Post by Aggie One on Aug 20, 2015 7:03:07 GMT -5
FAMU alumni call for BOT chair Rufus Montgomery to step down
TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT
Bill Cotterell and Byron Dobson, Democrat correspondent and senior writer 10:19 p.m. EDT August 19, 2015
Mayor Andrew Gillum and four state legislators — all passionate alumni of Florida A&M University — urged FAMU board of trustees Chairman Rufus Montgomery on Wednesday to step aside and end his "insanely personal" feud with university President Elmira Mangum.
Montgomery said he's not budging. He said the politicians don't have the "vantage point" he and other trustees have, to know what goes on at Florida's only historically black state university.
"We love Florida A&M University with every fiber of our being," Gillum, a former Rattler student body president, said at a news conference in the legislative rotunda of the Capitol. "The institution is bigger than any individual personality. It's bigger than any individual conflict. It's bigger than any one of us standing here."
State Sens. Arthenia Joyner of Tampa and Dwight Bullard of Cutler Bay stood with Gillum, along with Reps. Alan Williams of Tallahassee and Mia Jones of Jacksonville. All are Democrats, and Montgomery is a Republican appointee of Gov. Rick Scott, but the mayor and lawmakers said politics is irrelevant.
"We've had great Republicans serve on the board of trustees over the years and they haven't been African-American, and most of them have not been Rattlers," said Jones. "What we have in this instance is not about being Democrat or Republican, it's about personality and leadership styles."
Williams added that "this is about FAMU. When the story becomes about individuals and not about FAMU, then there is a problem."
For the rest of the story:
www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2015/08/19/famu-alumni-call-bot-chair-rufus-montgomery-step-down/31995361/
TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT
Bill Cotterell and Byron Dobson, Democrat correspondent and senior writer 10:19 p.m. EDT August 19, 2015
Mayor Andrew Gillum and four state legislators — all passionate alumni of Florida A&M University — urged FAMU board of trustees Chairman Rufus Montgomery on Wednesday to step aside and end his "insanely personal" feud with university President Elmira Mangum.
Montgomery said he's not budging. He said the politicians don't have the "vantage point" he and other trustees have, to know what goes on at Florida's only historically black state university.
"We love Florida A&M University with every fiber of our being," Gillum, a former Rattler student body president, said at a news conference in the legislative rotunda of the Capitol. "The institution is bigger than any individual personality. It's bigger than any individual conflict. It's bigger than any one of us standing here."
State Sens. Arthenia Joyner of Tampa and Dwight Bullard of Cutler Bay stood with Gillum, along with Reps. Alan Williams of Tallahassee and Mia Jones of Jacksonville. All are Democrats, and Montgomery is a Republican appointee of Gov. Rick Scott, but the mayor and lawmakers said politics is irrelevant.
"We've had great Republicans serve on the board of trustees over the years and they haven't been African-American, and most of them have not been Rattlers," said Jones. "What we have in this instance is not about being Democrat or Republican, it's about personality and leadership styles."
Williams added that "this is about FAMU. When the story becomes about individuals and not about FAMU, then there is a problem."
For the rest of the story:
www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2015/08/19/famu-alumni-call-bot-chair-rufus-montgomery-step-down/31995361/
