Mangum should remember O’Jays’ warning in “Backstabbers” as R.B. tries to befriend her

When the Marching 100 returned during the fall, Rattlers near and far sang word-by-word as the band played classic favorites such as “Backstabbers” by the O’Jays. New FAMU President Elmira Mangum should think of the warnings in that particular song as R.B. Holmes seeks to become her “friend.”

The O’Jays described individuals like R.B. very accurately when they said: “They smile in your face, all the time they want to take your place.”

Back during his ten years as a FAMU trustee, R.B. engaged in a long series of jealous power struggles against sitting university presidents. He seemed to want to personally run much of FAMU without all of the responsibilities that came with the presidential position.

Ever since his appointment expired in 2011, R.B. has been trying to regain a foothold in Lee Hall. Now, it looks like he is trying to fast-talk Mangum into bringing him into her inner circle. She would be wise to keep his knife from getting close to her back.

Back in 2005, R.B. vigorously supported Castell Bryant’s appointment as interim president. She later joined his church and was showered with praise Sunday-after-Sunday for her claims of “fixing” the university. R.B. also voted to give Castell a $35,000 bonus and $50,000 salary increase based upon her claim that she had created an $8M surplus. State auditors later discovered the surplus claim to be false.

R.B. did not turn on Castell until she fired several members of his church as part of a round of terminations within School of Business and Industry.

Former President James H. Ammons also received strong support from R.B. until he made a personnel decision that R.B. didn’t like for personal reasons.

Back in late 2007, Ammons hired R.B.’s brother (Ronald Holmes) as the superintendent of DRS.  Individuals all across Rattler Country suspected shenanigans on R.B.’s part. There was no doubt that as one of the seven critical votes that Ammons needed to become FAMU’s president, R.B. had the power to twist Ammons’ arm and make personal demands during the selection process.

Such a situation would have left Ammons with the choice of either doing what he needed to do to save FAMU or alienating one of the voters he needed and then watching his alma mater die under the control of individuals loyal to Castell.

DRS slid backwards due to Ronald’s poor leadership and Ammons reassigned him at the end of his contract in June 30, 2010. An upset R.B. quickly turned against Ammons and started picking fights with him during the Board of Trustees meetings.

If Mangum accepts R.B.’s “friendship”, she’ll probably soon find herself under pressure to hire R.B.’s buddies to major university positions or give them preferential consideration during layoff decisions in order to keep R.B. from turning against her administration.

With a “friend” like R.B., Mangum won’t need any enemies. As the O’Jays said (in a line borrowed from an earlier song by the group Undisputed Truth): “Smiling faces sometimes tell lies.”