Post by aggierattler on May 6, 2012 19:39:22 GMT -5
The buzzards are circling above FAMU. 
From Gerald Ensley, Senior Writer at the Tallahassee Democrat (published in the print edition on Sunday, May 6, 2012):
Where is James Ammons' resignation?
Where is the Florida A&M University Board of Trustees, to fire the FAMU president?
With the indictments this week of 13 FAMU band members following the hazing death of drum major Robert Champion, the cards are now on the table: Criminal behavior occurred under university supervision.
Someone has to accept responsibility. The university cannot simply issue a statement announcing the formation of yet another committee and promising to never let this sort of thing happen again.
When a former coach was accused of sexually abusing young boys at Penn State, that university fired its president and its legendary football coach; it forced the resignation of its athletics director and a vice president.
Does FAMU really think it's enough to sacrifice its band director and two of his assistants?
That's not how it works in America. When organizations succeed, the rewards go to the people at the top. When organizations fail, the blame falls on the people at the top.
If Ammons were the leader he claims to be, he would resign out of obligation. He would know it doesn't matter what he knew about the particulars of this case. He would know that FAMU had a well-documented problem with hazing and that he failed to make it a priority to remove that problem.
The ultimate responsibility for the death of Robert Champion falls on the FAMU president. Ammons has to resign or be fired.
This is about race — infuriating as that may be to read. This is about black people protecting black people.
FAMU supporters are among the thousands who vociferously protested the death of black teenager Trayvon Martin at the hands of a white man. But they seem to have turned a blind eye to the death of a black young man at the hands of other black young men. Apparently, they are willing to accept his death as collateral damage to protect their university, protect their leaders, protect their band, protect their reputation.
FAMU supporters have written numerous letters to this newspaper defending FAMU. They have written none criticizing the university for failing to take responsibility for that death. They should be ashamed.
(Page 2 of 2)
If a student was killed by fellow students at Florida State University — or the University of Florida or UCLA or Harvard — supporters of those universities would demand accountability.
The majority of supporters of any university would not let loyalty blind them to serious flaws within their university. They would demand change.
This is about FAMU not "getting it." Again.
FAMU does not get that a public university cannot fail to operate student financial aid in an efficient manner. FAMU does not get that it cannot fail to pay faculty, staff and contractors in a timely manner. FAMU does not get that it cannot allow an employee to submit false audits. It cannot repeatedly teeter on the edge of having its programs lose accreditation. It cannot consistently fail to provide public records and act openly with the media and public. It cannot — in this day and age — fail to operate a website with phone numbers and email addresses for its employees and updated information on the university.
Such failures are not the behaviors of a professional organization. They are not acceptable behaviors for a public university.
FAMU needs to start again. It needs to stop hiring presidents from among its alumni — as it has done for its past six presidents. It has to stop hiring alumni for almost all key administrative positions. It has to look outside itself for people who have had experience at other universities and organizations.
It has to end the insular culture of FAMU and seek the people and changes that will allow it to operate by the same professional standards as all 11 state universities in Florida.
FAMU has ignored previous calls for change because FAMU believes it belongs to black people — and that all criticism is racially motivated. That is not true.
FAMU belongs to the taxpayers, black and white. It is accountable to the taxpayers, black and white. It does the entire state a disservice — not to mention its students, faculty and staff — when FAMU refuses to operate in a professional manner, refuses to take responsibility for its problems, refuses to make necessary changes.
The first change it needs to make is to remove its president, who bears ultimate responsibility for the school's failing to stop a practice that led to the death of one of its students.
Where is James Ammons' resignation?
— Contact Senior Writer Gerald Ensley at (850) 599-2310 or gensley@tallahassee.com.
Link: www.tallahassee.com/article/20120506/COLUMNIST04/205060310/Gerald-Ensley-FAMU-changes-must-start-top
Attachments:
All to save face for a F-N BAND 
. It just shows you what so called professionals really think about the regular students at FAMU!! They are just "collateral damage" to and F-N Band!!!! They should be ashamed
