Moves concern Trivedi

Some recent moves at Southern University raised concerns of students, faculty and staff.
But for Faculty Senate President, computer science professor Sudhir Trivedi, the moves have him concerned in the direction the university is heading.
“This man, (Chancellor Kofi Lomotey) and (Board of Supervisors Chairman) Tony Clayton, three months ago they came up with an idea to increase the standards and it scared a lot of students from applying,” said Trivedi pointing at an article in a local newspaper. “You see this new telephone system, you cannot call anyone anywhere. What kind of people would change the telephone system in the height of registration and the enrollment?”
He accredits this reason and many more to the loss of student interest and government funding to the university.
“When we lose the students we lose the share of the money that we get from the state.” He continued, “What they have done defies all logic, it’s just not intelligent.”
Another area of concern for Trivedi is the hiring of professor Lisa Delpit as the College of Education’s first Felton Grandison Clark Professor of Education. According to SU System documents, SUBR officials requested approving Delpit’s hiring in July, proposing a salary of $120 thousand.
Trivedi felt that it was an insult to the university committee and the faculty to give such an offer. Hiring someone new during the current university situation.
“I am the president of the Faculty Senate and I oppose this offer because this is the biggest insult you can offer to the university committee and the faculty,” said Trivedi.
He felt as though the biggest issue with this decision was that Southern cannot hire new faculty members because “we don’t have money” and are already having to canceling classes.
“Here we are giving $120 thousand to someone for nine months not twelve months (a complete fiscal year),”he said.
However, Delpit said that most faculty are nine-month faculty and denies Southern paying her a $120 thousand salary.
Trivedi was also concerned with the lack of faculty input in their decision to hire Delpit.
“There was no input from the faculty so I only have the chancellor’s and Clayton’s word that she is good,” said Trivedi.
Unlike most incoming faculty, she did not have to go before a panel and be reviewed to see if she would actually be a good fit for the university.
“What really mattered is if she meets our needs, I was told by someone that she’s teaching one class the average professor teaches four classes per semester,” Trivedi exclaimed.
When asked does she believe if she was an asset to the university, he replied “No, absolutely not! She is a liability that has been placed upon us by Chancellor Lomotey, President Mason, and Tony Clayton and this board.”
Trivedi attributes the snub to the relationship between Delpit’s brother, Joe Delpit, and Clayton, claiming that Clayton thinks that Joe Delpit is like his “big uncle” asking him about different methods related to SU.
However, Lisa Delpit said that he tried to convince her not to come to Southern, feeling that it might be more difficult, but she chose to come her on her own.
Trivedi also questioned Delpit’s record at Florida International University.
“Even though she has tenure, she was running a center at Florida International University and that center was closed and she was given leave on half pay and no pay for the remaining of that year,” he said.
Delpit said the the center, the Center for Urban Education and Innovation, was closed because FIU’s president used the center’s funds for another purpose, but she remained an endowed professor in urban education.
Delpit said she believes that Southern’s faculty is woefully underpaid and that the physical plant, at least W.W. Stewart Hall — where the College of Education is located — is falling apart.
“I would be thrilled to work with anyone, especially the faculty senate, to protest the situation to the governor and the legislators,” she said.
“It is much like that period of legalized apartheid in America when African Americans had to pay equal taxes to support white public schools, but what was provided for black schools was completely subpar.”