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Priscilla Slade ON TRIAL


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A Harris County grand jury indicted former Texas Southern University President Priscilla Slade today on two charges of criminally misusing university money for her private benefit, officials said.

The grand jury's three-month investigation also led to indictments for three former TSU employees.

The charges against Slade carry a potential punishment of five years of probation to life in prison, and a fine of as much as $20,000. A judge has set her bail amount at $100,000.

Slade has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and has said all of her spending benefited the university.

Slade article from Chron

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In the keynote address to Texas Southern University graduates, State Rep. Howard Dutton sharply criticized the school's Board of Regents for their handling of fired president Priscilla Slade.

"You (regents) are directly responsible for the unsuccessful management and government of TSU," said Dutton, a Houston Democrat and TSU alumnus.

The regents were sitting on a nearby platform while Dutton addressed the school's summer graduates Saturday. Through a spokeswoman, TSU Board Chairman J. Paul Johnson later said he felt that commenting on Hutton's remarks would be inappropriate.

After the speech, Hutton later said he felt the regents were as much to blame as Slade because of the board's responsibility to oversee TSU's fiscal management. He also said that "we can't go on and allow this same board to pick another school president."

Sounds like the drama continues at TSU.

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Wonder what ole Quanell "T-Baggin" X will have to say about this?

Das es racism!

From what I understand, He has his own troubles right now. I heard from a news report that he was arrested in NYC for punching out a window or something. I wonder if there is a local "X" he can call up to help? :)

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In the keynote address to Texas Southern University graduates, State Rep. Howard Dutton sharply criticized the school's Board of Regents for their handling of fired president Priscilla Slade.

"You (regents) are directly responsible for the unsuccessful management and government of TSU," said Dutton, a Houston Democrat and TSU alumnus.

The regents were sitting on a nearby platform while Dutton addressed the school's summer graduates Saturday. Through a spokeswoman, TSU Board Chairman J. Paul Johnson later said he felt that commenting on Hutton's remarks would be inappropriate.

After the speech, Hutton later said he felt the regents were as much to blame as Slade because of the board's responsibility to oversee TSU's fiscal management. He also said that "we can't go on and allow this same board to pick another school president."

Sounds like the drama continues at TSU.

Well he's right! They may not like hearing it, but the truth is, the Board has final say on a lot of things, and the power to remove a president. They are supposed to be providing the "checks and balances" and they obviously not only failed to see what was going on for several years, but then took their sweet time to do anything about it. TSU should be such an asset to Houston, and it does have some good qualities. But it just never seems to be able to rise above the corruption that has plagued it for decades.

I do think that the Representative's comments were a little inappropriate for the occasion. Why bring out such negativity on what should be a happy, momentous occasion for the graduating students? After all, they aren't the ones who hired Slade, or failed in their oversight of her management of the university. As valid as Dutton's concerns are, there is a time and place for them to be voiced, and I don't think that doing it from the stage at a commencement ceremony is that place.

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Well he's right! They may not like hearing it, but the truth is, the Board has final say on a lot of things, and the power to remove a president. They are supposed to be providing the "checks and balances" and they obviously not only failed to see what was going on for several years, but then took their sweet time to do anything about it. TSU should be such an asset to Houston, and it does have some good qualities. But it just never seems to be able to rise above the corruption that has plagued it for decades.

I do think that the Representative's comments were a little inappropriate for the occasion. Why bring out such negativity on what should be a happy, momentous occasion for the graduating students? After all, they aren't the ones who hired Slade, or failed in their oversight of her management of the university. As valid as Dutton's concerns are, there is a time and place for them to be voiced, and I don't think that doing it from the stage at a commencement ceremony is that place.

Amen!

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  • 4 weeks later...

Oh, this is just too good. One has to wonder what TSU's administration is smoking after making this decision. Apparently they have brought Ms. Slade back as a professor -- to teach an ACCOUNTING class of all things! I didn't realize that our public institutions of higher education were actively teaching something like Embezzlement 101 in their classrooms now... Maybe they'll also hire Andrew Fastow and Jeff Skilling as well. And it's really disgusting that they have done this after eliminating 178 positions, many of them faculty, in order to balance their budget after Slade's theft.

Click here for the article in this morning's Chronicle.

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Oh, this is just too good. One has to wonder what TSU's administration is smoking after making this decision. Apparently they have brought Ms. Slade back as a professor -- to teach an ACCOUNTING class of all things! I didn't realize that our public institutions of higher education were actively teaching something like Embezzlement 101 in their classrooms now... Maybe they'll also hire Andrew Fastow and Jeff Skilling as well. And it's really disgusting that they have done this after eliminating 178 positions, many of them faculty, in order to balance their budget after Slade's theft.

I think most people would have stayed clear due to the public embarrassment. I really think the Board at TSU thought she would have stayed away as well. I know one of those whose position was eliminated and she is stunned.

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Yes, she's got tenure. But tenure can also be revoked. To me if there was enough evidence of gross misconduct to fire her from her position as President, shouldn't there be enough evidence to revoke her tenure?

I work in a company that specializes in consulting and IT services for higher ed, so I know that it's a very different environment from the corporate world. But I've also seen cases at my clients where a tenured faculty member was shown the door for a lot less than what Slade did at TSU.

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Yes, she's got tenure. But tenure can also be revoked. To me if there was enough evidence of gross misconduct to fire her from her position as President, shouldn't there be enough evidence to revoke her tenure?

You got it right. There has to be another trustee meeting to decide her fate because this is considered a different position than her former Presidency. I believe it will be a matter of time before someone has some sense.

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Yes, she's got tenure. But tenure can also be revoked. To me if there was enough evidence of gross misconduct to fire her from her position as President, shouldn't there be enough evidence to revoke her tenure?

I work in a company that specializes in consulting and IT services for higher ed, so I know that it's a very different environment from the corporate world. But I've also seen cases at my clients where a tenured faculty member was shown the door for a lot less than what Slade did at TSU.

On the other hand, I just read something yesterday about a tenured Ivy League professor who was finally kicked out of his university after his THIRD arrest on child sex charges. A bit more serious in my opinion than stealing public money...

Obviously the rules are different in the academic world...

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Obviously the rules are different in the academic world...

They are. You wouldn't believe how different they can be sometimes.

And it varies a lot from one institution to another. Some are very strict, others would let someone get away with murder.

I have one client right now with a tenured professor still teaching who is considered a "person of interest" by the local police department in the mysterious disappearance and murder of his wife over the Memorial Day weekend. She was also a university employee, and caught him in the middle of a compromising act with another female university employee a few days before she disappeared. This couple was known for having a very rocky, and sometimes violent, relationship. but the guy covered his tracks very well, and has yet to be arrested, so he's still teaching.

You wouldn't believe the stories I hear sometimes working in HR consulting.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 year later...

Ousted TSU President Priscilla Slade racked up a $100,000 bar tab at Scott Gertner's Skybar and Grille during her tenure and stuck Texas Southern University with the bill, prosecutors said Wednesday.

TSU routinely paid for $100 bottles of wine for Slade and drinks for her friends and staff, despite a prohibition at that time on state monies being spent on alcohol, Assistant District Attorney Donna Goode said.

Slade's former executive assistant, Erica Vallier, said that the rules for purchasing have since changed, but at the time, Slade told her not to worry about the prohibition. She said her boss drank bottles of Far Niente with her friends and staff at expensive bars, such as the Four Seasons bar and the Skybar.

full article

Party at Priscilla's anyone?

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You kind of got to hand it to her "The girl know's how to par tee'.

I just can't picture her breaking rocks with a big sledge hammer in black and white striped prison garb.

Unless its a Gucci or Halston outfit? Oops she might break a nail. Darn! :(

They give personal manicure's in the slammer? Wonder who will play her in the film? Q Latifah?

Edited by Vertigo58
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  • 5 weeks later...
You kind of got to hand it to her "The girl know's how to par tee'.

I just can't picture her breaking rocks with a big sledge hammer in black and white striped prison garb.

Unless its a Gucci or Halston outfit? Oops she might break a nail. Darn! :(

They give personal manicure's in the slammer? Wonder who will play her in the film? Q Latifah?

Mistrial for Ex - TSU President

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: October 12, 2007

Filed at 5:53 p.m. ET

HOUSTON (AP) -- A judge declared a mistrial Friday in the case of a former Texas Southern University president after a jury said it couldn't decide if she misspent school funds to lavishly decorate her homes.

The jury deliberated for four days in the trial of Priscilla Slade before telling state District Judge Brock Thomas in a note that ''to continue deliberating would be of no benefit.'' The jurors had told Thomas in three previous notes that they were deadlocked.

''We have agonized over this,'' jurors said in their final note. ''We have re-examined the evidence, some parts over and over, some parts line by line, in more detail than we ever expected or cared to, to thoroughly fulfill our duty. However, we cannot arrive at a unanimous verdict without doing violence to our consciences.''

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-TSU-...t-Trial.html?hp

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"A judge has declared a mistrial in the criminal financial mismanagement trial of former TSU leader Priscilla Slade, after jurors said they were hopelessly deadlocked.

The six-woman, six-man jury said today they could not reach an agreement on the charge that accuses the former leader of Texas Southern University of spending more than $500,000 of school money on personal expenses."

Rest can be found at the Chron. I am glad she got a mistrial, all she was trying to do was better TSU. Priscilla Slade has to reflect the Univeristy in a good light, and that means when she has people over at her house to promote the school it has to be at a high standard. They will feel the school is high standard because the presdient is and they will invest in the school. My parents are grads of TSU and said she has done so much good for that school than any other presdient in school history, and they were glad as well.

Edited by Deut28Thirteen
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"A judge has declared a mistrial in the criminal financial mismanagement trial of former TSU leader Priscilla Slade, after jurors said they were hopelessly deadlocked.

The six-woman, six-man jury said today they could not reach an agreement on the charge that accuses the former leader of Texas Southern University of spending more than $500,000 of school money on personal expenses."

Rest can be found at the Chron. I am glad she got a mistrial, all she was trying to do was better TSU. Priscilla Slade has to reflect the Univeristy in a good light, and that means when she has people over at her house to promote the school it has to be at a high standard. They will feel the school is high standard because the presdient is and they will invest in the school. My parents are grads of TSU and said she has done so much good for that school than any other presdient in school history, and they were glad as well.

Edited by millennica
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I am glad she got a mistrial, all she was trying to do was better TSU. Priscilla Slade has to reflect the Univeristy in a good light, and that means when she has people over at her house to promote the school it has to be at a high standard. They will feel the school is high standard because the presdient is and they will invest in the school. My parents are grads of TSU and said she has done so much good for that school than any other presdient in school history, and they were glad as well.

Duplicate topics merged.

High standards for a college should mean high grades and successful graduates.

She supposedly spent over $100K alone at Skybar, which was against state law at the time.:rolleyes: I guess when you spend that much for alcohol you'd better find some investors.... and fast. And, whatever good she did for the school will now take decades to undo, regardless of this trial. And who was she trying to impress with a $60K home security system?

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