Louisiana Voice

(I am no longer active with LouisianaVoice but I am leaving it open to guest columnists who wish to use the platform for their posts. Following is one such guest post by Dayne Sherman, professor of Library Science at Southeastern Louisiana University.)

Tom Aswell

I am a finalist for the presidency of my alma mater Southeastern Louisiana University. The decision to move from 15 finalists to perhaps three finalists will take place on Tuesday, April 11 in Baton Rouge. Just being a finalist is one of the biggest honors in my professional life. I wish the best for my school.

My decision to apply for the position had everything to do with the campus cyberattack 6 ½ weeks ago that has harmed the campus and its students. I saw very little urgency by the campus administration, and I still see very little urgency to fix the problems. For example, we have not seen an update from the outgoing campus president since March 15. I suspect he is just “quiet quitting.” I called for Dr. John Crain’s immediate resignation weeks ago. Why should he wait until May to leave?

I applied for the position to fix problems and to provide leadership in a crisis. To the best of my knowledge, 6 ½ weeks into the crisis there is only one working student printer on campus and zero working wired computers. That’s unforgivable for a campus with 10,000 students.

Worse, it is a shame that the upper administration spends more time trying to find ways to fire me rather than to fix the tech meltdown. They forget about the First Amendment, Louisiana Whistleblower protections, the illegality of retaliation, and faculty rights under tenure and academic freedom.

Regardless, I have articulated a clear vison, something other candidates—as qualified as they are for the job—have not. My “15-Point Vision for Day One” was published here on Louisiana Voice (https://louisianavoice.com/2023/03/30/dayne-sherman-who-has-dedicated-his-entire-adult-life-to-slu-has-declared-his-candidacy-for-president-of-university/). Now I am offering my “100-Point Plan for the First 100 Days.”

Naturally, I do not speak for any of my employers. I only speak for myself, a Louisiana citizen. But I do want to hear feedback from you on my plan.

100-Point Plan for the First 100 Days

1. I will focus on changing the campus culture from saying NO to every creative initiative to saying YES.
2. I will go on a listening tour of the campus students, faculty, and staff.
3. I will commission a survey of faculty and staff morale. The results will be made public.
4. I will commission a study of student experiences and problems related to the tech meltdown.
5. I will commit to making sure that no student’s grades were harmed related to the tech meltdown.
6. I will meet with all campus department heads, deans, directors, and vice presidents, etc., and ask each person two questions: What did you do to stop the lack of urgency over the tech meltdown? How did you help students in the process?
7. I will provide a public analysis related to “The Moodler Hack,” including a forensic audit of the last 25 years of Office of Technology leadership on campus, and provide a meaningful way to protect the campus in the future. We will have a real emergency plan.
8. I will provide daily reports on the tech meltdown until everything is back to normal.
9. I will immediately set up working printers in each computer lab.
10. I will fix the terrible acoustics in the new iHub area.
11. I will appoint a taskforce to establish ranks for instructor positions: Adjunct Instructor, Instructor, Senior Instructor, and Distinguished Instructor, etc. Proposals will include step raises with each level.
12. I will establish a doctoral degree attainment raise for Instructors.
13. I will plan for placing EV charging stations on multiple campus sites.
14. I will review all parking policies and will seek feedback from campus groups on how to make parking better and more equitable.
15. I will establish a “Certified Southeastern Recruitment Center” program for profit and non-profits across the region. This will assist in recruitment, retention, and establish new networks for alumni and giving.
16. I will increase the budget for the Lion’s Roar student newspaper.
17. I will create a close working relationship between the Southeastern Channel, Lion’s Roar, and KSLU.
18. I will promote KSLU as the preeminent college radio station in the state.
19. I will defend tenure publicly and in front of the Louisiana Legislature.
20. I will provide the Faculty Senate President a 50% course release, provide a graduate assistant, and student assistant as staff.
21. The Faculty Senate and its Council meetings will be livestreamed.
22. I will start a Staff Senate to represent all staff members.
23. I will make academic department heads “chairs” and establish a 5 to 6-year service window for the positions.
24. I will attempt to receive a legislative variance so all retired professors can be paid to teach up to two courses as adjuncts per semester immediately after retirement in all disciplines.
25. I will hire more counselors to focus on student mental health.
26. I will champion the LION UP Recovery program.
27. Every building will have at least three people provided Narcan and trained to use it.
28. I will commission an analysis of Classified Staff pay to see if raises are warranted under Civil Service rules. I believe people have been left out unfairly.
29. I will start an “Each One Teach One” tutoring program in the local public schools with our students, staff, professors, and retirees.
30. I will restore full funding for databases and journals in the Library.
31. I will find funds for new furniture in the Library.
32. I will promote a modest student assessed fee to support the Library collection.
33. I will commission a study to analyze the viability of making the first floor of the Library a 24-hour open area with UPD presence.
34. I will place the campus budget online by October 1 of each year.
35. I will propose to build a memorial clock tower in the union where the Katrina-Rita “dry fountain” is currently located.
36. I will propose replacing the campus “Get There.” slogan.
37. I will propose replacing the “Superman S” symbol.
38. I will propose replacing the current Roomie Lion cartoon figure.
39. I will propose naming every classroom and building, tree and shrub to raise money for the campus.
40. I will promote selling naming rights for the University Center.
41. I will require a tour of Turtle Cove for residential students during the freshman year.
42. I will do everything in my power to save Friendship Oak, and I will provide regular reports to the campus and media.
43. I will provide more free sporting event tickets to local school children.
44. I will send weekly announcements about upcoming campus events (i.e., when the Governor is on campus, everyone will know it.)
45. I will create a more pet friendly campus.
46. I will appoint a taskforce to create a campus childcare center, a high-quality daycare.
47. I will champion the Gospel choir.
48. I will promote the campus NAACP chapter.
49. I will meet with all campus religious organization leaders.
50. I will meet with all fraternity and student leaders.
51. I will meet with SGA.
52. I will meet with all coaches and athletics staff.
53. I will meet with community and business leaders.
54. I will meet with Alumni leaders.
55. I will meet with 100 campus leaders in the first 100 days.
56. I will vigorously promote real transparency on campus for hiring. We will put the salary range on every job ad.
57. I will establish a “Town and Gown” organization to build bridges between all communities and neighborhoods in the Hammond area.
58. I will bring concerts to the University Center, from Chris Stapleton to Flau’jae, Margo Price to Phoebe Bridgers.
59. I will give every commuter a Lions bumper sticker for their cars.
60. I will hire the best Chief Information Officer in Louisiana higher education.
61. I will champion major outreach to Dual Enrollment students, including free applications to apply.
62. I will ensure that the Dual Enrollment program is not a hassle for students, parents, and schools.
63. I will require each campus major to provide a plan to allow Dual Enrollment students with 24 hours to graduate in 3 years.
64. I will provide a major outreach to Federal Trio Programs, including free applications to enroll. Trio is historically the University’s largest recurring grant.
65. I will aggressively promote the new online MBA program.
66. I will make every master’s degree certify a pathway to a 12-month graduation plan full time and a 24-monthgraduation plan for part-time.
67. I will aggressively go after significant Louisiana-related archival collections and the funding to process the collections.
68. I will establish a program to offer every high school student with 30 undergraduate hours prior to Freshman Fall enrollment a $2500 scholarship.
69. I will expand free math and English tutoring on campus.
70. I will establish a clear Southeastern regional recruitment zone and communicate it widely.
71. I will promote LGBTQI+ inclusion in all programs and events at the University.
72. I will personally recruit faculty at institutions with large numbers of African American Ph.D.s, such as Howard University.
73. I will start a task force to study bringing college classes to Louisiana prisons where inmates can receive Pell Grants. The goal is to stop recidivism.
74. All deans, associate VPs, VPs, etc., will teach one course per semester.
75. I will start a financial literacy and entrepreneurship program leading to basic competency for all graduates.
76. I will ensure that all scans of the Lion’s Roar newspapers issues back to 1937 are available to the public online.
77. I will ensure that all scans of the Le Souvenir yearbooks are available to the public online.
78. I will ensure that all copies of the University budget for the past 25 years are available online.
79. I will ensure the campus will be the most transparent in Louisiana.
80. I will commit additional funds for cybersecurity on campus.
81. I will beef up security on campus through additional funds to the UPD.
82. I will remove all speedbumps on campus. 
83. I will commission a plan to double our abysmal 18% 4-year graduation rates to 36%. This goal will be set to make a massive increase within 4 years. (Source: Forbes.com and IPEDS.).
84. I will commission a taskforce to double the number of nursing graduates in 4 years.
85. I will have the brick wall fixed at Pottle Hall.
86. I will require more security at high school graduations held in the University Center.
87. I will require more comprehensive parking lot security across campus.
88. I will increase the number of trips and hours for campus bus routes.
89. I will make every staff and faculty member aware of the campus architectural masterplan.
90. I will advocate for staff and faculty ORP members to buy into TRSL retirement.
91. I will host a yearly presidential roast as a fundraiser.
92. The campus will have a meaningful discussion of CRT and DEI.
93. The Lab School admissions process will be transparent.
94. Writers-in-Residence will only teach one course per semester.
95. I will host International Students for events at the President’s House.
96. I will host every sports team individually at the President’s House.
97. I will seek advice and mentorship from the best university presidents in Louisiana and the nation.
98. I will apply to the Harvard Management Development Program for Higher Ed.
99. I will be the most active university president in Louisiana on all forms of social media.
100. I will not yield to pressure to bring a live lion mascot to campus!

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(I am no longer active with LouisianaVoice but I am leaving it open to guest columnists who wish to use the platform for their posts. Following is one such guest post by Stephen Winham, retired Director of the Executive Budget Office for the State of Louisiana.)

Tom Aswell

By Stephen Winham     

Our former POTUS knows that when it comes to getting elected, what the media says about you matters much less than the simple fact they are talking about you. Trump is the ringmaster of a circus all the media love – left, right and center– and he loves them back, even while pretending to be the victim if he is even mildly criticized.

Constant coverage keeps Mr. Trump exactly where he wants to be – at the very top of the news. Thanks to years of coverage of his increasingly outrageous publicity stunts and other questionable activities, he can thank the media for his election as POTUS in the first place and for his continued relevance today.

After all, what in the world could possibly be more important than what Mr. Trump did today? [Yes, Virginia, that is sarcasm] Constant coverage of Mr. Trump helps the media in many ways. As just one example, a lot of money is saved from not having to adequately cover a variety of events here and worldwide.

Some events just might be of greater import than showing the exterior of a courthouse for hours and then following the former president’s motorcade from the courthouse to the airport, ala the 1994 slow pursuit of OJ on LA and Orange County freeways. Then, of course, it was necessary to get totally predictable quotes from his attorneys on the tarmac and cover the takeoff of the TRUMP jet.

Since we no longer have a fairness doctrine, it is not necessary for media to attempt objectivity as they compete with one another. Each is free to tailor its coverage to its audience’s political bias. If the audience seems to be drifting away, it is easy enough to shift focus, or even go in reverse.  Right now, the top news everywhere is Mr. Trump and people are perceived to be fascinated by him. As long as that is true, media will capitalize on it.

Okay, so we know who the winners are here – Trump and the media in a deeply symbiotic relationship. Who are the losers? Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding…you got it – us.

Mr. Trump and the media deepen and widen the chasms that were once cracks in our society. I ask you; how does this help us? Is it a good thing that lifelong friendships are the victims of political ideology? That we can no longer civilly discuss, much less agree or even compromise on things that are existentially vital?

How can we possibly deny that the media and powerful politicians are responsible for dividing this country, or, at the very least, fanning the flames of internal discord? And who seems to be the most powerful politician in this country? The same person who is profiting from an indictment for what his supporters and many others consider to be a minor indiscretion – His very own favorite President, Mr. Trump.

Meanwhile, the current POTUS isn’t even afforded the respect due his office, further weakening his ability to lead. The media largely treat him as irrelevant, and the pundits treat him even worse. Even his supporters are lukewarm to him, at best. His age is certainly working to his disadvantage, but he seems to be trying his best and is a decent human being who does not lie as a default response. Nor does he routinely exhibit pettiness and cruelty.

[I know, I know. Mr. Trump did not receive the respect his supporters believe he should have when he was POTUS. I think he got much more respect than he deserved.]

Trump is treating the current indictment as a tempest in a teapot and his followers are agreeing. It is easy to predict he will capitalize on any additional indictments and even on any convictions. In the unlikely event he ever goes to jail, he will achieve the epitome of political martyrdom in the hearts and minds of his supporters.

The United States is progressively losing respect in the world. Mr. Trump should accept significant responsibility for this, and so should the media. The difference is that the media should not be expected to promote the United States as a world leader. As POTUS emeritus, Trump should. Rather than do so, he makes clear arguments that the United States is in horrible shape and going down the tubes in the absence of his presidency. Is that a good message to send to this country, much less the rest of the world? Should we care what the rest of the world thinks of us? We absolutely should and so should all our elected officials. We live on one planet.

Some say we have the country we deserve. Unfortunately, they’re right. We elect and re-elect people who serve themselves, and their political masters. We come in second, at best, and the media accepts it as normal. Politicians are given free publicity and the more outrageous their campaigns, the more publicity they get.

We need to break this cycle. I am not so naïve as to believe Donald Trump and his toadies should not be covered at all. But, please, does he have to be shoved down our throats continuously, particularly when he shows utter disregard for the truth or anything else that might have positive consequences?

Aren’t there important and real issues out there around which we could theoretically unite for the greater good? Will we ever again  have an opportunity to vote for and elect a candidate for President who we can really feel good about? Will the media ever regain its credibility and balance? It really depends on us.

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Regular readers of LouisianaVoice are aware that I traditionally hold two fundraisers per year – in April and October.

Not this time.

If you want something to support that has real meaning, please give generously to your local Food Bank or to the victims of devastating tornadoes in Arkansas, Mississippi, and elsewhere. If you don’t have money to spare for those unfortunate victims, give clothing, cookware, furniture, and appliances you no longer need. These are people who genuinely need our compassion and assistance.

Give to them, not LouisianaVoice. In fact, those of you who have set up monthly payments to LouisianaVoice should terminate those payments immediately and permanently. They are appreciated but no longer necessary.

You see, all good things (and those not so good) must eventually come to an end and that time has come for LouisianaVoice.

We’re shutting down because the time has come to do so.

Like Tom Brady, I “retired” once before because of the macular degeneration in my right eye but that retirement was short-lived after doctors assured me the progression was slow. (My wife insists that I misunderstood the diagnosis in the first place and that it was actually masculine degeneration. She could be right about that.)

Be that as it may, the time, as I said, is right. There are several reasons for my decision:

Number one, I am going to be 80 this year and hell, I’m tired.

Number two, the Internet has become one huge echo chamber with proponents of both the left and right quoting those of similar persuasion for support until everyone ends up quoting each other at the expense of actual facts and useful information.

Number three, despite the presence of all the distractions of yelling back and forth, there are some informative, intellectually-stimulating blogs out there that are far better than what I have the time or resources to offer. Lamar White, Jr., and Sue Lincoln of BAYOU BRIEF come immediately to mind. With Bayou Brief, you can find real, professional journalism second to none. Others include THE LENS, dedicated primarily – but by no means limited to – New Orleans news; LOUISIANA ILLUMINATOR, the PELICAN INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC POLICY, and LOUISIANA BUDGET PROJECT on the state scene and too many to even attempt to name on the national and international level, though I will recommend THE GUARDIAN, which, though it is a British-owned online publication, it gives excellent coverage of major events in this country.

Number four, I intend to spend what days I have left in researching and writing books. At the moment, I have two manuscripts finished and ready for publication, and I plan to write at least three more. As I said, I’ll soon be 80, so I need to get cracking on those books.

And five – and foremost – people have gotten just too damn rude. I had an oft-stated policy of non-censorship of comments to my blogposts so long as readers did not become vulgar or racist in their comments. The posting of many comments by readers who disagreed with me were ample affirmation of that policy – until recently. Some of the comments directed at me and some at readers who supported what I wrote have become unprintable, so I have blocked them. Many comments through the 12 years of LouisianaVoice’s existence have pointed out typos and factual mistakes, all of which were appreciated, posted, and corrections made where necessary.

But I don’t have to tolerate the outright hostility expressed just for hostility’s sake. I don’t have to accept the venom spewed with no solutions offered.

Writing some three million words over the past 12 years has been a blast. I’ve loved the support readers have shown over the years and I will always treasure the experience and freedom that writing a blogpost has given me – freedom of expression a writer does not always have on a newspaper (the story about questionable campaign contributions to a prominent US senator that The Baton Rouge State-Times once stopped me from writing, for example – the reason given being the friendship between the senator and Publisher Doug Manship).

I am in preliminary negotiations with an individual to keep LouisianaVoice going, perhaps even expanding it to include a podcast, but those discussions are in the embryonic stages for now, making it premature to divulge any further details.

And I’m leaving the door open to writing an occasional post should LouisianaVoice continue under someone else’s leadership.

For now, though, arrivederci and, from the bottom of my heart, grazie.

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As Republicans wrestle with the meaning of the terms “woke” (not one in 10 can accurately define what the word means), “CRT,” and “grooming,” censorship and the attempt to force-feed moral standards continue unabated. It conjures up the famous declaration of former New Orleans Mayor Martin Behrman who said in 1917 of the federal efforts to shut down prostitution in the city, “You can make it illegal, but you can’t make it unpopular.”

In Florida, a school principal was forced to RESIGN  after parents, ignorant of art in general and Michelangelo in particular, raised holy hell over the display of the artist’s classic sculpture of David – after which everyone went home to watch 50 Shades of Grey, Eyes Wide Shut, or The Wolf of Wall Street. (Well, somebody was watching those movies, right?)

Now that the issue of book content in public libraries has become the issue du jour, it seems a good time to reveal a recent LouisianaVoice informal poll taken at meetings of the Livingston Parish Council where the burning issue of library books held sway over such trivial issues as flood control and impassable roads and highways where small cars could disappear into the abyss of a pothole from hell.

Fully 73 percent of those polled declared that they did not think President Barack Obama did enough to aid the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Even more interesting, 87 percent got their dander up when I broached the idea that President Biden had announced that he would mandate that the U.S. rely solely on the Arabic numbering system, beginning in 2024.

The response to that scenario was instant and downright hostile. One woman declared that she was “against anything Biden wanted,” so I asked her what she did with her pandemic stimulus check. She gave me a blank stare, so I rephrased the question: “Did you send your check back?” Still no response.

Another person, a man who is a member of the parish governing council, replied with a question of his own: “What’s wrong with the system we have?” he asked indignantly before adding, “I don’t know how to respond to that. I’ll have to study it first.”

Respondents almost unanimously (97 percent) literally bristled when I asked them how they felt about Hunter Biden receiving $2 billion from Saudi Arabia in 2022. “He oughta go to jail,” spat one of those present to protest the perceived easy access of certain books by children. I never bothered to inform him that it was Jared Kushner, not Hunter Biden, who received the $2 billion from the Saudi Investment Fund. Oh well, details, details.

Maybe they would’ve recognized the bogus questions if they ever visited a library to read newspapers and news magazines.

But more important than all that, now comes the news that 39 of the 50 states, including Louisiana, may be forced to tear down their phallic-shaped state capitol buildings and build new, less objectionable ones.

Lunatics Gone Big Time Quirky (LGBTQ) has launched a nationwide movement to remove all phallic-shaped buildings from the landscape in order to protect the delicate eyes of youngsters who might accidentally look up from their cellphones and see sone of these structures that LGBTQ says might pollute and otherwise corrupt young minds.

It’s somewhat interesting that the state political leaders would tend to erect (no pun intended) phallic-shaped buildings in which to conduct state business. It’s somewhat indicative (again, no pun intended) of what the legislators do to the citizenry when they’re in session.

It’s also no coincidence that the title of the Biggest D**k goes to none other than good ol’ Looezeana, whose phallic capitol building towers an impressive 450 feet.

Louisiana State Capitol

Nebraska is second at 400 feet (maintaining its phallic shape despite having a unicameral legislature), followed by another state of many gigantic d**ks, Florida, whose capitol building stands at 322 feet. The domed House and Senate chambers on either side only serve to accent the current abundance of Florida’s d**ks within.

Florida State Capitol

The cost of the new, more modest State Capitol building in Baton Rouge is expected to exceed $480 million, not including graft and kickbacks. Disguised as legitimate cost overruns (as more politicians demand their take), that could escalate the cost by as high as an additional $1 billion – or more, depending on how creative the pols are at fooling the feds.

But Louisiana and Florida state capitols aside, all the suggestive capitol buildings may be history if LGBTQ has its way. Each of those 39 state capitols, as well as hundreds, perhaps thousands, of similarly-endowed structures may be on the LGBTQ chopping block (okay, bad choice of words).

Florida legislators, in anticipation of action by Gov. Rhonda Santis, have already begun preparing legislation to construct a giant fig leaf to cover the State Capitol building in Tallahassee, a project that could rival the cost of a new Louisiana structure given the fact that the state elected Rick Scott first as governor and then US senator despite his having presided over a company that was found guilty of 14 felony violations and fined $1.7 billion for ripping off Medicare, Medicaid. Graft obviously isn’t just tolerated in Florida, it’s encouraged.

Alternative to constructing a new Florida Capitol Building

Florida legislators and Rhonda Santis are also moving forward on an even more ambitious campaign to superimpose a map of the state over the statue of David to cover that 520-year-old marble appendage that has caused such an uproar – even though such a move will undoubtedly present David as considerably more conspicuously endowed (unless lawmakers choose a much smaller map), but will still be better than a map of say, Tennessee or, heaven forbid, Idaho or New Hampshire.

Florida’s solution to the unacceptable statue of David.

Unacceptable Substitutes

In Florida public schools, math books have been purged of controversial material, history book references to slavery and civil rights were expunged, and all English grammar books have been edited to delete any mention (or use) of periods. The same prohibitions are also being considered for colons and dangling participles.

Meanwhile, the Hyde Park Obelisk in Sydney, Australia, has already been fitted with a giant pink condom to conceal the obviously lewd phallic edifice. That should deflect attention from the suggestive obelisk, which will have its name officially changed to “Buildo” in order to comply with the anticipated demands of LGBTQ.

Sydney’s Hyde Park Obelisk in all its lewdness (above) and covered by a condom (below)

In addition to the suggestive buildings, LGBTQ is also targeting several cities and towns, including Dry Prong, Grosse Tete, Bunkie, Hardwood, and Waterproof in Louisiana, as well as a host of other cities in the US and Europe: Slickpoo, Idaho; Mud Butte, South Dakota; Climax, Georgia; Intercourse, Pennsylvania; Nellie’s Nipples, California; Weiner, Arkansas; Titty-Ho street in Raunds, Wellingborough, England; Bitchfield, Lincolnshire, England; Muff, County Donegal, Ireland; Sandyballs, Hampshire, England, and Wetwang, England. The Austrian village of F**king, in anticipation of the wave of decency and political correctness (and to reduce the frequency of city sign thefts), changed its name in 2021 to the more acceptable Fugging. Yeah, that should work.

Anyone remember former LSU President F. King Alexander? What were his parents thinking?

Certain Louisiana parishes have not escaped the attention of LGBTQ, either. Catahoula Parish could conjure up mental images of cat houses, which could cause irreparable damage to the psyche of young children. Morehouse sounds a lot like…well, you know. And the last syllable of Natchitoches could be mistaken for “tush,” so it has to be changed forthwith as does Tangipahoa, for the same reason: “Hoa” could send the wrong message as could the last syllable of Terrebonne. And the middle syllable of Ouachita just isn’t acceptable for young children. Not sure what Calcasieu implies, but it sounds dirty, so it goes, as well. And “Union” can mean only one thing: pre-marital intimacy between impressionable teenagers.

Here are a few other buildings likely to be replaced by more acceptable architectural designs:

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