Lawson blasts Boyd for supporting offshore drilling

Following a meeting with the Tallahassee Democrat editorial board during which BP’s past support of him was discussed, Congressman Allen Boyd faces accusations that he is trying to distance himself from the oil giant responsible for the worst environmental disaster in American history.

In a press release, Congressional challenger Alfred “Al” Lawson cited a report by The Sunlight Foundation, a nonpartisan watchdog group, that connected Boyd with BP. The foundation recently compiled a list of members of Congress who held campaign fundraisers where lobbyists from BP were listed as hosts. The second name on that list was seven-term Congressman Allen Boyd.

The fundraiser cited by the Sunlight Foundation was held on June 25, 2008 at Charlie Palmer Steak in Washington DC. The invitation specifically solicited money from Political Action Committees (PACs). Official campaign finance records show that the Boyd for Congress campaign raised $6,500 on that day, all from PACs.

Campaign finance records also show that Congressman Boyd carried over more than $1 million from his 2008 account to be used in 2010.

In a July 27 Tallahassee Democrat article, Boyd carefully parsed his words, saying that he had never accepted money from BP or its executives. Boyd, however, refused to deny that he accepted money from a BP lobbyist.

“The only thing worse that Congressman Boyd taking money from a BP lobbyist is him now trying to cover it up,” said Lawson, who is challenging Boyd in the Democratic primary for Florida’s 2nd Congressional District.

Campaign finance records show that Boyd has accepted $62,200 from big oil interests since 1999.

In 2006, Congressman Boyd voted for the landmark offshore oil drilling bill, which opened up the federal waters where the Deep Horizons explosion occurred.

During his time in the Florida Legislature, Lawson has always opposed offshore oil drilling.

Report: Horne tapped as new AD

HBCU Sports Online.com reports that Derek Horne will be FAMU’s next athletic director. Horne currently serves as an associate athletic director at the University of Mississippi.

According to the article: “Horne’s appointment is pending approval from the board of trustees sometime this week. Horne was one of two finalists being considered to head the FAMU athletic department. Interim athletic director, Mike Smith, was the other candidate. Smith’s history with the university and financial background had many considering him the favorite.”

Earlier this month, the Oxford Eagle reported that Horne wowed FAMU President James H. Ammons during his recent interview and became “the leading candidate due to his interview and his experience at an SEC school.”

Horne is in his 14th year at Ole Miss, having begun as an assistant athletic director in 1995.

Horne spearheads the Rebels’ athletics department’s correspondence and development with former letterwinners in all sports. He also oversees the CHAMPS Life Skills program and concessions at all athletics venues. Additionally, he assists the athletics director in administering all activities of the department and serves as a representative of the athletics department at alumni, civic and intercollegiate athletics functions.

Marks to deliver commencement address

John Marks, III, Mayor of the City of Tallahassee, will serve as the keynote speaker for Florida A&M University’s (FAMU) 2010 summer commencement. The ceremony is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday, August 6 in the Alfred Lawson, Jr. Multipurpose Center and Teaching Gymnasium.

Marks practices law with his son at Marks and Marks, LLC. The firm focuses its practice on utility regulation, telecommunications and Internet law.

Marks was elected in 2003 to a four-year term as mayor and re-elected in 2006. His board affiliations include the Fringe Benefits Management Company, a privately held financial services company, the Florida League of Cities Municipal Investment Trust, the Tallahassee Economic Development Council, the Alliance for Digital Equality, the Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center Authority, the Sunshine State Governmental Financing Commission and the Economic Club of Florida.

He serves on the Board of Advisors for the U.S. Conference of Mayors and is vice chairman for Communications of the U.S.C.M. Transportation and Communications Committee. In addition, Marks served as the president of the Florida League of Mayors from 2005 to 2007 and currently serves as president of the Florida League of Cities for the 2009-2010 term.

Marks received his bachelor’s degree in 1969 from the Florida State University (FSU) School of Business and his juris doctor degree in 1972 from the FSU College of Law.

He is married to Jane Awkard Marks, a psychotherapist, and has one son, John, IV.

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Persaud hired as IT director at FAMU law

Shashi Persaud is the new director of Information Technology (IT) at the FAMU College of Law.

Persaud has more than 11 years of experience as a director of IT in both Tallahassee and Central Florida, and carries extensive technical and management experience specializing in software, hardware and network connectivity issues. He has served as a senior IT administrator for both the Department of Homeland Security and the First District Court of Appeals in Tallahassee. He most recently served as director of IT for the Osceola County Department of Health.

“Mr. Persaud emerged as the top-ranked candidate in a pool of strong applicants,” said Dean LeRoy Pernell. “I am pleased that he has agreed to share our vision for the FAMU College of Law where he is already making a difference.”

Persaud is a graduate of Flagler College and holds an M.B.A. from Florida State University.

O’Duor to investigate payroll glitch

Following a glitch that prevented 50 FAMU employees from receiving their paychecks on time, President James H. Ammons has ordered an internal audit of the payroll system.

Ammons instructed Vice President of Audit and Compliance Charles O’Duor to carry out the investigation and come back to him with a written report.

According to WCTV-6 the report will “include the three departments that were affected, Academic Affairs, Administrative and Financial Services and Enterprise Information Technology.”

Some defenders of former Interim President Castell Bryant jumped for joy when they heard there was a new payroll snafu, thinking it would prove that Ammons is managing the payment process as badly as she did.

But as usual, Castell's supporters have trouble with basic arithmetic. Castell’s payroll crisis affected some 700 employees. It was a meltdown, not a “glitch.”

Dawson enshrined in baseball Hall of Fame

Back when James H. Ammons was studying political science at FAMU, he and other students knew not to drive anywhere near the baseball field while Andre Dawson was batting unless they wanted to risk a broken windshield.

"Those of us in school at the same time, we knew he was destined for greatness," Ammons told the Palm Beach Post. "The way the baseball field at Florida A&M University was situated, when he would hit home runs, it would go out into the streets, and so it was legend. If you were driving, you better watch."

Andre Dawson ended his career officially with 438 home runs, but his emotional acceptance speech in Cooperstown should add one more to that total. By all accounts, he knocked it out of the park. His speech was comical and reminescant, but more importantly it was filled with positive messages for people young and old.

Dawson was one of three enshrinees into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on July 25. Whitey Herzog, who managed the St. Louis Cardinals to a World Series victory and longtime umpire Doug Harvey were also enshrined. Dawson had the distinct honor of being the only player inducted this year.

Dawson’s speech touched on family issues, self-esteem and social responsibility. He challenged youth to be responsible for their actions. He emphasized that the guys on that stage would not have made it to that point if they lived their lives like they had nothing to lose. On the stage were 47 Hall of Famers including Henry “Hank” Aaron, Willie Mays, Ricky Henderson, Dave Winfield, Tony Gwynn and a host of other all-time greats.

Dawson had a stellar collegiate career at FAMU, where he played under legendary coach Coast “Pop” Kittles from 1973-1975. He was drafted by the Montreal Expos his junior year and went on to the majors to make his mark on the league.

The journey was troublesome for Dawson though. 12 knee operations, including two replacements, some attributed to playing on the hard artificial turf for 11 years in Montreal, threatened to end his career early. Dawson rebounded after walking-on to the Chicago Cubs and earning the National League MVP in 1987, while being on the last place team. He was not paraded into Chicago though. He had to take a major risk in order to convince Chicago to allow him to play for them. Dawson showed up at the Chicago Cubs training camp and offerd to sign a blank contract. He would not be denied as he had his most productive season that year and was signed to an extension with the Cubs.

Dawson, a Miami native, did not forget the people who helped him make it along the way. “I want to thank Paul Como, my coach at Miami Southwest Senior High School, for moving me from the infield to the outfield,” Dawson said. He added, “ And I also want to thank coach Costa Kittles at Florida A&M University who gave me a chance as a walk-on, when no other college would look at me because of a knee injury.” Those comments drew thunderous applause and underscored the connection Dawson kept with his mentors.

He held family close to his heart. He spoke of his grandmother, who told him education was a stepping-stone to his future. He shed a tear when talking of his mother. She passed four years ago, but assured him it was inevitable that he would make it into the hall. “More than onyone else, or anything else, this is for my mom. She raised her family and taught her kids right from wrong,” he said with tears in his eyes.

Dawson, known throughout his playing days as “Hawk,” was known as an intimidating figure. He was everything but, when talking about his immediated family. Of his kids Darius and Amber, Dawson said, “In the eyes of the world, you might only be two people; but in the eyes of two people, you are the world.”

He thanked his wife Vanessa for helping nurse him for 20 seasons while he played ball.

“ She would get up at 11p.m. and get me ice bags and pain medications and more ice bags and anti-inflamatories,” Dawson added.

It’s been a long time coming for Andre Dawson. He has now has come full circle to work for the Florida Marlins, after enduring a painful journey to end up in the hallowed halls of Cooperstown. As stated in his speech, he wouldn’t trade the experience for anything in the world.

Making the Hall of Fame was not the original goal of Dawson when he began playing baseball, but he himself said it was a testament of what could result from hard work.

Student: Holmes brothers using FAMU as easy “meal ticket”

The shenanigans of R.B. and Ronald Holmes continue to embarrass many FAMU students. Jason Lawrence, a columnist for The FAMUan, says that the Holmes brothers should be stopped from using the Florida’s only public historically black university as an easy “meal ticket.”

From Lawrence’s opinion column:

Florida A&M president James Ammons took giant a step back in his effort to instill integrity at the university in his recent handling of Ronald Holmes.

The former superintendent of the FAMU Developmental Research School (DRS), resigned on June 30 after his contract expired. Instead of getting rid of Holmes, Ammons rewarded him with a position in the university’s College of Education, according to a university press release. While trumpeting Holmes’ accomplishments, such as increasing enrollment and designing a program to recruit and retain high achievers, the statement omitted any mention of the minimal academic gains he made while pocketing a hefty $110,000 salary.

That reads like a bad joke. Ammons is sending the message that the “old” FAMU is alive and well. Holmes’ tenure made a mockery of the university’s motto, “Excellence with caring,” considering that his hiring was clearly borne of shameless cronyism and nepotism that has haunted the institution decades before its current students were even thought of.

During his interview for the superintendent’s job, Holmes, who received his bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees from FAMU, “could not recall the title of his doctoral dissertation,” according to Thomas Jackson, former dean of the COE in a St. Petersburg Times editorial in 2008.

Prior to his job at DRS, Holmes was an assistant principal at Banneker High School in College Park, Ga., where he earned a reputation for improving student performance. However, while the students at Banneker made gains during his tenure, they still performed below the state and national average on standardized tests, according to the school’s accountability reports, which can be accessed on the Georgia Department of Education’s website.

Furthermore, as an assistant principal, Holmes had no experience in being solely responsible for a school’s performance.

Making Holmes a faculty member in the COE after his failed tenure at DRS reeks of old time, FAMU politics. Ammons can be excused for hiring Holmes the first time. After all, he had just returned and was still trying to figure just how much trouble FAMU was in. But his faculty appointment is inexcusable.

This PR blunder can only be made right if Holmes and his trustee brother are disallowed from continuing to use FAMU and its patrons as a meal ticket. Removing Ronald Holmes is a simple fix for Ammons—it’s only a matter of issuing him walking papers.

But giving the younger Holmes the boot may diminish support from the older Holmes and could stand in the way of Ammons’ plan to steer FAMU in the right direction. It is up to Ammons and FAMU’s politically-savvy supporters to ensure that those who serve the university have its best interest in mind.

Read the full column here.

FAMU law hires assistant dean for admissions

Lisa Taylor, who previously served as associate director of Law Admissions for Ohio Northern University College of Law for four years, has joined the FAMU College of Law as assistant dean for Admissions.

Taylor, who has more than six years of experience in law school admissions, was responsible for the nationwide recruiting efforts at Ohio Northern, and coordinated the college’s minority recruitment program. She also assisted with the development and international admissions for the LLM program. She most recently served as Ohio Northern’s Director of Law Development.

“Ms. Taylor was selected from a strong pool of experienced applicants after a national search, and she carries outstanding recommendations from within the national law school admissions community,” said Dean LeRoy Pernell.

Taylor is a graduate of Howard University School of Law. She previously served as a staff attorney/campaign finance coordinator for the Office of the Election Administration for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, and as a judicial intern for the Honorable Anita Josey-Herring. She is a member of the Florida Bar.

FAMU student interns in South Africa

Joshua Green, a senior international agriculture and business student at FAMU, is participating in a research internship with the FAMU Farmer-to-Farmer (FtF) program in Alice, Eastern Cape, South Africa. The internship assignment is at the University of Fort Hare (UFH) Agripark Cooperative, which ends August 6.

During the internship, Green will conduct a General Household Survey (GHS) in the Eastern Cape on a total of 20 small-scale farmers in the region. Information from the study will be used by the FtF Program to obtain a comprehensive profile on the farming households and help them gain a better understanding of how to improve economic conditions. He will work under the supervision of the FAMU FtF project coordinator, David Alexander.

Green, 22, from Redlands, Calif., said he plans to learn as much as he can from this experience.

“I have always been interested in international agriculture and business because the knowledge acquired will aid me in obtaining a position within the global agriculture sector,” said Green. “I will have the opportunity to work in developing countries implementing international relief programs which focus on combating malnutrition and world hunger.”

Green’s research study is funded by the FAMU College of Engineering Sciences, Technology & Agriculture (CESTA) Research and Extension Scholars Program.

“Hawk” ready to soar into baseball history

By Barry M. Bloom
MLB.com

On Sunday, behind the Clark Sports Center, just a stone's throw from the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Main Street, "The Hawk" will take flight.

Andre Dawson, a former Florida A&M University standout, is this year's sole player elected by the Baseball Writers' Association of America and will go into the hallowed Hall wearing the fleur-de-lis of the Montreal Expos.

Dawson, an outfielder with power who played most of his career on injured and fragile knees, made it on his ninth try, earning 77.9 percent of the vote that was revealed in January. His name was included on 420 of the 539 ballots. Last year, when Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice went in, he missed the cut with 67 percent of the vote. Seventy-five percent is required for election.

"As a new inductee, I feel now that it's very important to protect the integrity of the Hall," Dawson said Friday on a conference call. "When I toured the Hall and I saw the history and the artifacts, I was in awe. Now I fully understand why it's so tough to get into the Hall of Fame. The criteria seem to change on occasion, but it's a very sacred organization and the writers really protect it."

Players have 15 years of eligibility on the BBWAA ballot, which begins after a five-year waiting period upon retirement. It's the third time in the past five years that the BBWAA has elected only one player -- Bruce Sutter was chosen in 2006 and fellow reliever Rich "Goose" Gossage followed him in '08.

It's also the third time since Ryne Sandberg was elected in 2005 that an inductee has had ties with the Cubs. Sutter was the other, although the right-hander was inducted as a member of the Cardinals. Dawson played his first 11 seasons with the Expos, followed by six formidable years with the Cubs. He was the National League Most Valuable Player for Chicago in 1987, when he led the Senior Circuit with 49 homers and 137 RBIs.

Dawson, who recently turned 56, said the most significant hurdle he now faces will be keeping his emotions in check when he gives his speech in front of what is expected to be a crowd in excess of 10,000 on the lawn behind the Sports Center.

"It's changed my life drastically. I couldn't have imagined it," Dawson said. "I was told that the road ahead was going to be hectic. Just put the seat belt on and enjoy the ride. It's been tiring, but it's been a lot of fun. It's been well worth it. In preparing the last few months for this particular weekend, I just wanted to make sure that I'm in control of my emotions.

"I don't know how that's going to change once I get to Cooperstown, once I get on that stage, once all the activities start. It's a once-in-a-lifetime event."

Taylor makes his pitch for turf

FAMU student featured in Lessons magazine

FAMU student leader Vincent Evans was featured in the spring 2010 edition of Lessons magazine, a Lumina Foundation publication. Evans, 22, a senior political science student from Jacksonville, Fla., said he was taken aback when he discovered that he would also be displayed on the cover of the magazine.

“I didn't expect to make the cover, but I must say it was pretty neat,” said Evans. “I was honored that both the Lumina Foundation and ENLACE Florida demonstrated such confidence in me.”

In the article, titled “Leadership’s Fresh Face: Young Policy Advocate Sees Education Conference as Springboard,” Evans discuss what he believes is his life’s calling — leadership.

Evans, who serves as the president for the FAMU Chapter of College Democrats, said his leadership on and off FAMU’s campus has always been rooted in the belief that service is leadership.

“I’m convinced that service to others is one of the last noble callings there is,” said Evans. “I’ve had the opportunity to participate and do so much during my time on ‘The Hill.’ I’ve met President Barack Obama, dined with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, lobbied members of Congress countless numbers of times, and traveled the country representing the greatest institution on earth. You never know what history will say of you; however, I’m perhaps most proud of the work we did in 2008 with the registering, educating and mobilizing of nearly 4,000 students on the campus of Florida A&M University to get out and vote. That was a special time.”

The ambitious Evans says working in Congress or at a non-profit organization has always peaked his interest, and at some point, he hopes to return to Jacksonville and run for office.

“Wherever I go, and whatever I do, I know it will be in service to others,” Evans said. “I have an old-fashioned conviction that public service is about helping people solve their problems and live out their dreams. I've had every opportunity and blessing in life, and I want the same for every person. That’s what drives me, and that’s why I became involved.”

Going mobile...

With the many rapid changes in communications and the countless number of ways Americans are accessing the web using smart phones and other handheld devices, Rattler Nation is exploring the possibility of launching its own "app" in the coming weeks.

Please take our smart phone survey (to the right) to ensure that we are able to keep up with you. Thanks.

Ammons & FPRA team up to raise scholarship dollars

FAMU President James H. Ammons' sense of humor will be tested this Thursday evening as a few of his closest friends and colleagues will good-naturedly 'roast' him with quips and wisecracks for a good cause. Ammons is this year's honoree during Roast & Toast, the annual scholarship fundraiser for the Capital Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA- Capital Chapter). The event is scheduled for this Thursday, July 22, at 7:30 p.m. in the Alfred Lawson, Jr. Multipurpose Center and Teaching Gymnasium.

Roast & Toast, now in its 13th year, serves as the FPRA Capital Chapter's signature event and fundraiser. Money raised provides scholarships for public relations students at FAMU and Florida State University. "This year's Roast & Toast serves two purposes," said FPRA Capital Chapter President Heidi Otway, APR. "First, it gives this community an opportunity to honor Ammons for his work to provide a quality education for individuals at a historically black university, and second it raises scholarship dollars for students who are the future of the PR profession."

Otway, who is a 1992 graduate of FAMU also noted, "We get to have a little good-natured fun at his expense!" The lineup of roasters this year includes Dr. Frederick S. Humphries (past president of Florida A&M University), Ken Armstrong (CEO for United Way of the Big Bend), and Marjorie Turnbull (Florida A&M University Trustee) and the Honorable Alfred "Al" Lawson (State Senator).

"Educational Excellence Defined: Dr. James H. Ammons, a Scholar & a Gentleman," is the theme for this collegiate-focused event that will include an elegant and sumptuous menu, live music by the FAMU Jazz Ensemble and performances by the world-renowned FAMU Marching "100."

Ammons stands ground on dental school

During the Florida Board of Governors’ Strategic Planning Retreat last month, FAMU President James H. Ammons stood his ground on the need for a College of Dental Medicine at Florida’s only public historically black university.

BOG member Charles B. Edwards, a University of Florida alumnus and former chairman of the Board of Regents, asked a number of not-so-friendly questions about the proposed program.

While admitting that he suspects that a new public dental school “is definitely needed,” Edwards asked if FAMU was using differential tuition dollars to plan the program after university officials had said they would use differential tuition revenue to repair the damage from budget cuts.

“I think I read in the paper or one of the news clips where you were proposing spending $1.5 million to study the need for a dental school,” Edwards stated. “And it hadn’t even been approved yet. And I can tell ya in this economic condition it ain’t gonna be approved for anybody for a number of years.”

“How can you spend $1.5 million on a study when it would have to be coming out of the $1.9 million you’re getting from the differential increase?”

Ammons responded coolly: “Well we asked for $1.5 million (from the legislature). We didn’t get it.”

Edwards did not give up. “I thought I read where you were gonna use other university funds to do that,” he asked.

“Well we’re not going to use $1.5 million to do it from university funds,” Ammons said. “What we were talking about was a study that would go over a number of years. It’s not $1.5 million in one year.”

Edwards did not say anything about the fact that the Florida’s ongoing budget problems didn’t stop the BOG from approving an expensive new doctor of pharmacy program at the University of South Florida designed with the explicit intent of competing against FAMU’s own College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. He also failed to speak about the fact that the BOG recently approved a new College of Medicine for Florida Atlantic University.

J. Stanley Marshall, a former president of Florida State University and former chairman of the Bethune-Cookman University Board of Trustees, spoke favorably about the possibility of a FAMU dental school.

“Where better than Florida A&M?,” Marshall asked. “It seems to me to be a logical place to put it.”

“I’ve felt a measure of local pride for some years now in the growth and quality of the graduate programs at Florida A&M,” he added.

BOG chairwoman Ava Parker asked Ammons about the “fiscal soundness of the university to take on this type of professional program.”

Ammons responded that: “There is a tremendous cost to this nation and to this state not to do it.”

“Addressing health disparities is a critical concern to this state and nation,” Ammons explained.

The president ended his statement by noting that a dental school would make the university eligible for more federal research money and help attract more private industry dollars.

Boozer named acting director of OTTLC

FAMU Adjunct Assistant Professor in the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Tanaga Anne Boozer was recently named the Department of Research’s Office of Technology Transfer, Licensing & Commercialization (OTTLC) new acting director.

Boozer has a leadership profile reflecting her formal education and professional development with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry, magna cum laude from Rust College, Holly Springs, Miss; a master’s in business with an emphasis in management from Prairie View A&M University (Texas); and her juris doctorate from the University of Mississippi (Oxford).

“I’m excited,” said Boozer. “I think this is a phenomenal opportunity to have been appointed as the director. I love Technology Transfer. I feel very honored and I am looking forward to effectively commercializing the technology developed at FAMU.”

Most recently, Boozer served as an adjunct assistant professor in the FAMU College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences teaching four courses. She also managed the College’s Affiliation Agreements and Contracts.

“Attorney Boozer is an outstanding teacher and administrator,” said Pharmacy Professor and Acting Vice President for Research K. Ken Redda, Ph.D. “I am excited about her willingness to join the Division of Research as the acting director of the OTTLC. She has the experience, as well as the expertise in the area of technology transfer that is so relevant.”

No stranger to the requirements of the OTTLC, Boozer formerly served as an intellectual property consultant at FAMU and has extensive industry and government experience working for Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals, Insmed Pharmaceuticals, National Institute of Standards and Technology and the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Boozer’s past and current professional affiliations include memberships with the Association of University Technology Managers and the Licensing Executive Society.

Boozer said her primary goal for the OTTLC is to “foster a culture of innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship among FAMU’s faculty, staff and students through the successful commercialization of innovations developed at FAMU.”

FAMU professor advocates “nuisance litigation” against climate change

Randall S. Abate, an associate professor in FAMU’s College of Law, believes the climate justice movement can and should use “public nuisance” lawsuits as a tool to fight for populations that are being disproportionately hurt by global climate change.

"The climate justice movement seeks to provide relief to vulnerable communities that have been disproportionately affected by climate change impacts,” Abate wrote in the Washington Law Review. “Public nuisance litigation for climate change impacts is a new and growing field that could provide the legal and policy underpinnings to help secure a viable foundation for climate justice in the United States and internationally."

In his article, Abate goes on to explain how “public nuisance” litigation could help the climate justice cause.

"By securing victories in the court system, these suits may succeed where the domestic environmental justice movement failed in seeking to merge environmental protection and human rights concerns into an actionable legal theory,” Abate writes.

Abate feels that a recent lawsuits that the Native (Eskimo) Village of Kivalina filed against ExxonMobil in the wake of coastal erosion aggravated by global warming “could help to institutionalize climate justice claims” by getting courts to recognize “a private right to be free from climate change impacts that threaten the sustainability of vulnerable communities."

Read Abate’s article here.

Joe Taylor talks about the upcoming season

"100" performs "So Nice" at Espy Awards After-Party

The FAMU Marching 100 Band performs "So Nice" with rapper Laws & DJ Don Cannon perform "So Nice" at ESPN's 2010 Espy After-Party Wednesday in Los Angeles, CA. "So Nice" is from Laws & DJ Cannon's mixtape 4:57.

McKinley-Floyd lands at CAU

After being dismissed from her position as the dean of FAMU’s School of Business and Industry in April 2009, Lydia McKinley-Floyd is now in the dean’s chair at another historically black university.

Clark Atlanta University President Carlton E. Brown recently appointed McKinley-Floyd to lead the School of Business at Clark Atlanta University (CAU). McKinley-Floyd was an associate dean of the College of Business at Savannah State University while Brown was serving as president there. Brown resigned from SSU in 2006.

During McKinley-Floyd’s tenure, FAMU SBI sputtered along like an aging automobile badly in need of a tune-up. Faculty and staff morale in SBI was low and students and alumni were unhappy. During summer 2009, she ran off the architect of SBI's highly successful Wall Street project, which had placed 45 students in internships on "the street".

McKinley-Floyd was said to have failed to deliver on her promise to move FAMU SBI closer to accreditation and was reportedly an inadequate fundraiser.

“Dr. [James H.] Ammons did not appoint me,” McKinley-Floyd said in an interview with The FAMUan. “What I found out later was that there was this ‘Castell Bryant’ stigma on me that I was totally unconcerned about because I came here for an (entirely) different reason. The new administration decided that they wanted a new person, and that’s when I was asked to step down.”

FAMU could go tobacco free

If members of the FAMU health council have their way, FAMU could be a tobacco free school. The council introduced the idea after visiting the University of Florida which went tobacco free in June. Cigarettes, snuff and chewing tobacco are no longer allowed on UF grounds.

"Smoking cigarettes and everything it causes cancer and so many other issues and when you do it in public it has the chance to affect the people around you," said Marcus Williams, a FAMU student.

"It shouldn't be allowed on campus because that's something you can do at the house and this is a learning environment so I don't think it should be allowed," said John McMillon, FAMU Student.

While some may say the potential rules might be a drag for smoking students others say everyone's health should be considered.

"I'm sure there are students on campus who have asthma and breathing problems as well so it will be beneficial for all of us," added Shanize Byrd, FAMU student.

While the tobacco free concept is still in the idea stages many Rattlers want to see the move go through quickly so campus doesn't smell like an ash-tray.

Read the full article here at WCTV-6.

Brogan’s last FAU operational audit turns up 15 findings

Newspapers such as the Miami Herald quickly picked up the Associated Press write-up on the federal indictment of the FAMU Credit Union president and the director FAMU’s Institute on Urban Policy and Commerce.

However, the Herald has yet to publish anything on Florida Atlantic University’s most recent operational audit.

On March 13, 2010, the Florida auditor general released an operational audit covering Frank Brogan’s final year as president of FAU (2008-2009). In that review, FAU had 15 findings, the largest number out of all the most recent operational audits for Florida’s public universities.

Brogan was appointed SUS chancellor in 2009.

The problems the auditors uncovered included the following:

• “Controls over collections received outside of the Central Cashier’s Office needed improvement.”

• “The University needed to enhance its controls over cellular telephone usage.”

• “Controls over issuance and accountability for complimentary tickets for athletic events needed improvement.”

• “Contrary to University Policy, annual employee performance appraisals were not always timely prepared.”

• “The University’s procedures for investigating missing tangible personal property items needed improvement.”

• “Procedures needed improvement to ensure the prompt reporting of property dispositions.”

There were 22 findings on FAU’s previous operational audit, which covered the 2006-2007 year.

Read the full audit reports here.

Smith, Horne finalists for AD

Michael Smith and Derek Horne (pictured) are the two finalists for FAMU’s vacant athletic director position. According to published reports, both candidates were interviewed last week.

In April, FAMU President James Ammons decided to extend the AD search after interviewing two prospects.

Smith has served as FAMU’s interim AD since January. Prior to that, he served as FAMU’s director of business & auxiliary services. His duties included supervising the University Bookstore, Copy Center, Dining Services, Meal Plan Program, Rattler Card, Post Office, Beverage and Snack Vending, Laundry Services, and AMEX Cards.

Horne is the associate athletic director at the University of Mississippi. He is in his 14th year there, having begun as an assistant athletic director in 1995.

At Ole Miss, Horne spearheads the athletics department’s correspondence and development with former letterwinners in all sports. He also oversees the CHAMPS Life Skills program and concessions at all athletics venues. Additionally, he assists the athletics director in administering all activities of the department and serves as a representative of the athletics department at alumni, civic and intercollegiate athletics functions.

Levitt: Economy’s future lies in a global education

Jeremy Levitt, the associate dean for International Programs and a distinguished professor of international law at FAMU’s College of Law, thinks American K-12 students need to learn more about other countries and cultures.

From his recent column in the Orlando Sentinel:

What is the value of a global education? Over the past 20 years, I have traveled all over the world as an international lawyer, educator or tourist. In nearly every place that I have worked or visited, I found that the world knows more about us than we do about them.

This truth is evident in the richest and poorest nations from Cape Town to Cairo and Calcutta to Calgary. Test: Can you locate Kyrgyzstan on a map?

The United States is no longer a world leader in secondary education, ranking 18th among 36 nations assessed, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Hence, not only do we comparatively know far less about the rest of the world than we should, we are also falling behind lesser-developed nations like China, India and South Korea in core subjects areas like math and science.

How can we adequately compete in the global marketplace and simultaneously remain ignorant about our competitors? Not only are we collectively ignorant about world geography, foreign cultures, languages, people and history; even more disturbing, we have yet to acquire a local or national appetite to learn about them.

This is a problem that has its genesis in American culture and supremacy, and the false notion that the world revolves around us. It often originates from and is reinforced in our K-12 and higher-education systems, given our excessive reliance on Western or Eurocentric perspectives and approaches on nearly every issue. Such perspectives filter into every facet of our educational, economic, social and political orders.

Read the full column here.

Black Male College Explorers begin 20th year

Toran Davis, 18, said he is looking forward to making his mark in the FAMU Black Male College Explorers Program this summer.

Davis, a senior at FAMU Developmental Research School, recently embarked on his third consecutive year with the program that is intended to prevent black males from dropping out of high school.

“I want to be an example for others and show people that you can make a difference,” said Davis.

The Black Male College Explorers Program, which is in its 20th year, is an at-risk prevention/intervention program designed specifically for middle and high schools from Tallahassee and major cities all over Florida. Participating schools are asked to identify at-risk males enrolled in grades 7 through 11.

Montelleo Hobley, 16, a Tampa native, said the program gives him a better understanding of college and he appreciates the time and dedication the counselors put into the program.

“You can tell the people really care about us,” said Hobley, who admitted he was hesitant to participate in the camp last year, but was thrilled to know he was attending this summer. “If they didn’t care for us, they wouldn’t put in the time.”

FAMU provides six weeks of highly concentrated developmental experiences, which includes weekly seminars, workshops and motivational trips during the summer. This year, 54 students were admitted into the program.

“We have an excellent group of young men,” said Arecia Shelton-Martin, lead instructor for the Black Male Explorers Program. “This program provides them an opportunity to know that they are supported in a world where they are often discarded. I hope they take away the knowledge of knowing that they are worthy of all that life has to offer.”

FAMU celebrates Gaines' contributions

Now retired FAMU Vice President for Student Affairs Roland H. Gaines was honored by his colleagues on Thursday, June 24 in the Alfred Lawson Jr. Multipurpose Center.

Gaines, who announced his retirement in early April, plans to retire at the end of the month. More than 200 guests attended the high-spirited event, “The Best is Yet to Come: A Tribute to Roland H. Gaines.”

“I’ve never had to worry about student affairs because Roland was at the helm,” FAMU President James H. Ammons said during the ceremony. “The best and the brightest students made their way to FAMU because Roland Gaines convinced them that Florida A&M University was the place to be. He has a passion for students.”

Gaines’ tenure at FAMU covers 36 years, interrupted by a six-year-stint as vice chancellor of student affairs at North Carolina Central University. He served as associate vice president for Student Affairs at FAMU before his appointment at NCCU.

A native of Tallahassee, Fla., Gaines graduated from FAMU in 1968 with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and was awarded the master’s degree in guidance and counseling in 1970.

“We are honoring a man who has impacted so many lives that have matriculated through Florida A&M University in such a positive way,” said Director of Student Administration Michael James, who served as master of ceremony for the event.

Gaines’ dedication and love for FAMU has been evident throughout his years at the university.

“This has been more than I could have dreamed it could be,” Gaines said of the event, which included entertainment by the FAMU Marching “100,” Mt. Zion Mime Ministry of St. Petersburg, Fla., and the FAMU Jazz Ensemble. “Thank you from the bottom of my heart. FAMU will always hold a prominent place in my life.”

During his professional career, Gaines owned two restaurants and two companies; one a real estate company and the other a company evaluating foreign credentials. Upon graduation in 1968, Gaines began his career at FAMU. In 1997, he was promoted to associate vice president for Student Affairs and served as interim vice president until July 1997. Gaines retired August 2001 and was awarded the Distinguished Service Award for exemplary service to FAMU and its students.

On Sept. 1, 2002, Gaines began a new career at North Carolina Central University as director of Enrollment Management. Gaines was largely responsible for the growth in the number of scholars and increasing enrollment by 58 percent at NCCU. He retired on May 31, 2007.

On July 2, 2007, Gaines returned to FAMU as vice president for Student Affairs, launching a major initiative to grow the enrollment with America’s best and brightest students.

Feds charge bank Pres and program director in embezzlement scheme

Federal officials charged the president of the FAMU FederalCredit Union and the director of Florida A&M University Institute on Urban Policy and Commerce with conspiring to embezzle HUD grant funds.

The three-count indictment charges Eugene Telfair and Robert Nixon with conspiracy, theft from an organization receiving federal funds, and embezzlement of funds intrusted to a federally-insured credit union. The indictment alleges that between 2005 and 2008, Telfair, the president of the FAMU Federal Credit Union (“FFCU”), and Nixon, the director of FAMU’s Institute on Urban Policy and Commerce (“the Institute”), conspired to steal approximately $134,253 in grant funds that had been awarded to FAMU in connection with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities program. The indictment states that Telfair and Nixon wrote one another checks from an FFCU account containing the grant funds and created fraudulent personal services contracts to make their taking of the funds appear legitimate. Telfair is also alleged to have created false tax documents, and to have changed the taxpayer identification number on the grant account from the number assigned to FAMU to the taxpayer id number assigned to his credit union.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Florida Department of Financial Services, Division of Insurance Fraud.

The FAMU Federal Credit Union is a member owned federally charted credit union and is not operated by the University.

VPSA applicant pool has familiar faces

About 63 men and women have applied for FAMU’s open vice-president of student affairs position (VPSA). The applicant pool has several names that are well known throughout Rattler Country.

One is Henry L. Kirby, dean of students and associate vice-president for student affairs.

Kirby has spent 30 years at FAMU. He received his B.S. in political science from FAMU and went on to earn his J.D. from the Florida State University College of Law in 1978. He was sworn in as member of the Florida Bar in 1979 and remains an active member of the Florida Bar.

In 1978 he served as a research associate in the Office of the General Counsel at FAMU. From 1979 to 1989, he served as the associate general counsel for FAMU. Kirby was appointed dean of students at FAMU in 1989 and in 1991 he was promoted to assistant vice president for student affairs and dean of students.

Kirby is the brother of John M. Kirby, who directs Parking Administrative Services.

Edward M. Willis is another associate vice-president for student affairs who is seeking the top post.

He came to FAMU in 2008 from Owens Community College in Toledo, Ohio, where he was special assistant to the president for Community Outreach and Engagement. He has also worked at the University of Michigan; the University of Missouri – Columbia; Rutgers University; St. John’s University; North Carolina A&T State University; and the University of Toledo.

Willis received his bachelor’s degree in American history from Montclair State University, the masters of education from Rutgers University, and has completed work toward a Ph.D. at the University of Toledo. He is married to Carla Willis, vice-president for university relations.

A. Delories Sloan, a FAMU alumna who served as VPSA during part of former President Frederick S. Humphries’ administration, has reapplied for her former job.

Sloan resigned from her position in 2002 after her brother Fred Gainous became University President. Sloan didn't want to create a conflict-of-interest by having her brother supervise her. She went to work for Florida State University where she serves as executive director of special projects in the student affairs division.

Should FAMU reach out to Damon Evans?

With FAMU in the midst of its search for an athletic director, should FAMU look to former University of Georgia AD Damon Evans who's DUI arrest last Wednesday in Atlanta brought his storied six-year tenure at Georgia to an end?

Evans was charged with DUI and failure to maintain a lane. Also arrested with Evans was a female companion Courtney Fuhrmann, a 28-year-old graduate of Georgia Southern University and a real-estate firm asset manager, who was charged with disorderly conduct.

Evans said Fuhrmann is "just a friend." Fuhrmann told officers she had been seeing Evans for "only a week or so." Evans is married and has two children. He apologized to his wife Thursday as she attended his news conference.

Evans became the Southeastern Conference's first black athletic director in 2004.

He was arrested about the same time his new $110,00 raise was to kick-in. With the raise, Evans would have earned an annual salary of $550,000. He resigned today and agreed to severance package worth three months salary, plus $100,000 he earned as a longevity bonus.

At a news conference Thursday, Evans apologized to the UGA community for making "a grave, grave mistake". He added, he'd "failed miserably" as a leader and as a representative of (U of) Georgia. At that time, he had hoped to save his job.

But details from the Georgia State Patrol's incident report from the arrest added even more embarrassment to both Evans and the University. According to the report, Evans attempted to influence the arresting officer by telling the officer he was (the U of) Georgia's athletic director.

Further, the officer noted that Evans was found with a "red pair of lady's panties between his legs."

Evans was the public face of the school's athletic department in many venues, including at home football games at Sanford Stadium. Before each game, his taped video message was played as he urged fans not to drink and drive.

"If you drink and drive, you lose," Evans said in the video message.

Success at UGA
UGA officials credit Evans with "many positive accomplishments" during his tenure, including an increased focus on the academic success of student-athletes, the overall financial strength of the athletic department and the hiring of many very good people as head coaches and senior leaders in the athletic department.

The case for Evans at FAMU
Obviously, Evans knows what he's doing, hires well, and has remarkable contacts.

Five months ago, UGA President Michael Adams had this to say about Evans: “He’s already become a nationally recognized figure in athletics, and we are fortunate to have him. . . . I think he’s done an extraordinary job. . . . And there’s not been a whiff of impropriety during that six-year period. If you’re the president of an institution, that means a whole lot.”

We tolerated Bill Hayes for two years at an annual salary of $175,000 and Nelson Townsend before him who made upwards of $225,000 a year. If Evans is half as good as he looks on paper, he should be able to out perform the both of them in his sleep.

Register your opinion on our RN poll here=====>

Hudson appointed interim VPSA

William E. Hudson, FAMU’s director of retention, is the new interim vice-president of student affairs. He succeeds Roland Gaines, who recently retired.

Hudson is also chairing the search committee to find a new permanent vice-president for student affairs.

Before coming to FAMU, Hudson was the associate director of the Center for Academic Retention and Enhancement (CARE) at Florida State University.

Hudson has extensive experience counseling students with academic, personal, and career issues. He is a specialist in the recruitment and retention of minority students and provides consulting to small colleges and universities. As an adjunct professor at FAMU, he educates students on rehabilitation, disability, vocational training and services, community transition, and empowerment.

He is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (C.R.C.), and a member of the American College Counseling Association, National Association of Academic Advising Association (NACADA) and Florida Association Educational Opportunity Program Personnel (FAEOP), among other professional organizations.

Hudson is a native Floridian and FAMU graduate. He received his B.S. degree in psychology and master’s degree in counseling education from FAMU. He went on to earn a specialist degree in counseling and human services and a Ph.D. in rehabilitation counseling from Florida State University.

Happy 4th of July

Alum appointed to lead elementary school in Clay County

A FAMU alumnus is the new principal of a Clay County, Florida elementary school.

From the Clay Today newspaper:

Michael Henry as the new principal at S. Bryan Jennings Elementary. A graduate of Clay High School, Henry is currently the Principal of Landmark Middle School in Duval County.

"I look forward to collaboratively working together with the total community of stakeholders at S. Bryan Jennings in continuing the fine work of enhancing student achievement," said Henry, who also taught at Orange Park Junior High and Clay High after graduating from Jacksonville University.

He did his undergraduate coursework at the University of Massachusetts and his doctoral coursework at Florida A&M University.

"Dr. Henry comes with very high marks from Duval County," Superintendent Ben Wortham said. "He is extremely qualified as an elementary principal serving in a Title I school."

Williams’ Drowsy Driving Prevention Week approved

Rep. Alan Williams (D-Tallahassee) welcomed the signing into law of Senate Bill 971, relating to Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

The legislation contains an amendment, taken from Williams’ House Bill 221, which establishes a Drowsy Driving Week each September. Williams was proud to work with the family of RonShay Dugans, a young girl killed in 2008 as a result of a collision with a fatigued driver, to sponsor and pass this important legislation during the 2010 legislative session.

Gov. Charlie Crist signed House Bill 971 into law last week. The legislation makes a number of reforms to highway safety and motor vehicle laws, and incorporates other aspects of House Bill 221.

“There are approximately 100,000 automobile crashes a year that are caused by drowsy driving, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The RonShay Dugans Act is an effort directed at reducing this startling number, it is RonShay’s legacy to save lives,” Williams said. Driver fatigue was cited by investigators as a possible contributing factor in a crash that claimed the life of 8-year old Ronshay, when a cement truck overturned on her school bus in Tallahassee, Florida.

“I would like to thank everyone who has had a hand in making this bill a success,” said Josie West, RonShay’s aunt and adoptive mother. “We look forward to Drowsy Driving Prevention Week for years to come, in hopes that Ronshay's memory will live on and that her sacrifice will not have been in vain.”

More than seventeen states already have in effect legislation that requires education on the dangers of drowsy driving, including New Jersey, where it is a criminal offense to drive a car while sleep impaired. Florida now joins the ranks as one of the states to encourage drowsy driving prevention and education.

Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Stephanie C. Kopelousos pledged support for Drowsy Driving Week.

“Our message is very simple: Don’t drive drowsy,” Kopelousos said. “If you’re tired, let someone else take the wheel or get off the road and get some rest. The life you save might be your own.”

Opinion: Holmes brothers get last laugh

A week ago, Rattler Nation’s reliable sources warned that some FAMU Board of Trustees members were secretly working out a deal to get Developmental Research School (DRS) Superintendent Ronald Holmes on the College of Education’s faculty in the event that his contract was not renewed on June 30.

Sure enough, FAMU announced yesterday that Holmes is joining the College of Education as a “faculty/administrator.”

Because of under-the-table politics on FAMU’s BOT, the university is rewarding failure. The DRS school grade dropped from a “C” to a “D” after Holmes’ first year. Teachers’ jobs were threatened after Holmes did not boost the enrollment numbers enough to satisfy the demands of the 2009-2010 year’s budget. The school had to receive a $425,802 bailout.

But despite it all, there is no accountability. Holmes receives another job on campus and gets to laugh all the way to the bank.

People all across Florida are now laughing at FAMU. The university is treating its College of Education like a dumping ground.

By choosing to reward Holmes’ failure, FAMU is punishing the success of the students who earned admission into the College of Education’s undergraduate and graduate programs. These students did nothing to deserve to the insult of having Holmes on their faculty.

There are some FAMU trustees who do not care about how much they hurt the university’s reputation. All they care about is using their positions to take as much from FAMU as possible.

The dirty BOT politics will continue to hurt FAMU until more Rattlers voice their anger to the governor’s office, Board of Governors, and Florida Senate (which confirms trustee appointments).

Holmes resigns as DRS superintendent

Rattler Nation has learned that Ronald Holmes has tendered his resignation as superintendent of the FAMU Developmental Research School (DRS). Retired educational administrator and FAMU alumnus W.E. “Bill” Johnson will replace him on an interim basis.

FAMU President James H. Ammons had until June 30th to decide whether or not to renew Holmes’ three year contract. During a Board of Trustees meeting earlier this month, Ammons said he wanted to evaluate DRS’ performance on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) before making a decision.

FCAT student scores were released to schools yesterday. The Florida Department of Education has not completed the process of calculating school-wide grades, yet. The DRS school grade dropped from a “C” in 2008 to a “D” in 2009 after Holmes’ first year.

Holmes’ appointment in 2007 was met with skepticism and anger throughout Rattler Country. Many FAMUans suspected that Trustee R.B. Holmes played a big role in getting his brother hired. There was no doubt that as one of the seven critical votes that James Ammons needed to become FAMU’s president, Holmes had the power to twist Ammons’ arm and make personal demands during the selection process.

Ronald Holmes had no experience as a principal or superintendent of any K-12 school.

Morale plummeted under Holmes’ reign at DRS. Faculty members struggled within an atmosphere of fear following a series of highly publicized scares concerning their employment. Holmes’ failure to recruit enough students to satisfy the demands of the 2009-2010 year’s budget threatened many teachers’ jobs.

On January 29, 2010, the FAMU BOT voted to use $425,802 from the FAMU DRS Trust Fund to cover projected deficits at the school.

Shortly after R.B. Holmes threw his support behind Bill Jennings’ 2009 reelection bid for the BOT chairmanship, word spread on campus that there was an understanding that Holmes’ brother would not be summoned before the BOT to answer tough questions about what he had done to DRS.

After last summer’s chairmanship election, Jennings did not ask the administration to bring Ronald Holmes before the board to talk about DRS. Most other FAMU trustees followed his example by keeping their mouths shut about the school.

Student Body President Gallop Franklin ended up being the only trustee who had enough backbone to stand up to Holmes and Jennings and ask public questions about Holmes’ contract.

W.E. Johnson, Holmes’ interim replacement, received his B.S. in political science and M.S. in guidance and administration from FAMU. He served as principal of Bond Elementary from 1981 to 1989, principal of Oak Ridge Elementary from 1989 to 1997, and Leon County’s assistant superintendent for school management services from 1997 to 2003. He is C.E.O. of Educational Consultants of North Florida and recently served as interim director of Florida State University Schools.