead the system in a logical, constitutional process.”
Baham went on to reference a March 28 article published on msnbc.com detailing the six-year graduation rate of black males at HBCUs. The article, an analysis done by the Associated Press, negated several claims black colleges promote, specifically the claim that black colleges graduate black males at higher rates than predominately white colleges. In fact, according to the article, black colleges lag four percent behind black males attending white institutions.
“In the face of that article, that’s damaging,” said Baham. “We need someone who understand that, and will fight for the institution. We need someone who will make some contributions to Southern University. ”
Physics professor Diola Bagayoko is among those that agree that funding and national, if not international, recognition of a candidate should play a part in prerequisites for system president.
Bagayoko’s opinion on the board’s decision, however, mirrors Baham’s.
“Most board members have more information than what the faculty has, so I go by what the board decided.”
Next Week: The Three Suits, student and faculty reaction, President Slaughter and the Board of Supervisor’s responses.
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SU controversy centers around Slaughter, Board of Supervisors
April 6, 2009
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