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University Wreaked Havoc on Yearbook, but We'll Carry On

By Marshall A. Latimore
Black College Wire

Just minutes after I nominated my adviser, Tennessee State University's student publications director Pamela Foster, for the National Conference of Editorial Writers' Barry S. Bingham Sr. Fellowship, I received two e-mails:

One thanked me for the recommendation. The other informed me that Foster would likely be removed from the student publications director position she'd held for nearly 10 years.

To be completely honest, I initially thought the second e-mail was a joke.

Marshall A. Latimore

Certainly, no one would even consider removing Ms. Foster from her position, I'd reasoned. Under her counsel, both publications had recently flourished. The Meter advanced to twice-a-week publication from fortnightly and won 97 awards, including 2007 Best HBCU newspaper and Web site; a first place with special merit award in 2007 from the American Scholastic Press Association (score of 960 of 1,000 quality points) and 2007 Associated Collegiate Press Online Pacemaker finalist. The Tennessean yearbook advanced to spring from fall publication and won eight awards, including a 2005 American Scholastic Press Association second-place award.

It was for these accomplishments, and more, that I'd considered Ms. Foster for the award. After all, the award was to recognize "an educator's outstanding efforts to encourage minority students in the field of journalism." And since Foster had helped the publications achieve all of these things in spite of limited journalism educators, and courses, in the communications department, which also continues to lack a departmental chairperson, she'd helped students perform miracles in building the student publications program to its award-winning state.

But that still didn't stop Student Affairs officials from wreaking havoc on all the program's progress. For reasons unknown to stakeholders of the publications, Dorothy Lockridge, associate vice president for student affairs, thanked Foster in a letter for advising the publications, but said she had personally decided that the Meter and Tennessean yearbook — student-run publications — "will be moving in a different direction commencing July 1, 2007."

Lockridge's decision was that Foster's contract would not be renewed.

Lockridge did not contact or seek the counsel of outgoing editors, incoming editors, communications department officials or the nine-member publication board that the university created for the handling of publication matters. Only after a flood of e-mails from current and former students to Student Affairs officials, Tennessee State President Melvin N. Johnson and Tennessee Board of Regents Chairman Charles Manning was the decision reconsidered. Instead of no longer advising both publications, Foster would advise only the Meter. The Tennessean yearbook would be without an adviser indefinitely. Additionally, no clear plans as to the publication's "new direction" have yet been revealed.

Having served as a copy editor and reporter for both publications during the 2006 and 2007 school years, I'm saddened and grossly disappointed that Foster will not be serving as my adviser as I accept the reins as editor of the 2008 Tennessean yearbook.

It is even more disappointing that having already begun working with Ms. Foster on summer conference travel, planned coverage and other contractual processes, I will now have to work on these projects without the advice of someone who has nearly 10 years of expertise in these matters.

Pamela E. Foster was removed from her yearbook post at Tennessee State.

Even more disturbing is how much Lockridge's decision seems rash and not well thought out. Since there is not yet a replacement for Foster and no clear plans as to how things are to be executed in her stead, I am left at a major disadvantage and in a position no student editor should be placed in. There are far-reaching consequences that can, and ultimately will, happen as a result of such quick, uninformed decision-making.

I intend to seek out solutions to establish a protocol that ensures this doesn't happen again so easily. All parties who would be affected by such a decision should be notified and their input considered in the decision-making process. Let's hope the handling of this situation and similar ones will now be on the agenda of the next publication board meeting in the fall.

Nonetheless, I am conscious of my responsibilities to the Tennessean yearbook and will do everything possible to ensure that the quality of this year's book will vastly surpass that of previous years. My staff and I will not allow anything to impair our plans to deliver a yearbook that accurately captures the essence of our university community and all its stakeholders.

Marshall A. Latimore, a senior communications major at Tennessee State University, is the 2008 yearbook editor and a layout editor for the Meter. To comment, e-mail .

Posted June 30, 2007