From: Mark George <markpgeorge@gmail.

com>
Date: August 23, 2014 2:22:49 PM EDT
To: Removed
Subject: Recent VSU actions and a favor
Dear Colleagues,
I contact you today to ask for your help.
As you likely know VSU has recently taken a number of actions against
me and the Mary Turner Project. Those include deactivating my
Valdosta email account, seizing the Mary Turner foundation account,
and making it difcult for me to obtain open records about these
events. VSU's actions came after I emailed the Gov. and General
Assembly (with my VSU account) calling for an end to all state funding
of Confederate holidays/events/activities.
Please know that to date VSU has also not provided me with, or
directed me to, any VSU or BOR "policy" I have violated. They did
refer me to a procedural statement (a link on the IT FAQ page) about
the deactivation of email accounts. However, when I reviewed VSU's
actual email policy there are no statements about email accounts being
deactivated when people they leave the university.
They have also failed to provide me with the "policy" they say they are
following to seize MTP funds. I have requested that policy, the email
policy, and the specic policies on "political activity" several times now.
I also personally asked the President and VSU attorney for them in a
meeting this past Monday. As of this message, they have not provided
them to me.
Noting this, it is fairly clear that VSU's actions have no policy basis and
appear retaliatory given their timing. I can provide you Dr. McKinney's
email correspondence with the BOR about this matter if you are
interested. Reviewing Dr. McKinney's emails, it is also very clear that
the BOR exerted a certain level of inuence in this situation, changing
Dr. McKinney's position from one where my actions were a matter of
"free speech" and "academic freedom" to one where he ordered the
deactivation of my email account and froze MTP funds.
Given that I know a number of former VSU faculty who continue to use
their VSU email accounts months after they left the university, often
using them for "political" purposes, I wanted to ask you two simple
questions. Given that I have been targeted with a policy that doesn't
exist and the VSU community has been silent on this matter, please
know that I plan share your responses with the President and USG
Chancellor. If you are uncomfortable with me sharing your responses
please don't respond to this email. I totally understand your
concerns and will hold no ill will toward you.
1) Is it true that VSU automatically deactivates all former faculty
members' email accounts after 45 days once they have left VSU?
2) Given that adjuncts don't have a contract over the Summer, and
don't know if their classes will make until the Fall, are their email
accounts automatically deactivated 45 days after the Spring term
concludes?
I fully understand that some of you may have a problem with my recent
actions. At the same time, if you do I hope you will let me know so I
might explain myself. If you would like a complete timeline of events I'll
be glad to send you the letter and documents I have submitted to the
BOR.
Thank you for time.
Mark George
From: Theresa J Grove <tjgrove@valdosta.edu>
Date: August 23, 2014 3:56:35 PM EDT
To: Tracy W Meyers <tmeyers@valdosta.edu>, Mark George
<markpgeorge@gmail.com>, "Aristotel Santas"
<asantas@valdosta.edu>, "Deborah S Davis"
<dsdavis@valdosta.edu>, Matthew J Richard
<mjrichar@valdosta.edu>, Connie L Richards
<clrichards@valdosta.edu>, Darrell L Ross <dross@valdosta.edu>,
Marvin T Smith <mtsmith@valdosta.edu>, Paul T Riggs
<priggs@valdosta.edu>, "Thomas Aiello" <taiello@valdosta.edu>,
"Catherine Oglesby" <coglesby@valdosta.edu>, Mary R Block
<mblock@valdosta.edu>, Christopher C Meyers
<cmeyers@valdosta.edu>, Kathleen S Lowney
<klowney@valdosta.edu>, Carl M Hand <chand@valdosta.edu>,
Richard J Vodde <rvodde@valdosta.edu>, Robert L Gannon
<rlgannon@valdosta.edu>, "Mark S. Blackmore"
<mblackmo@valdosta.edu>, Leslie S Jones <lesliesj@valdosta.edu>,
Frederick L Downing <downing@valdosta.edu>, Christine A James
<chjames@valdosta.edu>, Shani Wilfred <spgray@valdosta.edu>,
Fred E Knowles <feknowles@valdosta.edu>, Marty L Williams
<mlwillia@valdosta.edu>, "James T. LaPlant" <jlaplant@valdosta.edu>,
Can Jon Denizman <cdenizma@valdosta.edu>, Michael G Noll
<mgnoll@valdosta.edu>
Subject: RE: Recent VSU actions and a favor
Also, to be technical, tenured and tenure-track faculty do not have a
contact during summer months. I think the contacts for these faculty
end around the second week of May.
My department communicates with adjunct faculty via email during the
summer.
In addition, Archna Bhasin's VSU email account is still functional. She
was denied promotion and tenure in 2012 (if I remember the year
correctly).
Theresa
Theresa J. grove, Ph.D
Associate Professor
From: "Aristotel Santas" <asantas@valdosta.edu>
Date: August 24, 2014 8:15:17 AM EDT
To: Tracy W Meyers <tmeyers@valdosta.edu>
Cc: Mark George <markpgeorge@gmail.com>, Deborah S Davis
<dsdavis@valdosta.edu>, Matthew J Richard
<mjrichar@valdosta.edu>, "Connie L Richards"
<clrichards@valdosta.edu>, Darrell L Ross <dross@valdosta.edu>,
Marvin T Smith <mtsmith@valdosta.edu>, Paul T Riggs
<priggs@valdosta.edu>, "Thomas Aiello" <taiello@valdosta.edu>,
"Catherine Oglesby" <coglesby@valdosta.edu>, Mary R Block
<mblock@valdosta.edu>, "Christopher C Meyers"
<cmeyers@valdosta.edu>, Kathleen S Lowney
<klowney@valdosta.edu>, "Carl M Hand" <chand@valdosta.edu>,
Richard J Vodde <rvodde@valdosta.edu>, "Robert L Gannon"
<rlgannon@valdosta.edu>, "Mark S. Blackmore"
<mblackmo@valdosta.edu>, Theresa J Grove
<tjgrove@valdosta.edu>, Leslie S Jones <lesliesj@valdosta.edu>,
Frederick L Downing <downing@valdosta.edu>, Christine A James
<chjames@valdosta.edu>, Shani Wilfred <spgray@valdosta.edu>,
Fred E Knowles <feknowles@valdosta.edu>, "Marty L Williams"
<mlwillia@valdosta.edu>, "James T. LaPlant" <jlaplant@valdosta.edu>,
Can Jon Denizman <cdenizma@valdosta.edu>, Michael G Noll
<mgnoll@valdosta.edu>
Subject: Re: Recent VSU actions and a favor
Hi Mark et al,
I've been here since before there was email and have served as
department head in the past. I've never heard of such a policy. It
makes no sense to do this as a matter of course inasmuch as it is often
necessary to contact past instructors for future work when planning
teaching schedules. As you know, these schedules are due several
months in advance. Automatically deactivating the accounts after such
a short period would not only make it difcult to stay in touch, but
create unnecessary work every time an instructor was reemployed.
If it is a policy, it's enforced selectively, and as you know, selective
enforcement is s key tactic in bureaucracy for punishment or
retaliation.
Also, as you may recall, the reasoning that MTP violated 501c3
nonpartisanship was used to cancel a VSU political forum in 1999 after
a lawsuit was threatened against the university. The argument was
bogus then and it is now. There was an issue of he AAUP publication
Academe a few years back that addressed this question and came to
the same conclusion that you did. The nonpartisanship requirement
only excludes campaigning-- not criticism of political practice. I'm not
sure if AAUP would have an interest in this, but it may be worth looking
into it.
In any case, if this were the implications of 501c3, by parity of
reasoning, Dr. Cason's visit is much more of a violation than your letter
to the Georgia Assembly could be.
I myself have pledged money to MTP through the VSU Foundation in
the past year and I plan to ask them to either show me that the money
is in MTP's hands or refund it me. I If they do not comply, I will boycott
the Foundation until they do so and reinstate MTP. I hope others will
do the same.
Yours in Peace,
Ari Santas
Sent from my mobile device
On Aug 23, 2014, at 2:44 PM, "Tracy W Meyers"
<tmeyers@valdosta.edu> wrote:
Hi Mark:
I know personally professors and students who have left VSU whose email
accounts are not deactivated per ITs stated procedure (deactivate accounts 45
days after termination). I have recently corresponded with one ex professor a year
after she left VSU using her VSU email account. I also correspond with adjunct
professors during the summer using their VSU e-maiI accounts and they are not
"employed" by VSU during the summer and their Fall courses may not make and
therefore they may not be employed (under contract) in the Fall either. I think If the
administration is going to enforce this policy they should do it for everyone and do
it uniformly across the board. This 45 day deactivation policy IS NOT the working
From: Matthew J Richard <mjrichar@valdosta.edu>
Date: August 23, 2014 3:35:51 PM EDT
To: Tracy W Meyers <tmeyers@valdosta.edu>, Mark George
<markpgeorge@gmail.com>, "Aristotel Santas"
<asantas@valdosta.edu>, "Deborah S Davis"
<dsdavis@valdosta.edu>, Connie L Richards
<clrichards@valdosta.edu>, Darrell L Ross <dross@valdosta.edu>,
Marvin T Smith <mtsmith@valdosta.edu>, Paul T Riggs
<priggs@valdosta.edu>, "Thomas Aiello" <taiello@valdosta.edu>,
"Catherine Oglesby" <coglesby@valdosta.edu>, Mary R Block
<mblock@valdosta.edu>, Christopher C Meyers
<cmeyers@valdosta.edu>, "Kathleen S Lowney"
<klowney@valdosta.edu>, Carl M Hand <chand@valdosta.edu>,
"Richard J Vodde" <rvodde@valdosta.edu>, Robert L Gannon
<rlgannon@valdosta.edu>, "Mark S. Blackmore"
<mblackmo@valdosta.edu>, Theresa J Grove
<tjgrove@valdosta.edu>, Leslie S Jones <lesliesj@valdosta.edu>,
"Frederick L Downing" <downing@valdosta.edu>, Christine A James
<chjames@valdosta.edu>, Shani Wilfred <spgray@valdosta.edu>,
Fred E Knowles <feknowles@valdosta.edu>, Marty L Williams
<mlwillia@valdosta.edu>, "James T. LaPlant" <jlaplant@valdosta.edu>,
Can Jon Denizman <cdenizma@valdosta.edu>, "Michael G Noll"
<mgnoll@valdosta.edu>
Subject: RE: Recent VSU actions and a favor
Pl, Mark,
l've been communlcaung wlLh former ad[uncL, Shelly ?ankovsky, vla
her vSu emall accounL. !usL yesLerday, l forwarded her a [ob
appllcauon for Ceorgla SouLhern . . . such a plLy we dldn'L renew
her . . . money, Lhey say . . . LhaL $43,000 belng spenL on 8en Carson
could surely be puL Lo beuer use.
Cood luck and Lhanks, as always, for your courage and for dolng
whaL's rlghL. l have no ldea how anyone comes up wlLh a rauonale
for condonlng lynchlng. 1hls Lown wlll really mlss your volce.
Mauhew 8lchard
!"#$% 1racy W Meyers
From: Tracy W Meyers <tmeyers@valdosta.edu>
Date: August 23, 2014 2:44:39 PM EDT
To: Mark George <markpgeorge@gmail.com>, "Aristotel Santas"
<asantas@valdosta.edu>, Deborah S Davis <dsdavis@valdosta.edu>,
"Matthew J Richard" <mjrichar@valdosta.edu>, Connie L Richards
<clrichards@valdosta.edu>, Darrell L Ross <dross@valdosta.edu>,
Marvin T Smith <mtsmith@valdosta.edu>, Paul T Riggs
<priggs@valdosta.edu>, "Thomas Aiello" <taiello@valdosta.edu>,
"Catherine Oglesby" <coglesby@valdosta.edu>, Mary R Block
<mblock@valdosta.edu>, Christopher C Meyers
<cmeyers@valdosta.edu>, "Kathleen S Lowney"
<klowney@valdosta.edu>, Carl M Hand <chand@valdosta.edu>,
"Richard J Vodde" <rvodde@valdosta.edu>, Robert L Gannon
<rlgannon@valdosta.edu>, "Mark S. Blackmore"
<mblackmo@valdosta.edu>, Theresa J Grove
<tjgrove@valdosta.edu>, Leslie S Jones <lesliesj@valdosta.edu>,
"Frederick L Downing" <downing@valdosta.edu>, Christine A James
<chjames@valdosta.edu>, Shani Wilfred <spgray@valdosta.edu>,
Fred E Knowles <feknowles@valdosta.edu>, Marty L Williams
<mlwillia@valdosta.edu>, "James T. LaPlant" <jlaplant@valdosta.edu>,
Can Jon Denizman <cdenizma@valdosta.edu>, "Michael G Noll"
<mgnoll@valdosta.edu>
Subject: RE: Recent VSU actions and a favor
Hi Mark:
I know personally professors and students who have left VSU whose email
accounts are not deactivated per ITs stated procedure (deactivate accounts 45
days after termination). I have recently corresponded with one ex professor a year
after she left VSU using her VSU email account. I also correspond with adjunct
professors during the summer using their VSU e-maiI accounts and they are not
"employed" by VSU during the summer and their Fall courses may not make and
therefore they may not be employed (under contract) in the Fall either. I think If the
administration is going to enforce this policy they should do it for everyone and do
it uniformly across the board. This 45 day deactivation policy IS NOT the working
procedure at VSU and has not been for as long as I can remember and I have been
teaching here for 20 years.
Tracy
From: Richard J Vodde <rvodde@valdosta.edu>
Date: August 23, 2014 3:59:25 PM EDT
To: Tracy W Meyers <tmeyers@valdosta.edu>, Mark George
<markpgeorge@gmail.com>, "Aristotel Santas"
<asantas@valdosta.edu>, "Deborah S Davis"
<dsdavis@valdosta.edu>, Matthew J Richard
<mjrichar@valdosta.edu>, Connie L Richards
<clrichards@valdosta.edu>, Darrell L Ross <dross@valdosta.edu>,
Marvin T Smith <mtsmith@valdosta.edu>, Paul T Riggs
<priggs@valdosta.edu>, "Thomas Aiello" <taiello@valdosta.edu>,
"Catherine Oglesby" <coglesby@valdosta.edu>, Mary R Block
<mblock@valdosta.edu>, Christopher C Meyers
<cmeyers@valdosta.edu>, Kathleen S Lowney
<klowney@valdosta.edu>, Carl M Hand <chand@valdosta.edu>,
Robert L Gannon <rlgannon@valdosta.edu>, "Mark S. Blackmore"
<mblackmo@valdosta.edu>, "Theresa J Grove"
<tjgrove@valdosta.edu>, Leslie S Jones <lesliesj@valdosta.edu>,
Frederick L Downing <downing@valdosta.edu>, Christine A James
<chjames@valdosta.edu>, Shani Wilfred <spgray@valdosta.edu>,
Fred E Knowles <feknowles@valdosta.edu>, Marty L Williams
<mlwillia@valdosta.edu>, "James T. LaPlant" <jlaplant@valdosta.edu>,
Can Jon Denizman <cdenizma@valdosta.edu>, Michael G Noll
<mgnoll@valdosta.edu>
Subject: RE: Recent VSU actions and a favor
Pl Mark:
nlce Lalklng Lo you aL Lhe sLop llghL Wednesday. one of Lhe beneLs
of "small" Lown llfe. l Loo know numerous faculLy whose e-mall
accounLs weren'L de-acuvaLed aer Lhey le. l also know several
who no longer have accounLs (donL know Lhe pauern or lf Lhere ls
one). l'll leL you know whlch group l end up ln aer [une 13.
we Loo, have ad[uncLs whose accounLs have remalned open durlng
Lhe summer. Cood healLh ln orLland. l agree wlLh Mauhew,
Lhls communlLy's loss.
Rich Vodde PhD.; L.C.S.W.
Professor
Department of Social Work