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2- February 11, 2009The ChronicleHiggins a ---------------------------------------------------cont. from pg 1S.C. State -------------------------------------------------cont. from pg 1
Forest resident said whilehe saw almost no signs of campaigning by the threecandidates - Coakum of West Ashley, Gregorie of Charleston’s west side andHill also of West Ashley -leading up to the electionthe city’s form of governing probably kept many votersat home. “A lot of people don’t think their representatives oncouncil have any power toinfluence what happensbecause Mayor Joe Riley controls everything in thestrong mayor form of gov-ernment. So it really didn’t matter who got elected,” Johnson reasoned. The thought that electedrepresentation, at least for this special election, isinconsequential wasechoed by Elliott Blake of Line Street. Blake said hefelt neither of the threecandidates offering for theseat demonstrated thequalities needed for effec-tive representation. “All of them brought some-thing to the table, but they all also had flaws. Oneseemed to have no specific agenda, another seemedhandpicked to promote thestatus quo agenda and thethird candidate seemed tolack commitment to any agenda,” Blake said. “Idon’t think Dist. 6 con-stituents saw the kind of representation they want inaccrediting agency said the board's audit was conducted"in a manner that is not clearly articulated in itsbylaws."SACS also contended the audit failed to involvefaculty and the administration, which violates SACS stan-dard 3.4.10.That standard mandates faculty is ultimately responsible for a university's curriculum.SACS acknowl-edged a similar audit had been conducted earlier by Hugine's administration.S.C. State says the audit wasconducted to assess the effectiveness and productivity of certain academic programs and the possibility of adding new majors.The university said the second audit wasappropriate because the initial one failed to address theconcerns of the board regarding academics. It also includ-ed more faculty representation than the first audit.TheS.C. State report added, "This review provided a frame- work from which the faculty can develop a plan of action toenhance its academic programs and curricula." The audit was done by the Education Commission of theStates. It was the same review the board cited as a reasonto terminate Hugine's contract in 2007.Washington reiter-ated that faculty was involved in conducting the ECOSaudit.In addition, S.C. State noted faculty have leader-ship roles in multiple councils and committees on campus.SACS also said the university didn't adhere to standard 3.2.6, which requires a clear distinction between the rolesof the board and administration.SACS said it received anoverwhelming amount of third-party comments from pressand individuals in regard to the board micromanaging Hugine's administration."... there appears to be a seriousdisconnect between the opinions of the public and schoolofficials," SACS said in regard to the allegation.The S.C.State report contended the media contributed to the pub-lic perception of board micromanagement.It also assertedthat Washington, speaking on behalf of the university, was viewed by some as "usurping the power of the president.However, in order for the board to promote the interestsof the university, there are times when they must bespokespersons for the university." Third-party informationsuggested the board also interfered with the athletics pro-gram. SACS standard 3.2.11 states the president must haveauthority over athletics.In the report, the university contended the boardonly approves policy and provides a supportive role to ath-letics.The report noted the president assigns the duties of the athletic director. S.C. State also has an NCAA compli-ance officer who reports to the president, according to thereport.S.C. State submitted several contracts to show compliance for SACS standard 3.2.11. One of those was a signed contract between Hugine and University of SouthCarolina Athletics Director Eric Hyman to play two foot-ball games over a five-year period.SACS asked S.C. Stateto submit proof the board wasn't controlled by a minority of trustees. The agency also requested evidence the boarddid not have any conflict of interest issues.The university responded that the board's committee structure ensuredall trustees have an equal influence on policy. The report noted that all trustees must sign a statement swearing they are free from any conflict of interest pertaining to S.C.State.The warning does not affect the institution's current accredited status.The university will have to submit evi-dence it is complying with the standards by September or face further consequences.If S.C. State fails to comply with those standardsby next fall, it could receive probation. According to theSACS Web site, probation is usually, but not always, thenext step before a university loses its accreditation.TheSACS letter and S.C. State's report were obtainedthrough a Freedom of Information Act Request. S.C.President George Cooper had said the university wouldn't relinquish the SACS letter, citing it as an institutionalmatter.During Thursday's board committee meetings, Washington said those documents should be made public.Cooper replied the university would release the docu-ments, which it did.Cooper said the university would hirea consultant to assist with its 2010 SACS reaccreditationprocess.dismissed those concerns saying the benefits outweighedthe costs. As this bill heads to the full Senate JudicialCommittee, I for one would like to know what benefitsSenator Ford sees in this bill, and I mean the benefits that don’t include him doing a song and dance for what hethinks is a chance to get the white vote.Senator Ford is right when he says that we havecome a long way in South Carolina. We have come a long way when one of the most hard lined African-Americanleaders in our state turns to a group he has been fighting all of his political life for support of his run for Governor. What’s next Senator Ford? Do you put on white face andsing “Mammy?” South Carolina has some big issues facing us this year and we cannot afford the lack of leadership that Senator Ford is offering from any of our elected officials, African-American or white. Isn’t it time we go about thebusiness of growing our state and creating a better quality of life for the people who live in our state. Senator Ford’sbill should be voted down and the people of Charlestonshould take a long look at who they send to represent themin the South Carolina Senate, because while other Senateleaders continue to “bring home the bacon” for their com-munities all Senator Ford can come up with is a poor planto get himself elected governor of the state. SouthCarolina deserves better leaders and we as citizens shoulddemand more in 2009.Larry Smith is the Publisher of The Community Times Newspaper and The Times Upstate Newspaper inSouth Carolina. He can be reached by email at lar-ryscafricanvillage@hotmail.com.
What was ---------------------------------------------------cont. from pg 1
Public office is a trust and it is a trust that should not betaken lightly. It takes a certain kind of man or woman toeffectively represent a district.The battle lines are being drawn now, with the injection of State Senator Robert Ford going all out in support of Ms. Coaxum by financing her campaign, that’s good, nothing wrong with that, but the question remains who is financing the senator?It would behoove us to look closely at the candi-dates and then give it only if we are convinced that the per-son can adequately give us the kind of representation wehave deserved for so long and gotten only rarely. It is for this reason that we endorse William Dudley Gregorie inthe Feb. 17 in the runoff election. Also, you have to wonder why the endorsers in theabove photo, can vouch for a candidate, Tommie Coaxum, who claims to be an ‘educator’ but has never revealed her educational background or schools she has served, except in the capacity as a substitute teacher!Further, why would Mayor Joe Riley Jr. agree toendorse Ms. Coaxum, except having a “safe” vote on coun-cil? Perhaps he may have forgotten that it was Mr.Gregorie, as director of HUD operations in SouthCarolina, increased funding for the State to over $ 1.4 bil-lion and $400 million for the expansion of MUSC. Thisincluded another $8 billion for counties across the State,including the City of Charleston. Jim Frenchany of the candidates,’ headded.Leonard Higgins of Ashleyville said he was dis-appointed about the elec-tion and attributed the low voter turnout to a lack of campaigning on the part of the candidates and publici-ty on the part of the media. “This was a kind of silent election. A lot of peoplesaid they didn’t even know about the election andmany white constituents West Ashley didn’t partici-pate at all,” he said. While the candidatesbegan to campaign in vari-ous communities a few days prior to the electionhe saw few signs that anelection was forthcoming in the weeks preceding theelection either from candi-dates or the news media which gave the electiononly minimal coverage,Higgins added. “I trust now that people areaware of the Feb. 17 runoff election those who will beimpacted by whomever iselected will have a hand inchoosing a representative,” Higgins said.
Chronicle endorsements -----------------------------cont. from pg 1
By. George E Curry NNPA Columnist Five years ago, theSouthern ChristianLeadership Conference,the Atlanta-based civilrights group co-founded by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was in disarray. It had just concluded a conven-tion in Jacksonville, Fla.that was so contentiousthat police had to be sum-moned to keep the peace.Instead of choosing between the two candi-dates vying for president at the time, TV Judge Greg Mathis and Ralph D. Abernathy III, conventiondelegates picked Rev. FredShuttlesworth to serve asinterim president.But when Shuttlesworthfired longtime staffer Rev.E. Randel T. Osburn sev-eral months later, theSCLC board overruledShuttlesworth and sus-pended him. The civilrights icon fromBirmingham, Ala. quit,saying: “Only God can givelife to the dead.” That’s when the SCLCboard turned to CharlesSteele, Jr., an Alabama undertaker, to breathe new life into the dying organi-zation. Taking office withno money in the bank andthe office lights turned out,Steele began rebuilding the organization. Thegroup’s finances were soshaky that when Steelefirst accepted the job, hecommuted from Tuscaloosa, Ala. and for a short period, slept in hiscar to save money.But that changed quickly. The former Alabama statesenator raised more than$6 million over four years,including $3.3 million tobuild new headquarters for SCLC on Auburn Avenue. The organization’s assetsincreased 10-fold under Steele. Over that sameperiod, the former Alabama state senator increased the number of chapters from 10 to 85 andrescued SCLC from irrele- vancy.Steele resigned as presi-dent and CEO of SCLC,effective this week, andByron Clay, a board mem-ber from Kenner, La., wasnamed interim president. Although Steele left office without rancor – BoardChairman Raleigh Trammell repeatedly triedto persuade Steele torescind his resignation –SCLC finds itself at anoth-er turning point. And the person the boardselects to lead the organi-zation may determine if SCLC will build on theprogress made under Steele’s leadership or return to its near-death sta-tus. Whomever is selected,along with the board, willface the challenge of com-ing up with vibrant pro-grams to make the organi-zation more effective.Despite being a major play-er in the civil rights move-ment, seeking justice for the Jena 6 in Louisiana,marching to urge theJustice Department under George W. Bush to bemore aggressive in enforc-ing civil rights and preach-ing economic empower-ment, much of Steele’sefforts were devoted tokeeping the organizationsolvent. He also spent a considerable amount of time making SCLC aninternational force, estab-lishing conflict resolutioncenters abroad and joining efforts to bring peace tothe Middle East. To attract a crediblenational figure to becomeSCLC’s seventh president in 52 years, the board needsto adjust how it interacts with its president/CEO. The role of directors is toestablish policy and allow the president to superviseday-to-day operations. Although Steele never cited it as a factor in hisdecision to leave, theSCLC board is deeply involved in daily opera-tions of SCLC. For exam-ple, the organization’s gen-eral counsel reports direct-ly to the board chairmaninstead of the president asis the case under most organizational structures.Still, the past several yearshave been uncommonly smooth for SCLC, largely because of the good work-ing relationship betweenChairman Trammell andPresident Steele. Trammell was generally supportive of Steele andSteele maintained openand regular communica-tions with Trammell, wholives in Dayton, Ohio.Since Joseph Lowery stepped down as president of SCLC in 1997 after a 20- year tenure, the organiza-tion has been roiled by political infighting. MartinLuther King III’s 7-year year tenure ended in 2004after frequent clashes withthe board. Shuttlesworthquit abruptly in 2004 after serving several months. And when Steele wasselected to succeedShuttlesworth that same year, many were predicting a similar fate for him.In a speech to the NationalNewspaper Publishers Association in Phoenix two years ago, Steele recalled: “When we got there, thelights were off. The phone was off. Dr. King’s organi-zation couldn’t meet pay-roll, inherited a $100,000debt from the conventioncoming out of Jacksonville,Fla. and owed the federalgovernment. And now thefederal government owesus. In the last two years, we have raised $6 million.” Trammell, in a statement announcing Steele’s depar-ture, said, “Charles Steele’spassion for civil rights andhis desire to keep theorganization alive and rele- vant has changed not only SCLC, but the world’s view of SCLC for the bet-ter.” Trammell added, “Hisdetermination and driverestored the organizationback to our original rele- vance. Because of Charles,our membership hasincreased and he has givena new foundation on which we can continue to build.” Steele, who moved his fam-ily from his native Tuscaloosa, Ala. to Atlanta, said he plans toremain in Georgia and con-centrate on potential busi-ness opportunities, many of them in the internationalarena. He also plans serveas a consultant to SCLC while it seeks its next leader and build on hisefforts to establish conflict resolution centers aroundthe world.In the meantime, my oldbuddy can be proud of what he accomplished. Inaddition to always criticiz-ing “scared Negroes,” he was fond of saying that when he took over, “We weren’t dead, but we wereon life-support.” SCLCcan now breathe easier because of Charles Steele,Jr.George E. Curry, former editor-in-chief of Emergemagazine and the NNPA News Service, is a keynotespeaker, moderator, andmedia coach. He can bereached through his Website, www.georgecurry.com.
SCLC Faces Another Turning Point
“To the ordinaryAmerican orEnglishman, the racequestion at bottom issimply a matter ofownership of women;white men want theright to use allwomen, colored andwhite, and they resentthe intrusion of col-ored men in thisdomain.”
W.E.B. DuBois
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