financialissues32

(September 28, 2010) Special Report USM Still Filling Questionable Positions Recent Openings Create New Budget-Related Questions Even though USM is currently operating on a budget that is $10 million less than last year’s, and is planning for a budget next year that will be $15 million less than this year’s, a number of hires are still being made on the Hattiesburg and Long Beach campuses. Table 1 below shows just three of those positions one might characterize as questionable.

(September 30, 2010) Aren’t You Happy that Van is Happy? A Guest Editorial Like some, Arnold believes that Southern Miss “has matured into a vibrant, respected beacon of education” primarily because of brick gateways and New Orleans Bowls. It is all a whitewash of the fact that Southern Miss is a bottom-tier institution that is made, over and over, a national laughing stock by terrible decisions coming from its administration.

(October 7, 2010) Bend it Like Latin A FRESH LOOK AT THE STALE USM SOCCER PROGRAM by Victoria Tyler Much has been reported about USM’s use of roughly $7 million in student and taxpayer money to support the institution’s $19 million athletics department. Some of the discussion thus far has centered on the dismal state of USM’s soccer program, which is led by Scott Ebke. After taking charge of the program before the 2008 season, Ebke became the first new coach of the Martha Saunders administration of USM.

(October 8, 2010) . . . breaking news . . . New LED Sign on Corner of Campus Causing Stir HATTIESBURG – As of this writing, Ed Kemp’s 8-Oct-2010 investigative report for The Hattiesburg American on the new LED sign at the corner of the USM campus has already generated nearly 50 comments from online readers. The debate centers on the financing for the project, which cost USM $104,800.

(October 8, 2010) Is AAUP-USM Falling All Over Itself? More on how the USM Faculty is its Own Worst Enemy Regarding Budget Cuts Ashlyn Ervin’s 12-Oct-2010 story for The Student Printz entitled “USM professors disapprove of appeals process” included some encouraging information for USM faculty with regard to the latest round of budget cuts at USM.

(October 18, 2010) Dear usmnews, Have you seen any data suggesting that the new electronic sign at USM was worth the money? Since they said the sign was more cost efficient, did USM administrators prepare any numbers in support of this decision? How many years will it take, assuming the cost efficiency, before the money spent on the new sign is recovered? Some of your loyal readers would like to see a FOIA for that information, too. Our guess is if any numbers were used they are as accurate as those used to justify President Martha Saunders’ airplane. [name withheld]