Following yesterday's FAMU BOT Executive Committee Meeting, Interim President Castell Bryant called on the Tallahassee Democrat editorial board, where she blamed the University's payroll problems on the colleges deans.An alert to submit complete paperwork on time and receive budget approval before hiring anyone went out to Florida A&M University deans at the start of fall semester, said Bryant.
Calling the process "Basic Academic Administration 101," Provost Debra Austin said the hiring protocol isn't new, but was reemphasized by her to the deans at the start of this semester.
"I do recall that we were told to get our paperwork in on time, and in many cases I think we did," said James Hawkins, dean of the School of Journalism and Graphic Communication. "In the case of The Famuan, we did not get it in before the start of the semester." The Famuan staff, who temporarily went on strike, weren't paid until Feb. 16, he said.
While pointing fingers at deans, Bryant and Austin overlooked the fact that the University's OPS Personnel Action Form, used to hire Adjuncts, OPS, and Teaching and Graduate Assistants requires signoff by the University President/Provost or Appropriate VP.
Lowe blames past administrations for current payroll mess
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Unpaid students face eviction
Castell clueless
Pay makes news
Pay issue has Castell pointing fingers
Lack of pay may cause workers to quit
Check isn't in the mail
No pay for TAs and Adjuncts
Checks short/TAs go without
Some professors not being paid
This is pitiful. Part of being a good leader is to admit when you've made a mistake. To Blame DEANS for this mess is foolish. Guess the Provost forgot that her signature has to go on the forms for folks to be officially hired and paid.
ReplyDeleteShe refuses to take responsibility for anything! Sad. Just sad.
ReplyDeleteI HEARD NCCU OFFERED $400,000. TO KEEP AMMONS. ANY INFORMATION ON THIS PLEASE RESPOND!
ReplyDeleteHey, I heard the same, (NCCU COUNTER OFFERS $400k) is it true? Come on bloggers and blogettes, we need some info!
ReplyDeleteI don't know I just saw this article regarding NCCU's search for a new Chancellor
ReplyDeletehttp://rdu.news14.com/content/headlines/?ArID=100914&SecID=2
RN, what's the 411?
I HAVE A LINE TO NCCU AS WE SPEAK, THIS COULD BE SERIOUS! MAYBE PART OF CASATAN'S PLAN. HMM. THEY DID IT BEFORE WHEN THEY WANTED GANIOUS VS YOUR BOY WHO WAS SENT BACK TO INDIANA.
ReplyDeleteWE SHOULD KEEP DR BRYANT
ReplyDeleteI HEARD NCCU OFFERED $400,000. TO KEEP AMMONS. ANY INFORMATION ON THIS PLEASE RESPOND!
ReplyDeleteThe state of NC was willing to outbid anyone by $50,000 annually in order to keep Dr. Ammons, but money was never the object. His alma mater, his home, is in trouble and most us (real Rattlers) know that Rattler blood (love for our alma mater) is thicker than water (lure of money) when our own is in trouble. Our son is coming home.
Hubba Dr. Ammons!
Just get Cast-Hell and Co. out ASAP! This is ridiculous. Her tenure as president is cast in stone now and it ain't good!
ReplyDeleteInterim, not president! Please lets not confuse the two!!!!!
ReplyDelete"We should keep Dr. Bryant..."
ReplyDeleteON A LEASH
No matter what is said on this board Castell Vaughn Bryant's place in FAMU history is solidified...
ReplyDeleteWORST PRESIDENT EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
a short one, at that..
ReplyDeletea short one, at that, so that we can pull the rope tighter & faster...
ReplyDeleteAll the problems just can't come from underlings failing to do their jobs.
ReplyDeleteI know four OPS contracts that were completed and submitted in mid December. The first evidence they had even been looked at by the budget office came in February. As of March 1, the students still had not been paid.
Here's what I suspect. In the recent past, FAMU financial offices were not quite following the rules, because the rules didn't work. They were doing a hacked-together procedure that worked. People were getting paid, orders were being placed.
But when our new administrators re-instated the rules, people stopped getting paid.
They should have fixed the procedures long ago, instead of insisting on procedures that either don't work or people don't know how to carry them out, or instead of continuing to use the work-arounds.
It is characteristic of FAMU to make procedures more complex than they need to be. That way, you have to go to a gatekeeper and ask, as a favor, that something ordinary get done, like phoning someone to let them know you have sent them an email that needs acting on (Yep, done that many times). Some people seem to want this kind of personal power, instead of just doing a good job in a larger process.
PeopleSoft and the way FAMU uses it is also likely to be part of the problem here.
There's just no way to get PeopleSoft to produce financial statements understandable by an ordinary intelligent user. It's balances frequently differ from mine, and our accounts are really simple.
Establishing reliable procedures would be very helpful. Training people to use them would be helpful. Detecting and fixing problems with those procedures would be really helpful.
But to do this, FAMU needs alert, professional people at every single step, people dedicated to doing a job, rather than having a job.
Many are already doing their jobs well. Everybody has to. That means calling people out when they don't. That might mean embarrassing somebody's relatives. That might mean firing somebody's sister who needs the job but isn't doing it well.
FAMU, welcome to the world of excellence. It's worthwhile, but it's tough.
This payroll meltdown has nothing to do with past administrations not using the correct procedures.
ReplyDeleteNEWSFLASH!! The state comptroller's office handled all payroll distributions during the Humphries years. The state comptroller never jacked up paychecks.
The current problems directly extend from the Bryant administration's inability to use ERP correctly and the failure to develop accurate annual budget projections.
They's gittin' ready ta roast her azz on Monday. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
ReplyDelete