#Bju BOard of Trustees

[wutbju]

BJU named two new Board members over homecoming.

Deanna Fitzgerald Brammer graduated in 1990 and lives with her husband James here in Greenville County. James did not graduate from BJU, but he did teach up through May 2020. He taught a lot!

Ba 301-Business Law

Ac 401-Taxation of Individuals

AC 411-Taxation of Business Entities

PL 101-Introduction to Law and Ethics

PL 121-Torts

Additionally he was the

University Title IX Coordinator - reviewed claims of sexual abuse and/or harassment

Member, Academic Integrity Committee - heard and reviewed claims of academic cheating and plagiarism; served as substitute Chair of the Committee on occasion

Faculty Advisor, University Business Association - Student organization focused on professional development

Program Coordinator, Paralegal Studies - Prepared the curriculum and established program requirements when the University decided to offer an associate degree in Paralegal Studies

Academic Advisor to approximately 60 students seeking Business Administration degrees

University Legal Advisor - provide occasional legal advice to University Press regarding contracts and intellectual property matters

So .... if BJU is still acting like BJU has acted for a century, this is BJU's way of keeping this legal counsel close without actually paying anybody anything.

And Carolyn Mook Rohrer graduated from BJU in 2002 and was originally from Phoenix, but now she lives in San Diego. Her daughter is currently a member of the BJU Class of 2027.

Needed to bring on more women, BJU, without getting any one who would stand up to you, maybe?

[wutbju]

University has 100 Trustees.

That’s not a good thing, BJU. But okay.

The Board of Trustees of Bob Jones University is something of a "Who's Who* among Bible believing Christians in America as well as several foreign countries. The Regular Voting Board is composed of 50 members who are elected annually for a term of one year only, and the Co operating board is composed of about the same number.

These outstanding Christian leaders come from all walks of life and include laymen as well as clergymen. They live in every section of the nation and are members of many different religious denominations.

The executive committee of the board is composed of seven members who actually operate the university and make policies during the intervening times of the board meetings.

Members of the executive committee include Dr. Bob Jones Jr., ., Dr. Bob Jones III, Dr. R. K. Johnson, Greenville; Dr. Charles Bishop, Bainbridge, Ga.; Dr. Horace F. Dean, Havertown, Penn.; Dr. Otis Holmes, Portsmouth, Ohio; and Dr. Monroe Parker, Denver, Colo.

Here’s the list of board members:

BJU MOTTO

The motto of Bob Jones University as displayed upon its corporate seal is "Petimus, Credimus" -- "We seek, We Trust." We seek to inculcate into our students a desire for knowledge of the arts and sciences, and we seek to satisfy that desire. We trust the Bible as the inspired Word of God, the Lord Jesus Christ as the only Hope of the world, and His gospel as the solution to the problems of our day.

[wutbju]

This is not really ominous. It's just curious.

When the Board meets on Holy Wednesday and Maundy Thursday, they will not be meeting in the fancy schmancy Board room in the Library.

They'll be in the regular ol' Student Center.

What happened to the Board room?

[wutbju]

Mike Harding continues his defense:

If anyone ever did such a thing, they would be removed from the board immediately. No one on the board has that kind of character." (Verbatim from Dr. Harding.)

Yeah, right. BJU has housed all kinds of unsavory characters on its Board. Where do we begin with this? There's always Chuck Phelps.

[wutbju]

Eric Hutton seems perplexed by Hantz Bernard's list-from-Strong's:

Even though we triple checked our facts with BJU insiders closest to the crisis, Dr. Bernard appears to believe that our updated open letter was full of lies. He replied to the concerns of alumni and friends with a list of bible verses about lying. See the text of his email: Psalm 15:1-3 - "Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? 2 He who walks uprightly, And works righteousness, And speaks the truth in his heart; 3 He who does not backbite with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor does he take up a reproach against his friend;" Exodus 20:16 - "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor." John 8:44 - "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it." Ephesians 4:25 - "Therefore, putting away lying, "Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor," for we are members of one another." Proverbs 6:16-19 - "These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: 17 A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood, 18 A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil, 19 A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren." Matthew 15:19 - "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies." Isaiah 59:7 - "Their feet run to evil, And they make haste to shed innocent blood; Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; Wasting and destruction are in their paths." James 3:8-9 - "But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God." Colossians 2:8 - "Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ." (Verbatim from Dr. Bernard's email reply to a positive grad.)

Quelle Surprise, +++Positives+++.

[wutbju]

And here it comes:

We have come to the point where we have little confidence that the students that we send to you will return to be supportive members of our local churches.

This is huge. It’s huge because it’s a power shift.

For decades BJU has told churches what to do: always immerse, don’t be Calvinistic, send students to BJU.

But in this sentence, the fundamentalist churches are putting a line in the sand. Implied is the idea that the churches hold the power that BJU needs.

Now, of course, the students are no where in this equation. Parents don’t exist. Education is not here either. Are students going to “return” to their home church and be “supportive.”

That’s the drama here. But it’s a shift. The churches are the agents in this story now.

[wutbju]

Even though we triple checked our facts with BJU insiders closest to the crisis, Dr. Bernard appears to believe that our updated open letter was full of lies.

Again -- you're surprised? This is their tactic. This has always been their tactic. Always. We've documented it for decades!

[wutbju]

We all know now that the +++Positive+++ push for John Lewis to resign did work. You have to give them that. They didn't know that yet.

Even with all their FB "engagements,"

And yet, Dr. Lewis still has not resigned. Dr. Lewis has refused to meet with us and has prevented other board members from meeting with us to discuss the content of the updated open letter and the first steps of fundamental board reform at BJU. He seems to have dug in.

I'm still really surprised that they were surprised. Have they met a fundamentalist pastor?

[wutbju]

So what can the +++Positives+++ do? According to Eric Hutton:

So, what can we do? As alumni and friends of BJU, we cannot stand by and let these nine board members destroy BJU. But we cannot write any more emails or letters. They are not moving Dr. Lewis to change. Here's an option: Will you join us March 27-28, 2023, for a "Prayer and Praise" homecoming in Greenville? We need to show up for the future of BJU. Save the date; Save the College. Please continue to pray for the faculty. Tomorrow is an important day. On March 1, each faculty member must decide if they will renew their annual employment contracts. It will be very interesting to see the actual outcome in faculty non-renewals for the 2023-2024 school year. Please pray for the students as well, as the decisions of faculty affect them too. We are the loving and loyal alumni and friends. We love BJU and are committed not only to its survival, but to its long-term success. We are trusting God as He continues to lead us forward.

That "Prayer and Praise" event became a "Prayer and Pivot" event. Remember?

[wutbju]

Russ McClure asks in the +++Positives+++ group about what happens if the school closes.

Now Russ should read WutBJU. We’ve had this information for years.

Article XI. Dissolution of Corporation and Liquidation of the University

Section 1. In the event the time should ever come when the Board determines that it cannot maintain the positions outlined in the preamble, bylaws, or policies or the operation of the University is no longer feasible, the Executive Committee shall be authorized to close the University and dispose of the property with the approval of the Board of Trustees. The Executive Committee shall function as the representative agent of the Board of Trustees to find a suitable buyer for the property. The Executive Committee is not authorized to accept any offer without the approval of the Board of Trustees.

Proceeds from the sale will be used first to settle any outstanding financial obligations of the University, for teach-out purposes and then to compensate present employees with a generous severance payment based on years of service and merit. The remainder will go to ministries that are aligned spiritually and philosophically with the founding purposes of Bob Jones University. These ministries will be chosen by the Board of Trustees.

Section 2. The Executive Committee is charged with the duty of enforcing the above provision. The Executive Committee shall have the power to call a meeting of the Board when, in their sound judgment, it appears that the University can no longer be operated in accordance with the principles set forth herein or if the pulpit or classroom ever departs from the University creed, embraces a non-propositional or allegorical view of the Scriptures or an evolutionary view of creation, or ceases to believe that "whatever the Bible says is so." The majority of the Board of Trustees, in pursuit of this notice, is mandated and directed to carry out the above provisions for the dissolution of the corporation and the liquidation of the property. The vote to dissolve the corporation will be made by the Board of Trustees. For this vote, at least twenty (20) members shall be required and must be in personal attendance.

Now that’s the version from November 2013. I have earlier versions as well, and it’s fairly consistent. If you’d like to see the earlier versions, I can show you those. Just ask!

But Bruce McBride, honey. No. Furman University will not be buying that campus. First of all, have you BEEN to Furman’s campus? They don’t need BJU’s hand-me-downs.

The chatter around Greenville for years has been Knox White wants 29614 for the city buildings.

[wutbju]

We might as well go ahead and congratulate him:

Alan Benson is the next no-longer-interim-and-not-just-acting President of Bob Jones University.

The reason is this recent Collegian article only published after the Board meeting this past week.

I mean, come ON! It's so obvious with these glowing pictures of him and the copy.

Bob Jones University’s acting CEO Dr. Alan Benson said he plans to apply for the position of university president when the time comes. Dr. Benson spoke of his plans during a wide-ranging interview with The Collegian about his work at the university prior to being named acting CEO and the process of the presidential search, which will end with a new president named, the sixth in the university’s history. He spoke of his childhood and what led him to BJU. He also gave insight into his goals as acting CEO and shared advice for the student body.

It's such an obvious puff piece, delivered so that the Alumni and Student Body would get used to the idea and chat it up during Homecoming.

The timing is so transparent too. They've planned this for a long time.

And they want to quell any +++Positive+++ crankiness.

[wutbju]

Professor Lonnie Polson posted his comments to the BJU Board of Trustees Executive Committee yesterday.

Now, Lonnie is logical and strategic. I don't think I worked with anyone in the BJU Speech dept who more clearly demonstrated the gift of administration as the Apostle Paul describes it. He's a problem-solver through and through.

So when Lonnie gives advice, honestly? You should listen. Just sayin'. And he told the Executive Committee:

I'm writing to petition the executive committee of the board to name Dr. Gary Weier (or another current administrator or senior faculty member) as interim president. It's been an incredibly stressful year for the BJU family. What the faculty and students need most is a season of stability and healing. My fear is that naming an interim from outside the current leadership would be counterproductive to meeting that need. I believe also that naming a current administrator or senior faculty member as interim would send a reassuring message to those who are considering attending BJU. We have so many potential applicants who have not yet "pulled the trigger" on full application because they're taking a wait-and-see approach. I can't blame them. We could do much to communicate stability and viability to our constituency by appointing a known entity from within the current leadership as the face of the school. Frankly, the primary existential threat to the university is low enrollment. Naming a current administrator or senior faculty member as interim would also allow the board adequate time to recruit and vet a new president without having to onboard a temporary one. I do not presume to speak for the entire faculty, but I'm convinced nearly all of us would give similar input. Thanks for listening.

The big takeaways here are, it seems to me:

The BJU students and employees are exhausted.

Applicants for the Class of 2027 are hesitant.

Low enrollment is imminent and would kill BJU.

A temporary/interim needs to be an internal hire.

Gary Weier would be the best choice.

Lonnie's right, of course. I can't say that loudly enough. When Lonnie gives advice, you should listen.

Will they?

[wutbju]

The people interviewing with the Board are not mincing words.

For instance, no BJU president ever has been an official member of a local church.

Right now you're thinking, "Wait. I know Dr. Bob was a member of [insert the church you attended]." Every BJU person has said that. Every one assumes that BJU's top man was a member at their own church. He can't be a member of Hampton Park, Mount Calvary, and Heritage at the same time.

That means, as candidates have been explaining to the Board, that BJU's top man is under no one's authority. He is at the top of the accountability food chain.

That's not good.

I remember when there was a push for the Administrators to finally join a local church. Only two had been members of a church. When Darren Lawson finally joined Heritage Bible, his son had to be baptized at age 17 in order to join.

Think of it -- a child of a BJU administrator had not received this very important Christian sacrament.

Many other BJU employees never attended any church outside the campus.

They never had communion. Their children or they themselves had not been baptized. That's bad.

This is really bad. No accountability. No baptism. No communion. Can you call yourself a Christian without these things?

[wutbju]

Wait.

Each side must show that no one “wins” unless the cause wins. Only one side, the university’s side, must come out the winner. That will not happen if the permanent is sacrificed on the altar of the immediate.

All -- The Board and The President -- must be subsumed under “the cause.”

It’s all just a round-about way of saying that Bob Jones III has to be happy no matter what, isn’t it?

Even adding the Founder’s Chapel Saying at the end -- that just basically says the Bob Jones can never leave BJU.

[wutbju]

The old-school fundies accused the Beauty and the Beast production at BJU this Spring of being “WOKE.”

Tale as old as time....

[wutbju]

Rick Altizer, President +++Positive+++, posted this this morning at 7:45am on Friday, April 7, 2023 -- Good Friday.

But now it's deleted.

Since WutBJU, too, “has a duty to disclose confidential information," I include it here for the record. This shows the +++Positives+++ agenda:

Before we pause to meditate and worship our Risen Lord, a few clean up notes from yesterday:

First, we are thankful that John Lewis did the right thing (finally) yesterday and resigned. Based on the facts of the situation, we believe there are at least two other board members who also need to resign--Joe Helm and Hantz Bernard. They were in league with John Lewis throughout the leadership crisis of the last year. This was a completely avoidable and intentional campaign on their part to unseat a much loved and effective university president before his final term. They need to resign immediately so the board can begin the process of moving forward.

Secondly, we were surprised and offended by the "official" Dear Alumni post yesterday around 5pm. While positive bju is not the only Facebook group and certainly not the only Facebook group who needed to hear their oddly timed message, we are the only alumni and friends group who confronted the unethical behavior of the BJU board and single-mindedly defended Dr. Pettit. No good deed goes unpunished, comes to mind.

For those of you who have followed the action closely and consistently (most of you) we have defended and praised the BJU Alumni Association and supported the student recruitment team consistently. We will continue to do this, though with less enthusiasm perhaps until we have an opportunity to discuss with them the purpose and intent of their public letter to all alumni.

With regards to the letter itself. We agree that name calling including wishing harm to anyone has no place in social media. We agree that outside groups like FBI should refrain from trying to exert undue influence over the board at BJU. We are alumni and friends. We have only advocated for maintaining good executive leadership (Steve Pettit) and removing unethical and ineffective board leadership.

Unlike the FBFI, we have never advocated for any specific policy. We trust the administration to decide what is best for the operations of the school itself. As we have said, we are not "progressive". We are not advocating for more liberal or more lax anything. What we cannot accept is a divided and dysfunctional board that opposes its own board approved policies and bullies and intimidates the administrators. It is not only wrong, but also counterproductive to the growth and success of the institution.

Finally, with respect to confidential information we have shared. When a board member, administrator, or alumni (one of us) becomes aware of wrongdoing, we have a duty to disclose it. With respect to board members in SC, the duty of care and duty of loyalty to the institution is a statutory requirement in the law. The duty of confidentiality is not. While there may be policies and best practices that govern confidentiality on private boards, these are superseded by the statutory and fiduciary duty of care and loyalty to BJU when wrongdoing happens on the board. Positive BJU celebrates and salutes every courageous source who helped to expose the details of the bad decisions and actions of Lewis, Bernard, and Helm. While it has been messy at times, these men are being held to account by the off campus and on campus stakeholders for the first time in nearly 100 years and that historic first naturally resulted in defensive backlash.

We didn't expect a defensive backlash from the university, but we accept the points of agreement even while we reject the tone and timing of it. In any event, we can forgive and to forge ahead with this historic fundamental board reset leading to a very bright future for BJU. Thank you!