weeklyreports_02_01

Dear usmnews.net, A couple days ago Athletic Director Bill McGillis said, "'We're facing adversity and we've got more adversity coming'." While McGillis was talking about Southern Miss' beleaguered basketball program, many of us think he could be talking about the University as a whole.

Guest Editorial Ending the Tax Break for Sport Fans A widely overlooked paragraph in President Obama's recent budget is a proposal to end the tax deduction available to some fans for donations they make to get seats at college sporting events. According to Bloomberg News "[b]y closing what the White House calls a loophole in the system, people would pay about $2.5 billion over the next decade in higher taxes. Currently, college sports fans can deduct 80 percent of the cost of such donations."

What a Waste of Money!! Here is a picture provided by a reader that is reported to be a first quarter photograph of The Rock taken during the 29-Nov-2014 blowout of the Golden Eagles by UAB.

USM's $1.74 Million Dollar "Blue Collar" Football Fashion Statement Let's revisit details of yesterday's report, "What a Waste of Money." Consider the language describing USM's renovation of a football locker room (you can almost hear cheerleaders singing these words, while their pompoms are sprinkling pixie dust on the readers):

Going, Going, Gone With Joe Paul's recent retirement, usmnews.net was requested to take a look at turnover at the senior levels since the days of Shelby Thames. Listed below are a number of senior people from the Thames administration who held important positions in the Saunders administration. It appears that former President Saunders and current President Bennett have divested many of the remainder.

Dear usmnews.net, There is always something new and interesting in the IHL Board Book. Here's something that got my attention: "Approved the request to hire attorney William Wessler to perform services necessary and render legal advice, recommendations, and representation to the university in the practice area of bankruptcy."

A Walk Through the History of Southern Miss Part 1 usmnews.net commences a new series revisiting nationally embarrassing events in the history of Southern Miss. Tonight we start with Nugget, the Golden Eagle mascot, being starved to death.

A Walk Through the History of Southern Miss Part 2 usmnews.net continues a new series revisiting nationally embarrassing events in the history of Southern Miss. This morning we continue with "Tablegate".

A Walk Through the History of Southern Miss Part 3 usmnews.net continues a new series revisiting nationally embarrassing events in the history of Southern Miss. This morning we continue with "Mississippi's Climate Unhealthy for Academics" which hearkens back to one of the most public examples of academic intolerance and abuse at the University of Southern Mississippi.

A Walk Through the History of Southern Miss Part 4 usmnews.net continues a new series revisiting natio19nally embarrassing events in the history of Southern Miss. This morning we continue with U. of Southern Mississippi Plans to Cut Programs and 29 Faculty Jobs.

A Walk Through the History of Southern Miss Part 5 usmnews.net continues a new series revisiting nationally embarrassing events in the history of Southern Miss. This morning we continue with Sham (Presidential) Search at Southern Miss. The IHL seems surprised that searches conducted in secret ending with presentation of their "preferred" candidate repeatedly ends in disaster.

A Walk Through the History of Southern Miss Part 6 usmnews.net continues a new series revisiting nationally embarrassing events in the history of Southern Miss. This morning we continue with Some Faculty Members Question Whether Changes at U. of Southern Mississippi Take Emphasis Away From Teaching. This article underscores many of the reasons Southern Miss seems perpetually mired in the fourth tier.

Dear usmnews.net, I saw the following on one of the Southern Miss sports chat rooms. Looks like some of the fans are coming around to your point of view. "At any rate, the madness has to stop at some point and the big powers at USM will have to decide whether or not they want to continue to invest tens of millions of dollars into 3 different failing sports that seem to fall further and further behind the pack with each passing year. Where is the return on investment?"

A Walk Through the History of Southern Miss Part 7 usmnews.net continues a new series revisiting nationally embarrassing events in the history of Southern Miss. As faculty, are your email communications private? At Southern Miss, the answer is no. What is the impact on academic freedom? While usmnews.net will not attempt to answer this question for everyone, many faculty tell our reporters and editors

A Walk Through the History of Southern Miss Part 8 A Walk Through the History of Southern Miss Part 8 usmnews.net continues a new series revisiting nationally embarrassing events in the history of Southern Miss. The incident we address today is not merely embarrassing, it is disgusting and despicable. During the late 1950's, Aubrey K. Lucas was the Director of Admissions at Mississippi Southern College, later named the University of Southern Mississippi, when Mr. Clyde Kennard applied for admission.

A Walk Through the History of Southern Miss Part 9 usmnews.net continues a new series revisiting nationally embarrassing events in the history of Southern Miss. This morning we continue with "Faulkner Scholar Lands on His Feet" which stands as a reminder of a long history of "vindictive" and "pusillanimous" behavior directed at faculty who dare disagree.

How Safe is your PERS Check? Many of us receive monthly checks from PERS. That check forms part of our retirement security. As we have been told, a sound retirement plan relies on a pension, social security and savings. Taken together, these three elements should form the basis for a comfortable, secure retirement. Over the past several years, private employees have learned that their pensions are not all that secure. Companies file bankruptcy to eliminate or greatly reduce their unfunded pension liabilities.