When will be rid of the evil on the BoT?

The Plainsman has been covering the confusion surrounding the expiration date of Bobby Lowder's term on the Auburn University Board of Trustees. Now, to add to some of the insanity that surrounds this misguided Board, the Attorney General of the State of Alabama ahs released an opinion stating that eventhough Lowder started his second term of 12 years on the BoT in 1995, his term will not expire until 2011 because the State Senate did not confirm his appointment until 1999.

This is a clear breakdown in common sense. If you are filling a roll that is limited to a certain length of time, the time frame of that term starts when you begin serving. If his term doesn't legally start until his confirmation, than he should not have been sitting on the BoT. Either Lowder's term is up in 2007, or he served on the BoT illegally for almost four years.

What baffles me is how the Attorney General could get this so wrong. This is beyond simple legalism, which is itself dangerous, but in doing what is right. Lowder and his cohorts have only hurt Auburn University, even causing SACS to reevaluate the accreditation due to the financial ties and behavior of the BoT. The opportunity the AG Troy King was handed was the chance to finally rid Auburn of Lowder in a clean and effective manner, and without any cahnce of Lowder and his minions resisting legally.

The Auburn Trustee Improvement PAC is looking to challenge the AG's opinion, which thankfully is not legally binding. I can only hope that some reason comes back to the people who need to make this decision.

-the Progressive Conservative

Technorati tags: Auburn University, Bobby Lowder, Board of Trustees