Rick Perry’s Rush To Judgement On TSU

Kids get raped at a state institution and Rick Perry diddles and dawdles about appointing a conservator. But, let a predominantly-black college suffer some problems and he’s gung-ho about throwing around the word, “conservator.”

Naturally, this has minority legislators not too happy, and rightfully so:

Gov. Rick Perry’s desire to put Texas Southern University under conservatorship is meeting stiff resistance from minority lawmakers wary of placing the fate of the historically black institution in one person’s hands.

Black and Hispanic lawmakers questioned Monday whether the governor’s proposal is the right solution for the financially troubled university. The move, some lawmakers said, would stigmatize the school and hurt enrollment.

“This could be the end of the university as we know it,” said state Rep. Garnet Coleman, a Houston Democrat whose district includes the 11,200-student campus. “Who would want to go to a university under conservatorship?”

No kidding. Nothing like it has ever been attempted in U.S. history, evidently. Of course, neither had HPV vaccine mandates, but that didn’t stop Governor Goodhair.

And, check this out:

Under Perry’s proposal, a conservator would be placed in charge of the university’s spending, with the ability to fire any employee, hire new people and change the administrative structure. In effect, the financial czar would replace the school’s governing board.

So, the conservator could actually fire professors? Say it with me now, “that ain’t right.”

An institution of higher learning is about academic freedom. Whatever Texas Southern needs, it damned sure doesn’t need one of Rick Perry’s political appointees down there running the show.
And, of course, Perry wants to name a former TXU Board member as Conservator. That’s not exactly what I’d call a good fit, given TXU’s problems.
Still more:

Meanwhile, members of the legislative Black Caucus will make their arguments in a meeting with Perry today.

“We hope we can get him to understand the gravity of the situation,” said Rep. Senfronia Thompson, a Houston Democrat who heads the caucus. “This is not the approach to take.”

Rather, TSU needs “a recovery plan on steroids,” including strict state oversight of the university’s spending and some extraordinary powers for the campus president, he said.

All but one member of the Black Caucus signed a letter in opposition of conservatorship. State Sen. Royce West, a Dallas Democrat, has said that a state takeover might be the only way to fix the university’s problems.

I think that “he” above should be a “she,” since Senfronia Thompson is a lady, but regardless, her idea is the right one.