The Naked Truth Unification and merger are synonymous By
Mason By Dr. Hilliard Lackey When Robert McCloskey uttered those immortal words above he could very well have had President Ronald Mason in mind who said to the Jackson State University student body at an anti-merger rally in November: “ I am opposed to the governor’s merger proposal.” Apparently, what he meant was just that “opposed to the governor’s merger proposal.” That, again apparently, did not mean that he was opposed to his own unification conversation piece, which in effect is a merger proposal. The governor, in November, said merge the three HBCUs with Alcorn State and Valley State under Jackson State. The Mason conversation piece says reduce to colleges and unite the three HBCUs under the umbrella of a new HBCU. The governor’s merger proposal touched the alarm button embedded in the memory banks of many faculty, staff, alumni and students of Alcorn State University, Jackson State University and Mississippi Valley State University. In hard times, the state of Mississippi has historically turned to the less fortunate to find solutions for the more fortunate. In higher education, that means the historically black universities (HBCUs) are fingered to shoulder the economic burden of the five white public institutions. Perception is reality. Behavioral psychologists have plotted human emotions for over a century and found some constant patterns when individuals and groups are confronted with sudden unfavorable occurrences like the idea of merging the three public Mississippi HBCUs. The first reaction of the HBCU faithful was as expected “Shock and Disbelief.” Coming from the governor of Mississippi, it fit a familiar pattern and was from a traditional antagonist. But, when those sentiments were aligned and associated with President Mason, it reset and re-triggered the dynamics with a new stimulus. Shock and disbelief ensued anew. That immediately transitioned into “Denial” for supporters and loyalists who were theretofore unaware of President Mason’s private conversations on that matter. For skeptics, naysayers and Mason bashers, this was cannon fodder that bypassed “Denial” and defaulted directly to “Anger” and indignation. All parties concerned are now at either Disbelief or Anger. The next step is Acceptance or Rejection. That’s where I get on board with President Mason when he says “Let’s begin a conversation about it for the greater good of black people.” I can accept talking about something if my side will be heard. The quid pro quo of a conversation is equality of input and mutual respect for diverse points of view. I can do that. Maybe all parties concerned can do that after getting past the initial “Shock and Disbelief.” The question remains, though, as to why are we having a conversation about mergers in the first place? What’s wrong with the way we are? The Gospel according to President Mason is that these devastating cuts in state funding are wreaking havoc on our three HBCUs and one, two and eventually three of them are endangered of continued existence. In the meantime, between HBCUs withering and dying on the vine, our students suffer dearly from underfunded support and our citizenry continue to lead the nation in obesity, diabetes, illiteracy, poverty, teenage childbirths, and all the other ills peculiar to under educated and un-empowered people. Somebody needs to do something. The Ayers case (1975-1992) tried to right the wrongs of benign neglect wrought by slavery and suppression. Yet, somehow, the legal system turned the case upside down and the HBCUs found themselves having to recruit non-black students to reap the benefits of an imposed settlement. Except for improvements brought about through internal ingenuity, the HBCUs are virtually in the same relative position with their white counterparts as in 1975. State support has not been forthcoming in catch-up and keep up funds. So what now? The governor is wielding a budget-cutting knife that is making a swath through all state agencies. The HBCUs are least able to absolve these cuts than their white counterparts. Alumni support is dismal (Less than 4% at JSU) and major fundraising is dependent upon corporate CEOs who graduated from Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Southern, and Millsaps. The late Dr. Clinton Bristow, President of Alcorn State, realized this and launched an ambiguous campaign by posting signs along campus sidewalks urging students to aspire to become CEOs. That has been slow in the making. President Mason and the rest of Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning heads meet at the Commissioner’s office the third Thursday in every month. For the last 120 months, President Mason has joined the other HBCU presidents in pleading for adequate funding. None has been forthcoming. In other words, the HBCU presidents have been begging and pleading for IHL to “ save us.” The HBCU presidents have taken their case to and before the Legislative Budget Committee, Senate Committee on Colleges and Universities, the House Education Committee, appropriation committees of both houses, with only scraps to show for their efforts. God helps those who help themselves… Benjamin Franklin first coined the saying, “God helps those who help themselves” but is a staple of self-help minded Republicans. Benjamin Franklin also said, "We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately." The three HBCU presidents began to contemplate how they could help themselves. Things changed drastically over the last three years. Alcorn State’s president died suddenly and an interim was installed, a permanent hired and within a year resigned, with yet another interim taking over February 1. MVSU has had equal transitions though not of a tragic nature. Their president resigned under pressure, an interim served, and now a new president is getting her feet on the ground. President Mason has been left almost to his own devices as herald of “God helps those who help themselves.” In private and not so private conversations, he has said repeatedly that the future is bleak for getting adequate state funding. In his 10 years as president, no signs of increased funding have been sighted. Anticipating the financial outlook as forecast by IHL, he asked the faculty and staff to set aside four days annual pay in a Henry P. Jacobs Fund to be used in austere times instead of lay-offs and furloughs. The faculty balked and the executive committee of the Faculty Senate supposedly voted no confidence. The idea fizzled. The Jacobs Fund was an initiative under the umbrellas of an even more ambitious hedge against economic downturns the “$50 Million Campaign for Jackson State University” targeted to end December 31, 2010. The idea there was self-help. Only 4% of alumni responded. Over 96% of graduates of Jackson State University did not, have not given one dime. Looking into his own crystal ball, President Mason could see MVSU not making it to 2012 and Alcorn State would lose programs, personnel and maybe athletics by 2012. JSU, on the other hand, has positioned itself to regenerate into a more economically run institution and survive as is with some tweaking that could include dropping some sports. Still, the financial picture looks bleak for JSU as well as its sister HBCUs. The black experience dictates that hope is never gone. As long as there is life, there is hope. News reporters are marveling at the resiliency of Haitian survivors of the worst earthquake in human history. People having lost their homes, family members and some cases some of their own limbs are rejoicing and giving praise. The crux of Dr. Martin Luther King’s last sermon resonates the deep-seated belief that a brighter day is ahead: King embodied that belief when he said “I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the promised land.” Those The Unification Conversation Piece was devised. Closed friends, associates, interested parties, and other stakeholders were made privy to the concept of unification of the three HBCUs to, in the immortal words of President Emeritus John A. Peoples, Jr.), not only survive but to thrive. Allegedly, the governor got wind of the HBCU unification conversation piece and included HBCU merger in his 2010-2011-budget proposal. All hell broke loose. After three months of raving against the governor’s merger proposal, the HBCU faithful discovered that the initial concept had come from the thoughts of President Mason. The rage and fury heretofore directed at the governor now turns on President Mason without consideration of the antecedents to those thoughts. President Mason now finds himself trying to reset the clock, turn back the hands of time, and otherwise include his publics in the chronology behind his conversation piece. The operative word is conversation. Those having been privy to ongoing private conversations about unification find themselves between a rock and a hard place. The knee jerk reaction of the masses is “no way” for various sentimental reasons. Anything and anybody to the contrary is racist or an “Uncle Tom.” A conversation about realistic funding prospects, no downsizing, and thwarting lay-offs and furloughs ought to take place. If this means remaining separate HBCUs, forging collaborations, or unifying as one so be it.
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