From:

To:
Cc:
Date:
Subject:

Wesley Horne <Wesley.Horne@usg.edu>

"Mark George (markpgeorge@gmail.com)" <markpgeorge@gmail.com>
"L L. Gaskin" <llgaskin@valdosta.edu>
Wed, Oct 22, 2014 at 11:15 AM
Concerns at VSU

Hello Dr. George,

Thank you for your time this morning. As we discussed, Valdosta State University will provide
you with any contacts from your e-mail account and any e-mails and attachments that are not
priviliged under state or federal law. I have already spoken to VSU attorney, Ms. Laverne
Gaskins, and she understand that this information will be provided to you at no cost. We will
endeavor to provide the bulk of these records in an electronic format. We will also explore how
we might be able to provide you with course material you developed that you stored on D2L.
In reference to the Mary Turner Project, VSU indicated its willingness to work with Reverend
Floyd Rose so that the remaining foundation funds can be used in furtherance of the MTP. I
understood that Reverend Rose and Dr. Hudson had already spoken about this matter and were
proceeding accordingly. When we spoke earlier today you were concerned that this might be an
imposition on Reverend Rose. Let me know if this is no longer an acceptable way to use the
remaining funds. As we discussed, the remaining funds must be used in accordance with state
and IRS rules with respect for the donors expectations and in support of the mission of VSU.
Finally, in reference to the open records request you sent to VSU on August 4, 2014, we
reviewed the invoice provided to you and the associated costs to the state from processing your
request. Based upon this review, we did not find that you were overcharged for the records you
were provided. To the contrary, you were not charged for two hours of retrieval time by a VSU
IT technician.
As we discussed, we are working to conclude a review of processes and procedures related to
this matter in response to a request by President McKinney. At the conclusion of this review, we
would also be willing to share this with you. Please let me know if you have any questions or
concerns.
Sincerely,
Wesley Horne
Director of Ethics & Compliance
Board of Regents University System of Georgia
Office: (404) 962-3034
Cell: (404) 796-1672

Mark George <markpgeorge@gmail.com>

Wesley Horne <Wesley.Horne@usg.edu>,
To:
Laverne Lewis Gaskins <llgaskin@valdosta.edu>
Fri, Oct 24, 2014 at 7:48 AM
Date:
Subject: Re: Concerns at VSU
From:

Hi Mr. Horne,
Per our phone conversation on Wednesday, I'd like to reiterate some points that I raised in our
discussion. At the same time please know that I appreciate all the work you have done relative to
this matter.
First, I remain concerned about whether an actual ethics investigation by the University System
of Georgia is being done? With all due respect and although I appreciate your effort to find
resolutions to the compliant I have filed involving Valdosta State University President William
McKinney and Provost Hudson Rogers, I did not contact your office to request mediation. I
contacted your office because I believe that VSU administrators have committed ethical, and
possibly, legal violations (relative to University System of Georgia practices/policies and
Georgia open records law). With that in mind, and though I appreciate your desire to play
mediator in this matter, my hope is that the vast majority of your energy is focused on assessing
whether ethical and legal violations have in fact occurred (e.g. infringements on my right to
academic freedom/free speech, the arbitrary enforcement of "policies" no one can produce, VSU
compliance with Georgia open records law, the freezing of Mary Turner Project funds,
etc.). That is why I contacted your office and please remember that I only contacted you after
VSU administrators refused to communicate with me.......Again, my compliant to your office
centers on hoping the USG will vigorously investigate whether ethical or legal violations have
occurred. Furthermore, if ethical and/or legal violations have in fact occurred, I expect them to
be publicly documented, that there be consequences for those involved, and that policies and/or
practices are developed (or adhered to if they exist) to rectify these kinds of activities.
As I also shared, it is imperative for me to understand why Dr. McKinney and Dr.
Rogers actively interfered with my right to free speech and academic freedom when they decided
to a) counsel and tell me that I could not use my email account for anything "political" and, b)
when they subsequently targeted my VSU email account for deactivation without any notice
(locking me out of 7+ years of student/professional contacts and communications, in addition to
years worth of course work I designed in online teaching resources I used like
Desire2Learn/Webct)?
As you know, the most recent explanation Dr. McKinney and Dr. Rogers have offered simply
doesn't make any sense (e.g. that the deactivation of my email was part of some "standard"
procedure for former VSU faculty, that my last day was in May, etc., etc.). As you also know, I
have produced evidence that invalidates Dr. McKinney and Dr. Rogers' current
justification. That evidence has included emails demonstrating that Dr. McKinney personally
ordered the deactivation of my email account. It also includes email statements from faculty
about VSU email account policy and practice, in addition to examples that show current and
former VSU faculty regularly use their email account for "political" issues. If needed, I can also

provide you with a formal statement from the Women and Gender Studies Program Director that
I did not give my notice until July 8th, when I decided not to return to teach the classes I was
scheduled for in the Fall.
Given VSU actions and how I have been treated by Dr. McKinney and Provost Rogers, I believe
I also deserve answers to these questions.
* Why did Dr. McKinney heed and act on the unfounded accusations of a neo-Conferate activist
named John C. Hall from Dublin, Georgia, a person who has publicly stated Black people are
"savages" and genetically "different" from whites? Please know that Mr. Hall's behavior
continues and he contacted Dr. Tracy Woodard (VSU's WGST Director) this week to once again
complain about me and levy a number of accusations about me. I can provide you with that
email if you would like it.
* Why haven't VSU administrators provided me with a single policy I have been accused of
violating? As you know, I have requested said policy from VSU administrators numerous times
now to no avail.
* Why did Dr. McKinney initially defend my right to academic freedom and free speech but
change his position after USG Vice Chancellor Tom Daniel instructed VSU administrators to
"get out in front of the Mark George letter" relative to my written response to Mr. Hall's
accusations?
* Why has my open records request for USG Vice Chancellor Tom Daniel's emails (related to
this situation) not been met? To date I have been told by USG Records Custodian John Millsaps
that were no such documents (even though I have in my possession emails that involve Mr.
Daniel). When I questioned Mr Millsaps about his claim I was then told that "Mr. Daniel does
not retain routine email communications and hence does not have these in his
possession." I find this statement dubious given the documents I have, Mr. Daniel's role
in the USG, and the weight of this matter.
* Why did the Chair of Higher Education in the Georgia Legislature, Rep. Carl Rogers feel the
need to contact the USG and encourage them to contact President McKinney about a "so-called
professor" (me) that was misusing state resources for political purposes?
I realize this list involves a tall task Mr. Horne but given the evidence I have it appears that a
chain of events occurred involving a known Neo-Confederate and white separatist, a couple of
George lawmakers, USG personnel, and VSU Administrators that culminated in an attempt to
squelch my right to academic freedom and free speech via the very deliberate deactivation of my
email account and the seizure of MTP funds.
Relative to my accusation that VSU violated open records law by attempting to inflate open
records search fees, although I believe Ms. Coppage told you that I wasn't charged for two hours
of work that is not the issue nor does it negate my claim. Even if Ms. Coppage's statement were
true, the issue is that VSU told me, on my initial open records request (that was spawned by the
Provost's unwillingness to meet with me to discuss VSU's actions) that the search would not only

cost "$41.11 per hour" (supposedly the lowest paid person capable of doing the search) and that
it would take "15 hours." As you know, when I challenged Ms. Coppage about this (over the
course of a week in three separate emails) she in turn lowered the fee to "$31.90" and stated it
would now take only "3.75 hours" not 15? In sum, Coppages' actions, in addition to other issues,
raises serious questions about whether there was an attempt to obstruct my access to public
records by making that process excessively expensive.
As for the Mary Turner Project funds, attached you'll find the "policy" VSU has used to justify
withholding our funds. It is my understanding that this document was recently given to Rev.
Floyd Rose by Provost Rogers. Rev. Rose in turn mailed it to me given that I requested it from
President McKinney and the Provost numerous times over the past weeks. Having reviewed it,
know that I have questions about the content of this "policy." I am also deeply troubled by the
fact that it was not provided to us when we established our account with the foundation? Lastly,
I'm curious as to if and when the highlighted section being used to withhold our funds was
written?
As I have explained to you in our first phone conversation, when I established the VSU
foundation account for the Mary Turner Project it was a simple task involving an email and we
were not provided with any policy, any guidelines, or any restrictions relative to the use or
management of our funds. Furthermore, we have requested and received checks on our account
from the VSU Foundation that went to non-profit groups that support our work (something I am
now being told we can't do given the cited policy?). I have attached an example of one such
request/check that speaks to that reality. Therefore, I remain at a loss as to why that wasn't
simply done when I attempted to move our funds months ago? I also remain concerned that to
now ask our partner organization Save Our Children to "bill" VSU for something, as if Save Our
Children has been provided a service or product by VSU, so these funds can be released puts an
unnecessary burden on Save Our Children in addition to possibly putting them at risk. I am
continuing to research this matter. Also, could you are someone please direct me to with the IRS
rules you mention in your email (that restrict the Foundation from writing S.O.S. a check)?
Finally, and as I stated in our conversation Wednesday, at this juncture I am pleased that it seems
we may be moving forward. At the same time, and as I stated on the phone, I am waiting to see
the report you will be generating relative to your investigation before I make any agreements or
commitments. I will also need to see the report your office is completing for Dr. McKinney
before making any final decisions.
I look forward to those reports and if you wouldn't mind letting me know when they are
completed it would be deeply appreciated.
Thank you again for your time and work.
Mark Patrick George

From: Honey Hatcher Coppage <hhatcher@valdosta.edu>

Date: October 31, 2014 11:21:30 AM PDT
To: Mark George <markpgeorge@gmail.com>
Cc: Laverne Lewis Gaskins <llgaskin@valdosta.edu>
Subject: FW: Concerns at VSU
Dr. George I wanted to update you on where the University is with the directive below. We
have now gathered some 7,026 emails that will need to be reviewed prior to release. I will spend
the upcoming weeks doing this review. I hope to be able to send to you in an electronic format if
this is not possible I will let you know.
Honey Coppage
Associate to the Provost
University Records Custodian
Academic Affairs
Valdosta State University
Valdosta, GA 31698
Phone: 229-333-5950
Fax: 229-333-7400
Email: hhatcher@valdosta.edu

From:
To:
Date:
Subject:

Wesley Horne <Wesley.Horne@usg.edu>

Mark George <markpgeorge@gmail.com>
Mon, Nov 3, 2014 at 11:02 AM
RE: Concerns at VSU

Hello Dr. George,

I did not want you to think I had forgotten about this matter or your interest in it. I am still working on
the report. This document will be provided to VSU. I will also notify you when it is complete.
Thanks for your patience.
Sincerely,
Wesley Horne
Director of Ethics & Compliance
Board of Regents University System of Georgia
Office: (404) 962-3034
Cell: (404) 796-1672

From:
To:
Date:
Subject:

Mark George <markpgeorge@gmail.com>

Wesley Horne <Wesley.Horne@usg.edu>
Tue, Nov 4, 2014 at 7:36 AM
Re: Concerns at VSU

Hi Mr. Horne,
Thanks for the update and for your work.
Is there any chance you can direct me to the IRS guidelines VSU is citing relative to the MTP
shifting our funds to a non-profit (and VSU's inability to do that)?
Thanks and I look forward to your report.