Dear Tipsters: "Innocent until proved guilty", of course, but you might like to think about this unfolding case next time you teach the social psychology of institutions, power, groupthink, etc. (Chronicle of Higher Education online, 4/17/09). Couldn't make this stuff up. No doubt a sum of $6 million could alternatively be used to buy, let us say, 10,000 desktop computers. I wonder how many faculty today are struggling along on ancient PCs that belong in a museum? Priorities! Leo ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// April 17, 2009 Grand Jury Indicts Florida Lawmaker and College President A prominent Florida lawmaker, Rep. Ray Sansom, and James R. Richburg, president of Northwest Florida State College, face felony misconduct charges for allegedly misusing $6-million in state funds for a campus construction project, according to news reports. <http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking-news/story/1004575.html> A grand jury today indicted the two men, accusing them of falsely securing the money to build an aircraft hangar for a friend and major Republican donor. Mr. Sansom, a Republican, inserted $6-million into the state budget in 2007 for what college officials had described as an emergency-management operations center. But the grand jury's report said the college planned instead to sublease the hangar back to an adjacent private jet operation owned by Jay Odom, a Florida developer and friend of Mr. Sansom who has given millions of dollars to Republican campaigns. Mr. Sansom and Mr. Richburg have denied wrongdoing. They both face trial on felony charges that carry up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. Last November, Mr. Sansom was named speaker of the Florida House. On the same day he became speaker he accepted an unadvertised $110,000-per-year job at the college. That position arose after Mr. Sansom had steered $35-million in construction funds to the college, according to The Miami Herald. <http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/story/879954.html> Mr. Sansom later stepped down <http://chronicle.com/news/article/?id=5898> as speaker and resigned his post at the college. Mr. Richburg, who has been president of Northwest Florida since 1987, was also indicted for perjury for allegedly lying to jurors during his testimony on Thursday about plans for the building. The grand jury also cited false budget documents that described the airport hangar as a "multi-use educational facility." -Paul Fain Leo Standing, PhD [email protected] Psychology Dept, Bishop's University, Tel (819) 822-9600, ex.2456 Sherbrooke, QC Fax (819) 822-9661 Canada J1M 0C8 Home (819) 346-1897 --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected])
