Restoring Aggie Pride is now a priority
The following is a Counterpoint:
By Hosea Butler Jr.
While the May 26 article by Lanita Withers, entitled "A&T audit finds financial abuse," is disturbing, there are some curious aspects surrounding this whole process that may give rise to some questions about its credibility.
Normally, audits, as well as investigations, are conducted with maximum confidentiality and away from public view and comments. This is done to ensure that any future administrative or prosecutable actions are not compromised. Yet the issues concerning the Division of Technology and Telecommunications were batted around the public domain before the audit was completed. The matter of the audit and possible wrongdoing have been dribbled around Aggieland and the communities, giving rise to all types of speculation.
The cited article seems to have the same problem the Board of Trustees had in not being able to draw a defining line between alleged criminal behavior and possible administrative errors within the university's financial department and the A&T Foundation. In addition, the premature publicizing of the audit and so much "wrongdoing," combined with the building naming fiasco, has polluted the environment until the whole matter is a mess. People make mistakes, but all mistakes are not criminal. Even those who find mistakes and point them out make mistakes.
This is where I see a glimmer of Aggie Pride revealed. The present chairwoman of the Board of Trustees stated in the article, "I personally take responsibility for the board not doing its job." Regardless of what is alleged to be wrong, how it got started or where it will end, the chairwoman, an Aggie, has taken a step toward restoring Aggie Pride.
The complicity of the board, the interim people, the staff, the past administration, the foundation, the accused, as well as the UNC staff, has yet be determined. It is unfortunate that all the hoopla preceded what should have been an orderly process -- a process where a reasonable person could reach a conclusion based on established facts and not ambiguous assertions.
The chairwoman of the board refers to the previous chancellor's "management and leadership style." We all have our individual styles. Whose is better? It is in the eye of the beholder -- as long as it is not criminal. Look around the campus and what do you see?
I ask the chairwoman to work with all Aggies to restore our Aggie Pride. She, a dedicated Aggie, appears to have taken the first and right step -- taking responsibility for the mess. There is this glimmer.
The writer lives in Hialeah, Fla., and is a 1958 N.C. A&T graduate.
Comments (3)
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restore aggie pride, restore aggie pride blah blah blah. This isn't about pride. This is about finances!.. you can restore aggie pride by holding a vigil and march after a shooting on campus. you can restore aggie pride by cleaning up trash around campus and adopting a highway.
Posted on June 5, 2007 9:21 AM
This is about the abuse and misuse of taxpayer money as well as the money of students, alumni, donators, etc. It happens at every UNC school, I'm sure. A&T just got carried away. When you live in an environment where you are given money based on the color of your skin and nobody wants to be called a racist, it's easy to get carried away.
While the board taking 'full responsibility' may sound nice, I'm sure if it really comes down to it, you won't see any of them writing any checks. They know full well they can't be held responsible for fraud.
One question: since A&T is subject to annual audits from state auditors, why was this not caught in the yearly audits? Surely some of this stuff would have raised a red flag?
Posted on June 5, 2007 9:46 AM
It's my understanding the findings of the audit had to obtained from the UNC system, after A&T balked at turning them over. It would seem to have been a confidential audit until its completion, when the findings were revealed.
On many other points, though, this is an insightful LTE. I'm encouraged that Velma Speight-Buford, the Chairwoman of the A&T Board of Trustees, has taken some degree of responsibility for, well, what she's responsible for.
But she can't take responsibility for all of it. The buck doesn't stop with the board, if the bucks disappear before they are subject to board oversight. We're talking about 2 million dollars worth of smoke, here. And that leads one to believe the fire's bigger than just lack of board oversight or 'administrative error'.
The accused in the case are just that. Proof has yet to be established.
I think it's fair, though, to discuss the findings of the audit and the people it involves. After all, we are all a jury of peers in the macro sense. Speaking of which, Aggie Pride is bigger than this. Much bigger. This is, at worst, a few tilted tiles in the larger mosaic of NC A&T.
One way or the other, they'll be straightened out.
Posted on June 5, 2007 9:59 AM