Loving you madly, Rudy
Rudolph Lewis, Editor
ChickenBones: A Journal
www.nathanielturner.com
Tennesee State Professor Arrested on Campus
August 21, 2012
Dr. Jane Davis, a professor at Tennessee State University , was arrested this morning on campus. Dr. Davis was charged with disorderly conduct. She is accused of “interrupting a meeting or procession,” which is a class B misdemeanor.
Dr. Davis was arrested while attempting to ask TSU interim President Dr. Portia Shields the reasons behind the meeting and why she was not invited. That’s when Dr. Shields allegedly called campus police to have her removed.
“I asked her was this a Faculty Senate meeting and she would not answer,” Davis told the Tribune in a telephone interview. “She asked me to be quiet and made it clear she wasn’t going to let me speak.”
Police came and removed Dr. Davis after she refused to leave or stop speaking.
TSU has issued a written statement about the incident:
“During the special meeting of the faculty senate called by the President of the University, Dr. Portia Shields, Dr. Jane Davis, faculty member and chairperson of the faculty senate, was arrested by campus police for disruptive behavior and verbally assaulting the President after continually being advised to remain calm. After several attempts were made by the President to calm Dr. Davis, she was asked to leave the room, which she refused to do, and continued being disruptive and confrontational.”
One of the faculty members at the meeting anonymously told the Tennessee Tribune that the gathering seemed “odd at first glance,” based on the mix of people who were invited.
“Although the Senate has 30 members, only about half that many (were invited). I’m not sure if this indicates that the administration is trying to intimidate a handful of people or is so out of touch with the Senate that they don’t know who is and who is not on the Senate.”
Davis and Shields have been battling for quite a while. The disagreements started in June of this year when it was alleged that the Associate Vice Provost changed 270 grades from “Incomplete” to letter grades for two pilot math classes. The university said that the “Incompletes” were a mistake.
There was then a hearing called by the Senate Higher Education Subcommittee to investigate the allegations. The report has not yet been released. Two days after the hearing, there was a meeting of faculty, staff and administrators, during which it is alleged that Dr. Shields accused Dr. Davis of damaging the TSU reputation. She then allowed another faculty member, Dr. Oscar Miller, to call for Dr. Davis to be removed as Senate Chair.
Tennessee State University faculty leader arrested
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A vocal faculty member at Tennessee State University who has opposed university leadership was taken away from a meeting in handcuffs on Monday and removed as the chair of the faculty senate.
Jane Davis, an English professor, was arrested by campus police on a charge of disorderly conduct, TSU spokesman Rick Delahaya told The Tennessean (http://tnne.ws/PAq0ex ).
Davis has been an outspoken critic of policies and decisions made by TSU interim President Portia Shields, who came to the university in early 2011 to make reforms for the school to gain a necessary full accreditation. Her contract expires at the end of the year.
Last week a suggestion was made to oust Davis and the Faculty Senate's executive council and the university surveyed faculty members on the idea. In the online poll, 60 percent of those who responded said they wanted Davis removed and 59 percent said they wanted the executive council to go with her.
Davis said she wanted to speak in her defense about the survey and calls for her removal.
"Dr. Shields attempted to discuss the results of the Faculty Senate survey," said Delahaya. "Dr. Davis then became extremely disruptive and would not allow the meeting to proceed."
Davis said that she wanted to speak with Shields, who was at the meeting.
"This was my one chance to speak in front of her, but speech in front of her that she doesn't agree with is disorderly conduct," she said.
Following the arrest, the Faculty Senate voted to remove her as the chair. Davis said that the vote to remove her was illegitimate because the meeting had been called by university administration rather than the faculty senate.
"Nothing that happened there counts," said Davis, who still considers herself the leader of the legislative body.
Davis said that the Faculty Senate was intimidated by Shields when they decided to vote her out.
"They see someone being put away in handcuffs. How will they not go along with it?" she said.
Delahaya said Shields did not suggest or endorse the removal of Shields and wanted the school's entire faculty to be represented.
"She did want the faculty to have some type of voice," he said.
Davis said she is being retaliated against by Shields for complaining that university administrators changed grades for some students. The university said it was correcting a mistake in grading.
"This is crystal-clear intimidation and retaliation," Davis said.
http://m.knoxnews.com/news/2012/aug/21/tennessee-state-university-faculty-leader/
Jane Davis, an English professor, was arrested by campus police on a charge of disorderly conduct, TSU spokesman Rick Delahaya told The Tennessean (http://tnne.ws/PAq0ex ).
Davis has been an outspoken critic of policies and decisions made by TSU interim President Portia Shields, who came to the university in early 2011 to make reforms for the school to gain a necessary full accreditation. Her contract expires at the end of the year.
Last week a suggestion was made to oust Davis and the Faculty Senate's executive council and the university surveyed faculty members on the idea. In the online poll, 60 percent of those who responded said they wanted Davis removed and 59 percent said they wanted the executive council to go with her.
Davis said she wanted to speak in her defense about the survey and calls for her removal.
"Dr. Shields attempted to discuss the results of the Faculty Senate survey," said Delahaya. "Dr. Davis then became extremely disruptive and would not allow the meeting to proceed."
Davis said that she wanted to speak with Shields, who was at the meeting.
"This was my one chance to speak in front of her, but speech in front of her that she doesn't agree with is disorderly conduct," she said.
Following the arrest, the Faculty Senate voted to remove her as the chair. Davis said that the vote to remove her was illegitimate because the meeting had been called by university administration rather than the faculty senate.
"Nothing that happened there counts," said Davis, who still considers herself the leader of the legislative body.
Davis said that the Faculty Senate was intimidated by Shields when they decided to vote her out.
"They see someone being put away in handcuffs. How will they not go along with it?" she said.
Delahaya said Shields did not suggest or endorse the removal of Shields and wanted the school's entire faculty to be represented.
"She did want the faculty to have some type of voice," he said.
Davis said she is being retaliated against by Shields for complaining that university administrators changed grades for some students. The university said it was correcting a mistake in grading.
"This is crystal-clear intimidation and retaliation," Davis said.
http://m.knoxnews.com/news/2012/aug/21/tennessee-state-university-faculty-leader/
Letter to the Editor
What is at Stake in the Tennessee State Grading Controversy
On August 13, there will be a hearing in the Senate of the State of Tennessee to look into the controversy concerning grade changes in two Math courses at Tennessee State University . In these courses, students who previously would have placed in now eliminated developmental classes work to attain competency in Math. The two courses ended in Fall, 2011. It is the exceedingly strange events affecting grading of students with Incompletes that took place the following semester that has caused controversy that needs to be explained to the university as a whole, the academic community at large, and taxpayers. Why does this issue matter?
The student-teacher relationship has been undermined in this situation. According to university procedures, the initiation and required work to fulfill Incompletes involve the instructor and student—and not an external force that decides that Incompletes be changed without requirements stated on the syllabus, primarily a Math Competency test, being completed. The student-faculty educational relationship is damaged drastically if student achievement is not reflected according to the standards stated on the syllabus and fulfilled by the overwhelming majority of the students.
And inaccurate reporting of students’ competence violates several principles of accreditation—something no university can afford, especially TSU, which was recently taken off of warning status by the accrediting agency, SACS.
Clearly, the fact that by Administrative direction, grades and requirements were retroactively changed the semester after the courses ended is more than problematic. This decision cheats the students out of a complete foundation in Math; creates a double standard for students who completed all of the requirements in Fall, 2011 in contrast to those who had ‘incompletes’ changed to grades without doing the same work; and does not represent accurately all of the students’ levels of achievement. This last point threatens both accreditation guidelines and federal funding.
Clearly, the fact that by Administrative direction, grades and requirements were retroactively changed the semester after the courses ended is more than problematic. This decision cheats the students out of a complete foundation in Math; creates a double standard for students who completed all of the requirements in Fall, 2011 in contrast to those who had ‘incompletes’ changed to grades without doing the same work; and does not represent accurately all of the students’ levels of achievement. This last point threatens both accreditation guidelines and federal funding.
Moreover, in the weeks since the controversy broke, various questionable reasons for the grade change have been offered by Interim President Portia Shields: principally, that the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) has a quota on the number of ‘incompletes’ that can be given; and that TBR revised its guideline on ‘learning support’ courses in such a way that certain requirements for the Fall Math courses were dropped after the fact (the TBR A-100 guideline is at issue here). Yet, not only does the slightly revised guideline say nothing whatsoever that calls for a retroactive readjustment of requirements for Math courses already completed; it contains no revision applicable to the Math courses in question.
Most importantly, the ever-so-slightly revised guideline was issued in February, 2012, a full two months after the courses ended.
Tellingly, in a letter sent to the university as a whole, the Chair of the Department of Mathematical Sciences makes clear her support of grades that were submitted in December, 2011 but is silent on giving such an endorsement of grades that were changed in Spring, 2012.
In short, the chaotic treatment of courses created to offer supplemental help to students while complying with the Complete College Act (which eliminates developmental courses at four year institutions) is not something to be treated as too “embarrassing” to be discussed publicly, as Dr. Shields contends. The ultimate embarrassment would be a university whose accreditation is at risk or even lost as a result of the aforementioned problems. Everyone should welcome a public resolution to these issues. Far from involving mud-slinging or partial attempts at justification, what is needed from all sides, to quote Sergeant Friday from “Dragnet,” are “Just the facts, Ma’am.”
Dr. Jane Davis is an Associate Professor of English and Chair of the Tennessee State University Faculty Senate
http://hbcudigest.tumblr.com/post/28016202929/letter-to-the-editor-what-is-at-stake-in-the-tennessee
Parable of the Poor Righteous Teacher
for Haki Madhubuti (Don L. Lee)
Sooner or later, they always come for the teacher. After all, the more popular, the more dangerous. The more serious and sincere, the more a threat to the bourgeoisie whose philosophy is do nothing, say nothing, know nothing. Thus, the serious teacher has no seat at the table. Yes, he is tolerated for a time, maybe a long time, but the plot was hatched the first day he arrived to teach, when the contract was signed, his doom was sealed.
No matter what chairs he established, no matter how many institutions he created in the name of God. The bourgeoisie care nothing for God, only as a cover for their filthy behavior in the dark, their winking and blinking at the water hole.
The teacher must know absolutely if he is on his job he won't have a job, for no matter how many years he gives of his soul, his mental genius, he is not wanted. No matter how many students he is able to raise from the box, his services are not wanted.
The bourgeoisie do not want Jack out of the box, this must be understood. They prefer Jack and Jackie stay confined and proscribed in the box of ignorance. They are mere pawns in the game of chance the bourgeoisie play until they are removed from power, after they steal all they can, when the coffers are empty, the institution bankrupt and they are under indictment.
Now they will never put down their butcher knives, never turn into Buddha heads. This is why one must practice eternal vigilance with them. They are planning and plotting the demise of the poor righteous teachers at every turn.
So the teacher must teach his students about power, but when he does, his exit papers are signed. He may not know this. He may believe he has friends on the board of trustees, but he is only fooling himself. He is a starry eyed idealist, a dreamer, who shall be awakened from his dream one day for sure. And on that day he shall find his office door locked. His classroom door secured by a guard. His students transferred to other colleagues he thought were with him. But they will only say to him, "Sorry, brother."
--Marvin X
4/5/10
This is the parable Marvin X read on KPFA radio Monday night on the Greg Bridges show. Catch his reading and book signing on Saturday, Sept. 1, 3-6pm at the Joyce Gordon Gallery, 406 14th Street,
downtown Oakland. Call 510-200-4164 for more information.
Parable of the Poor Righteous Teacher
for Haki Madhubuti (Don L. Lee)
Sooner or later, they always come for the teacher. After all, the more popular, the more dangerous. The more serious and sincere, the more a threat to the bourgeoisie whose philosophy is do nothing, say nothing, know nothing. Thus, the serious teacher has no seat at the table. Yes, he is tolerated for a time, maybe a long time, but the plot was hatched the first day he arrived to teach, when the contract was signed, his doom was sealed.
No matter what chairs he established, no matter how many institutions he created in the name of God. The bourgeoisie care nothing for God, only as a cover for their filthy behavior in the dark, their winking and blinking at the water hole.
The teacher must know absolutely if he is on his job he won't have a job, for no matter how many years he gives of his soul, his mental genius, he is not wanted. No matter how many students he is able to raise from the box, his services are not wanted.
The bourgeoisie do not want Jack out of the box, this must be understood. They prefer Jack and Jackie stay confined and proscribed in the box of ignorance. They are mere pawns in the game of chance the bourgeoisie play until they are removed from power, after they steal all they can, when the coffers are empty, the institution bankrupt and they are under indictment.
Now they will never put down their butcher knives, never turn into Buddha heads. This is why one must practice eternal vigilance with them. They are planning and plotting the demise of the poor righteous teachers at every turn.
So the teacher must teach his students about power, but when he does, his exit papers are signed. He may not know this. He may believe he has friends on the board of trustees, but he is only fooling himself. He is a starry eyed idealist, a dreamer, who shall be awakened from his dream one day for sure. And on that day he shall find his office door locked. His classroom door secured by a guard. His students transferred to other colleagues he thought were with him. But they will only say to him, "Sorry, brother."
--Marvin X
4/5/10
This is the parable Marvin X read on KPFA radio Monday night on the Greg Bridges show. Catch his reading and book signing on Saturday, Sept. 1, 3-6pm at the Joyce Gordon Gallery, 406 14th Street,
downtown Oakland. Call 510-200-4164 for more information.
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