Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Speck administration blocks Southern Watch
The Missouri Southern State University Administration has reportedly blocked the renegade website Southern Watch from all campus computers.
The website, whose blogger or bloggers have remained anonymous has been a thorn in the side of the Bruce Speck administration since his arrival on campus. At times, it has provided solid information about the seedy side of what is going on the campus, though its scoops have been replaced for the most part in recent months with potshots at Speck and other administrations, including many that have been in poor taste.
If Southern Watch has been permanently blocked, it marks the latest in a long line of attacks on the First Amendment by the Speck administration:
From the October 12, 2008, Turner Report:
All Missouri Southern State University President Bruce Speck had to do was say his director of enrollment services Derek Skaggs was wrong when he had copies of MSSU's newspaper, The Chart, removed from a student recruitment fair.
He did not even have to say Skaggs was wrong. He could have said Skaggs should have used better judgment or Skaggs was misguided. Instead, Bruce Speck took exactly the path those who were hoping for a more open era at MSSU should fear. He told the Chart and the Joplin Globe it was something the lawyers would have to decide.
Now that's leadership and it sends exactly the wrong message to those who already have concerns about the Speck regime.
From the April 23, 2011, Turner Report
In his speech, Dr. Berglund quoted Hanrahan as saying the faculty adviser position “is one of the few jobs in which the better you do your job, the more likely you are to lose it.”
Thanks to the hard work of his young reporters and the lack of support from Joplin’s daily newspaper, T. R. Hanrahan will soon join the ranks of the unemployed.
Hanrahan, who does not have tenure, was told a few days ago his services would not be required for the fall semester. Many were surprised he lasted this long. His young staff broke one story after another revealing controversy and incompetence during the three years the university has been led by President Bruce Speck.
Hanrahan never backed down from his belief that a reporter’s job is to seek the truth. Not once did he tell the young people under his charge to back off a story because it dealt with a sensitive subject. He never took the easy route. Had he done so, he might still have a job.
A few weeks ago, the Chart won MCMA’s Sweepstakes Award as the best newspaper in its division, while its editor, Brennan Stebbins, was named Journalist of the Year, for exposing the university’s hiring, without a background check, of an accounting teacher who had pleaded guilty to embezzling at least $130,000 when he worked at the William McKinley Museum in Canton, Ohio.
That was just the latest in a string of scoops that embarrassed university officials, including the following:
-A complete investigation into the hiring of Speck, who was the only person interviewed for the position.
-The back-door dealings between Speck and a Kansas City medical school president to bring a satellite school to Joplin. (The plan fell through and the medical school president has been indicted for theft.)
-One of Speck’s underlings removing all copies of the newspaper from a recruitment fair because it had stories that were critical of the university.
-Complete coverage of a faculty vote of no confidence in Speck’s administration
-Coverage of the president’s refusal to speak with members of the media, including the Chart, and a strong editorial noting how juvenile it was for the president to stay silent on important issues.
That is only a partial list. Were it not for the hard working young reporters at the Chart, the taxpayers would have remained blissfully unaware of what was going on in this area’s most prominent institution of higher learning.
For a long time, the Joplin Globe did not print anything about the controversy at MSSU. Finally, one intrepid reporter, Greg Grisolano, began mining the nuggets that had been unearthed by the Chart and delivered a series of hard-hitting stories that earned him investigative reporting awards.
Unfortunately, by the time he received those awards, Grisolano had been pulled off the beat and the critical focus on the university was abandoned by the area’s paper of record.
The reasons why were revealed in an e-mail sent from Joplin Globe Publisher Michael Beatty, formerly the publisher of the Baltimore Examiner, to Speck.
In that April 6, 2010, e-mail, Beatty said he had put a stop to Freedom of Information requests filed by Grisolano, offered to bring the newspaper’s editor to meet with Speck to give him "examples of positive stories" the Globe wanted to run about MSSU, and offered Speck advice on how to manage the news to avoid further controversy.
The university and some of its top financial supporters are major Joplin Globe advertisers.
The Globe publisher’s shirking of his responsibilities as a newspaper publisher would have remained a secret, as I am sure Beatty intended, had it not been for a Freedom of Information request filed by The Chart.
The job done by the Chart staff, under T. R. Hanrahan’s direction, has been a sterling example, not just of what student journalism should be, but what journalism should be.
With the Chart effectively neutered by university officials and the Joplin Globe publisher asking which part of the president’s anatomy he can kiss next, it may be a long while before anyone can shine a light on the darkness at Missouri Southern State University.
***
And now Southern Watch, though still free to continue its commentary, may well be kept from the people on campus, another symbol of what happens when someone crosses the Speck Administration.
The website, whose blogger or bloggers have remained anonymous has been a thorn in the side of the Bruce Speck administration since his arrival on campus. At times, it has provided solid information about the seedy side of what is going on the campus, though its scoops have been replaced for the most part in recent months with potshots at Speck and other administrations, including many that have been in poor taste.
If Southern Watch has been permanently blocked, it marks the latest in a long line of attacks on the First Amendment by the Speck administration:
From the October 12, 2008, Turner Report:
All Missouri Southern State University President Bruce Speck had to do was say his director of enrollment services Derek Skaggs was wrong when he had copies of MSSU's newspaper, The Chart, removed from a student recruitment fair.
He did not even have to say Skaggs was wrong. He could have said Skaggs should have used better judgment or Skaggs was misguided. Instead, Bruce Speck took exactly the path those who were hoping for a more open era at MSSU should fear. He told the Chart and the Joplin Globe it was something the lawyers would have to decide.
Now that's leadership and it sends exactly the wrong message to those who already have concerns about the Speck regime.
From the April 23, 2011, Turner Report
When Missouri Southern State University journalism instructor T. R. Hanrahan was named Missouri College Media Association Adviser of the Year in 2010, he was praised by Dr. Bob Berglund of Missouri Western University for his courage.
In his speech, Dr. Berglund quoted Hanrahan as saying the faculty adviser position “is one of the few jobs in which the better you do your job, the more likely you are to lose it.”
Thanks to the hard work of his young reporters and the lack of support from Joplin’s daily newspaper, T. R. Hanrahan will soon join the ranks of the unemployed.
Hanrahan, who does not have tenure, was told a few days ago his services would not be required for the fall semester. Many were surprised he lasted this long. His young staff broke one story after another revealing controversy and incompetence during the three years the university has been led by President Bruce Speck.
Hanrahan never backed down from his belief that a reporter’s job is to seek the truth. Not once did he tell the young people under his charge to back off a story because it dealt with a sensitive subject. He never took the easy route. Had he done so, he might still have a job.
A few weeks ago, the Chart won MCMA’s Sweepstakes Award as the best newspaper in its division, while its editor, Brennan Stebbins, was named Journalist of the Year, for exposing the university’s hiring, without a background check, of an accounting teacher who had pleaded guilty to embezzling at least $130,000 when he worked at the William McKinley Museum in Canton, Ohio.
That was just the latest in a string of scoops that embarrassed university officials, including the following:
-A complete investigation into the hiring of Speck, who was the only person interviewed for the position.
-The back-door dealings between Speck and a Kansas City medical school president to bring a satellite school to Joplin. (The plan fell through and the medical school president has been indicted for theft.)
-One of Speck’s underlings removing all copies of the newspaper from a recruitment fair because it had stories that were critical of the university.
-Complete coverage of a faculty vote of no confidence in Speck’s administration
-Coverage of the president’s refusal to speak with members of the media, including the Chart, and a strong editorial noting how juvenile it was for the president to stay silent on important issues.
That is only a partial list. Were it not for the hard working young reporters at the Chart, the taxpayers would have remained blissfully unaware of what was going on in this area’s most prominent institution of higher learning.
For a long time, the Joplin Globe did not print anything about the controversy at MSSU. Finally, one intrepid reporter, Greg Grisolano, began mining the nuggets that had been unearthed by the Chart and delivered a series of hard-hitting stories that earned him investigative reporting awards.
Unfortunately, by the time he received those awards, Grisolano had been pulled off the beat and the critical focus on the university was abandoned by the area’s paper of record.
The reasons why were revealed in an e-mail sent from Joplin Globe Publisher Michael Beatty, formerly the publisher of the Baltimore Examiner, to Speck.
In that April 6, 2010, e-mail, Beatty said he had put a stop to Freedom of Information requests filed by Grisolano, offered to bring the newspaper’s editor to meet with Speck to give him "examples of positive stories" the Globe wanted to run about MSSU, and offered Speck advice on how to manage the news to avoid further controversy.
The university and some of its top financial supporters are major Joplin Globe advertisers.
The Globe publisher’s shirking of his responsibilities as a newspaper publisher would have remained a secret, as I am sure Beatty intended, had it not been for a Freedom of Information request filed by The Chart.
The job done by the Chart staff, under T. R. Hanrahan’s direction, has been a sterling example, not just of what student journalism should be, but what journalism should be.
With the Chart effectively neutered by university officials and the Joplin Globe publisher asking which part of the president’s anatomy he can kiss next, it may be a long while before anyone can shine a light on the darkness at Missouri Southern State University.
***
And now Southern Watch, though still free to continue its commentary, may well be kept from the people on campus, another symbol of what happens when someone crosses the Speck Administration.
Allen Barbre suspended four games
ESPN reports the National Football League has suspended former Missouri Southern State University and East Newton High School standout Allen Barbre, a Seattle Seahawks offensive lineman, four games for violation of league policy on use of performance-enhancing substances.
None of the articles on the suspension offer any specifics. Barbre will be allowed to participate in practices.
None of the articles on the suspension offer any specifics. Barbre will be allowed to participate in practices.
White House Blog: An ongoing commitment, a bright future
(From the White House blog)
By Wendy Spencer
Darla Armstrong worked in the Joplin School District for 31 years, both as a teacher and administrator. But all that experience could not prepare her for the events of May 22, 2011.
She was home at the time the EF-5 tornado was expected to hit her neighborhood in the north side of Joplin, but it veered and went straight through the middle of town. Although her home was spared, Armstrong heard that students in the very community she taught had perished from injuries resulting from the tornado that destroyed Joplin High School and more than 7,500 other buildings.
Darla stepped into action amid the total chaos and started volunteering with the Joplin School District. Helping organize logistics at the distribution center set up at the middle school, Armstrong went out to find victims affected by the storm and assess their needs. Eventually, that work led her to begin a new career working with AmeriCorps VISTA and to help the students of Joplin recover.
With 54% of Joplin students affected by the tornado and many living in transitional housing, Darla works feverishly to match the needs of the students and their families with donations available to make life a little bit easier for the victims. To date, Darla Armstrong and her fellow Bright Futures AmeriCorps VISTAs have coordinated and distributed tens of thousands of dollars in donations of supplies, clothing, and other essential for Joplin students.
“The kids are the priority and their families—they don’t have clothes or transportation,” says Armstrong. “Bright Futures picked up the gap between the gap that can’t be met in the middle. So far, I have helped to organize, plan, and attend 9 Sunshine Squads, impacting approximately 550 staff members. "
Since the storm hit, AmeriCorps has had an ongoing presence in Joplin and a long-term commitment to the recovery efforts. In the year since, more than 350 AmeriCorps members from across the nation have served in Joplin. They have removed tons of debris, provided homeowner assistance and casework, operated donation and distribution warehouses, coordinated donations, and managed a large-scale volunteer operation that has coordinated more than 75,000 volunteers to provide more than 520,000 hours of disaster assistance to more than 2,200 Joplin households.
One year after the tornado, more than 25 AmeriCorps members just like Darla are still serving in Joplin, assisting with home building and repair, offering legal services to low-income families, managing volunteers and donations and homeowner requests through the AmeriCorps Recovery Center led by the AmeriCorps St. Louis Emergency Response Team.
Wendy Spencer is the CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service.
FEMA blog: We remain committed to Joplin
(From Beth Freeman, Regional Administrator, FEMA Region VII)
Today’s Day of Unity, including the walk and other celebratory events, emphasizes the true human spirit and compassion within the people of the greater Joplin area. At the start of the walk, over 5,000 people from all sectors of the community, including faith-based and non-profit organizations, local, state and federal partners, gathered to recognize the work and significant recovery efforts accomplished by the communities of Joplin and Duquesne in just 365 days.
At 20th Street, for example, as we passed the former Commerce Bank, my heart swelled as I looked behind me to see thousands of people marching forward in support of everything Joplin has encountered and is preparing for in the months and years ahead.
At the site of the former Joplin High School, hundreds were present, embracing the plan and sharing a vision for a new and expanded institution of education. As ground was broken for the new High School and Franklin Technology Center, I couldn’t help but think back to last August 17 when the school district delivered on its promise to open schools on time, helping families to take another step on their journey toward normalcy.
As we continued our walk down the 3.7 mile path of the EF-5 tornado, I was reminded of the importance of involving the whole community - in the immediate aftermath of disasters and after the spotlight has dimmed. The thousands of people who walked together today represent the power of the human spirit, persevering together and supporting one another through the long and sometimes arduous months of recovery. FEMA, like many of the organizations represented here today, remains committed to being here for the long term, until the work is done.
And as they say here, "Go Joplin Eagles (KAW, KAW)!
Today’s Day of Unity, including the walk and other celebratory events, emphasizes the true human spirit and compassion within the people of the greater Joplin area. At the start of the walk, over 5,000 people from all sectors of the community, including faith-based and non-profit organizations, local, state and federal partners, gathered to recognize the work and significant recovery efforts accomplished by the communities of Joplin and Duquesne in just 365 days.
At 20th Street, for example, as we passed the former Commerce Bank, my heart swelled as I looked behind me to see thousands of people marching forward in support of everything Joplin has encountered and is preparing for in the months and years ahead.
At the site of the former Joplin High School, hundreds were present, embracing the plan and sharing a vision for a new and expanded institution of education. As ground was broken for the new High School and Franklin Technology Center, I couldn’t help but think back to last August 17 when the school district delivered on its promise to open schools on time, helping families to take another step on their journey toward normalcy.
As we continued our walk down the 3.7 mile path of the EF-5 tornado, I was reminded of the importance of involving the whole community - in the immediate aftermath of disasters and after the spotlight has dimmed. The thousands of people who walked together today represent the power of the human spirit, persevering together and supporting one another through the long and sometimes arduous months of recovery. FEMA, like many of the organizations represented here today, remains committed to being here for the long term, until the work is done.
And as they say here, "Go Joplin Eagles (KAW, KAW)!
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