ARTICLES CONCERNING
MISCELLANEOUS ISSUES AND THOUGHTS

For more articles and editorials concerning miscellaneous issues and thoughts, please click here.

(July 15, 2010) . . . breaking news . . . USM English Department Put in Receivership HATTIESBURG – Ed Kemp’s 15-July-2010 follow-up to The Hattiesburg American’s earlier story about the non-renewal of Frederick Barthelme, a nationally-renowned writer in USM’s English department, revealed a detail that many in the USM and Hattiesburg communities were likely unaware of – that the Martha Saunders administration placed the USM English department in receivership back in the spring of 2010.

(July 19, 2010) 31st & Pearl ‘Like Virgil Led Dante’ If readers’ responses to The Hattiesburg American’s 6-July-2010 report about problems in USM’s Center for Writers are any indication, the kinds of problems caused by the Shelby Thames administration (2002-07) have continued well into the Martha Saunders administration (2007-present).

(July 19, 2010) . . . breaking news . . . Will USM Scientists Join Others in Assisting BP? HATTIESBURG – A new report by The Mobile Press-Register’s Ben Raines indicates that BP is offering university scientists “signing bonuses” and “lucrative pay” to assist in its legal defense vis-à-vis the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

(July 19, 2010) USM English Faculty ‘Jaded’ Heading into 2010-11Fallout from Saunders Administration’s Actions Regarding Center for Writers Continues Though USM’s liberal arts dean Denise von Herrmann argues that USM doesn’t actually have a creative writing center, faculty morale continues to sink as a result of the Martha Saunders administration’s decision to sever employment ties with the USM Center for Writers director Frederick Barthelme.

(July 19, 2010) USM English Faculty ‘Jaded’ Heading into 2010-11Fallout from Saunders Administration’s Actions Regarding Center for Writers Continues Though USM’s liberal arts dean Denise von Herrmann argues that USM doesn’t actually have a creative writing center, faculty morale continues to sink as a result of the Martha Saunders administration’s decision to sever employment ties with the USM Center for Writers director Frederick Barthelme.

(July 20, 2010) USM ‘Sends a Terrible Message’ to College Co-Eds Comments from the Stamper-Williams Court Proceedings On 16-July-96, USM doctoral student Davida Williams filed suit in Forrest County Circuit Court against USM and English professor Rex Stamper, among others. Williams’ complaint alleged that “the defendants jointly and severally engaged in a wrongful and malevolent course of conduct which prevented her from receiving her doctoral degree and caused severe emotional and mental anguish.” Part of Williams’ case against Stamper also involved accusations of a lengthy course of sexual harassment.

(July 22, 2010) Special Report The Williams-Stamper Facts Anatomy of how Bad USM can Behave The recent USMNEWS.net report entitled USM 'Sends a Terrible Message' to College Co-Eds lays the groundwork for a multi-part series on the Davida Williams v. USM, Rex Stamper, et al. case that was brought to Forrest County Circuit Court back in 1996.