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Showing posts from September, 2020

Kochs, CJR, Police Reform & Mayor Turner? Oh My!

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When Mayor Turner set up the police reform advisory committee, there was immediate pushback and criticism, even as recent as September 16, 2020:   https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Civil-rights-activists-call-for-police-reforms-in-15573053.php   In July, the CJR set up their own police reform committee while Director Henderson had been placed on the Mayor’s police reform committee:   https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/TSU-assembles-group-of-Black-researchers-to-15394528.php#photo-19649410   While we cannot question the urgency, necessity and desire for police reform, we have to question the potential conflict of interests which exist between the CJR in connection with the Kochs’ and Koch Industries providing supplies to law enforcement as well as the HPD Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between Director Henderson and the HPD in summer 2018.  Although we cannot verify this document is legally binding, it does app

New SOE Associate Dean Cavil?

In our previous post on Dr Cavil, he appointed or rather chaired a committee which allowed him to have a joint/dual appointment with School of Education.  Rumors were that Dr Cavil could become the next Dean after Dr Poats stepped down. Now it appears there may be some truth to the rumor- Transparency State has learned that Dr. Cavill may be appointed as the Associate Dean at SOE as that position is now vacant since the Associate Dean has now been promoted to Dean.  We will find out soon   https://transparencystate.blogspot.com/2020/06/did-dr-javus-kenyatta-cavill-appoint.html?m=1

Update- Faculty & Staff Excellence Awards

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Recently, Transparency State was informed that a professor received an email that the Provost had suspended/cancelled/postponed (we still don't know the reason) the Faculty Excellence Awards because for the category the faculty member had applied in, there were not enough applicants to make a decision. Now we find this very strange.  Why did at least some of the committees meet and make a final decision but then turn around months later and inform certain faculty that there were not enough applications to be able to make a decision for some of the awards?  Or all?   Put it this way- would you get into a car with Provost Harris for a 200 mile trip when the car had only 100 miles of gas and the Provost refused to buy more gas?  We hope not.... No, we really hope you would not do that.   So why did some committees meet (we know of at least 2 committees that met and provided their final decisions) but yet other committees didn't meet or.....? Hmmmm.....

The Final SOPA Chairs decision

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 We promise this is our final post on the SOPA Chairs saga (I mean, we really hope).  As previously mentioned-  https://transparencystate.blogspot.com/2020/07/will-tsu-enter-financial-exigency.html Dean Kieh announced his final decision- despite initially informing the AJ Faculty he would not keep Dr. Baker on for another 2 years (based on the Faculty Manual) he made the sole decision to keep on Dr. Baker in the Interim Chair position.   The Provost did not seem to agree with his idea to use a "waiver."   In AJ, Dr. Kalunta-Crumpton tied the votes with 4 votes in her favor and 4 votes for Dr. Baker and yet Dean Kieh decided to keep on Dr. Baker.   We assume the votes are correct as we are unable to verify each professor's votes since Dean Kieh refuses to provide individual votes.     In UPEP, Dr. Pan turned down the Interim Chair position (same reason as Dr. Drake it seems), and Dean Kieh refused to consider Dr. Solitaire (who had also applied) so Dean Kieh went back to D

Update- Law School Admissions Scandal

In other news, Edward Rene turned himself in- Now we wonder.....what will he tell the prosecutors?   Will he spill the beans and implicate other people in the law school scandal?   Will King Lane get into trouble again?     We will find out soon.   https://www.houstonchronicle.com/local/education/campus-chronicles/article/texas-southern-tsu-official-arrest-warrant-turns-15484705.php https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/education/article/Warrant-out-for-arrest-of-former-TSU-official-15481898.php

New School of Education Dean?

Rumors are that Dean Poats has formally stepped down as Dean of the School of Education.  There has been a long-time rumor that she would be either retiring or returning to teaching full-time.   The rumor is that Associate Dean Bernell Peltier-Glaze has been confirmed as the new Dean of the School of Education.   http://tsu.edu/academics/colleges-and-schools/coe/faculty-and-staff/faculty-profiles-department-of-educational-administration-amp-foundations/bernnell-peltier-glaze.html