Bills Would Clean House on South Carolina State Board

Indictments Imminent, Say Lawmakers

If you don’t have ties to South Carolina State University, you may not know what’s going on down there right now — or just how serious the situation at the state-funded historically black university has recently become. In that case, here’s a primer — because if what some state legislators are suggesting is an indication, the story’s only going to get hotter.

Back in December, the university hired former SLED chief Reggie Lloyd to conduct an internal investigation into undisclosed legal issues at the school. At the time, Orangeburg’s Times and Democrat reported that a “highly placed university source who requested anonymity” had suggested the troubles involved several members of the school’s board of trustees and a possible conflict of interest. The source also suggested that “an unidentified law agency” had requested records dating back to 2006.

Flash forward to Feb. 10, when university President George Cooper fired eight administrators at once, including the school’s general counsel and chief of staff, the chief of police, the interim vice president of finance, the vice president for student affairs, the associate vice president for student affairs, the director of student life and leadership, the director of student services and the director of intramural sports — all with very little in the way of explanation beyond a vague statement about a need for personnel changes in light of the ongoing investigation.

Less than a month later, after a vote of no confidence by the Faculty Senate, Cooper himself resigned — though not before securing a $268,000 severance package from the university’s Advancement Foundation. Board chairman Jonathan Pinson also stepped down from his chairmanship in February, reportedly to spend more time working on business concerns. He remains on the board.

Meanwhile, Lloyd has yet to release any findings, though as of March 14 he had billed the school in the neighborhood of $25,000 for his services, according to the Times and Democrat, which filed a Freedom of Information Request for that information.

Since then, things have continued to devolve, prompting state lawmakers to draft a flurry of bills that could dramatically reshape the SCSU board of trustees. One bill, put forth by Democratic Sen. John Matthews Jr. of Orangeburg, calls for the removal of particular seats on the board — specifically those held by members Pinson,
Maurice Washington, Walter Tobin and Lancelot Wright.

A second bill, proposed by Democratic Rep. Jerry Govan Jr. of Orangeburg, would take a purposely broader approach by essentially wiping out the entire board, then making each member reapply and be re-vetted before regaining a board position. 

Govan says his bill, which would decrease the number of board seats from 13 to nine based on recent district reapportionment, is designed to avoid unwarranted political interference that could adversely affect the school’s accreditation process. 

He also calls his bill the “fairest way possible” to address concerns about corruption
without singling out particular individuals.

A third bill, drafted by Sen. Robert Ford, also calls for the termination of the entire board.

Following a tense campus hearing on April 12, designed to give concerned stakeholders a voice in the ongoing discussion, Free Times spoke with Govan and two of his bill’s co-sponsors, House Minority Leader Harry Ott and Rep. Joe Neal, about the proposed legislation, the persistent rumors swirling about a federal investigation and the increasing sense of urgency.

“Folks aren’t going to put their heads in the sand,” Govan said, citing the passion of students, faculty and alumni present for the hearing. “They want the issue of corruption addressed. They want the bad apples off the board. I’m not saying [the vetting process] is a perfect process, but we have to trust the process that’s in place, ensuring that those people go back through that.”

Former Aide to Edwards to Testify for Second Day

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Andrew Young, the former campaign staff member who once claimed paternity of a child that former Senator John Edwards had fathered during an extramarital affair and sought to conceal, is scheduled to be on the stand for a second day on Tuesday as the prosecution’s star witness in Mr. Edwards’s federal corruption trial.

Dark Chocolate May Lower Risk of Heart Disease

Study says it reduces levels of blood sugar and bad cholesterol, raises good cholesterol levels

Dark chocolate may lower your risk of heart disease by lowering levels of blood glucose and bad cholesterol while boosting levels of good cholesterol, a small new study suggests.

Chocolate contains compounds called flavanols, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Previous research has shown a link between flavanol intake and risk for cardiovascular disease.

In this study, San Diego State University researchers assigned 31 people to consume 50 grams per day of either dark chocolate (70 percent cocoa) or white chocolate (0 percent cocoa). Dark chocolate was used because it has higher flavanol levels than milk chocolate.

The participants' blood pressure, forearm skin blood flow, circulating lipid (fat) profiles and blood glucose levels were recorded before and after they consumed the chocolate for 15 days.

The tests revealed that those who ate dark chocolate had lower levels of blood glucose and "bad" low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and higher levels of "good" high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol than those who ate white chocolate.

CT-based hedge fund manager found dead in NC

Money manager B. Robert Williamson Jr., the nephew of Wall Street investment guru Julian Robertson, was found dead on Sunday in North Carolina, in water surrounding an island.

Williamson, who was 55, was managing director and portfolio manager of hedged U.S. equities strategy at Chilton Investment Co in Stanford, Connecticut. He joined the firm in January 2011.

He was staying with family members at a house on Figure Eight Island, a gated development on a barrier island near Wilmington.



New case of mad cow disease in California

WASHINGTON (AP) — The first new case of mad cow disease in the U.S. since 2006 has been discovered in a dairy cow in California, but health authorities said Tuesday the animal never was a threat to the nation's food supply.

The infected cow, the fourth ever discovered in the U.S., was found as part of an Agriculture Department surveillance program that tests about 40,000 cows a year for the fatal brain disease.

No meat from the cow was bound for the food supply, said John Clifford, the department's chief veterinary officer.

"There is really no cause for alarm here with regard to this animal," Clifford told reporters at a hastily convened press conference.

Mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), is fatal to cows and can cause a fatal human brain disease in people who eat tainted beef. The World Health Organization has said that tests show that humans cannot be infected by drinking milk from BSE-infected animals.

Egypt comedian found guilty of offending Islam

 An Egyptian court on Tuesday upheld a conviction against one of the Arab world's most famous comedians, sentencing him to jail for offending Islam in some of his most popular films.

The case against Adel Imam and others like it have raised concerns among some Egyptians that ultraconservative Muslims who made gains in recent elections after Hosni Mubarak's ouster last year are trying to foist their religious views on the entire country. Critics say the trend threatens to curb Egypt's vibrant film industry and freedom of speech.

Imam was sentenced to three months in jail and fined around $170 for insulting Islam in roles he played in movies such as "The Terrorist", in which he acted the role of a wanted terrorist who found refuge with a middle class, moderate family, and the film "Terrorism and Kabab. "

The actor was also found guilty for his 2007 role in "Morgan Ahmed Morgan," in which Imam played a corrupt businessman who tries to buy a university diploma. The film included a scene parodying bearded Muslim men wearing traditional Islamic clothing.

 

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Young people's health is not keeping pace

 Although the health of the world's infants and children has improved significantly in the past 50 years, that same success has not been achieved for adolescents and young adults, say reports out today.

According to a UNICEF report, 1.4 million adolescents (ages 10-19) die each year from traffic injuries, complications of childbirth, suicide, violence, AIDS and other health-related causes.

And a synthesis of international data for the medical journal The Lancet finds injuries are the leading cause of death (40%) among 1.8 billion young people ages 10-24. About 10% of deaths in the general population are from injuries, researchers say.

"We've done a terrific job in both developing countries and the U.S. at reducing infant and under-age-5 mortality and improving all kinds of things like prematurity, safe deliveries and immunizations, but we haven't seen those same declines with older teens and young adults," says adolescent medicine specialist John Santelli of Columbia University in New York.

The reason: "Young adults and older teens die from very different conditions" than do children. "We haven't done enough thinking about the health behaviors that emerge during adolescence," says Santelli, who will help chair a symposium on the subject in New York this week focused on The Lancet articles.