Citing a mistake by one of its staff members, the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) has offered to revisit plans to host the Red Door Foundation’s “Saving Ourselves” Symposium Community Summit. The event is largely geared towards promoting awareness, prevention, and treatment of HIV/AIDS within the African-American LGBTQ community.
“The University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s decision to deny use of the Student Alumni Center for the Tri-State African-American Community Summit was in error and based on a staff member’s mistaken belief that policies and procedures on use of campus facilities were under revision. We welcome the opportunity to re-open a dialogue with representatives from the Community Summit.”
UTHSC rescinded their invitation to host the “Saving Ourselves” Symposium last Thursday, one day after UT-Knoxville’s Chancellor Jimmy Cheek and President Joe DiPietro withdrew funding for a sexual health event on the UT-Knoxville campus. UTHSC cited a “revision of policy procedure regarding usage of campus facilities.”
Event organizers, who had secured the UT Alumni Center as their venue last fall, were stunned by the abrupt reversal of UTHSC’s position on hosting the conference. Dustin James, board chair of the conference and Executive Director of the MidSouth AIDS Fund, said he was still holding out hope for the university to change its position and invite the conference back to campus.
And they have. Which is welcome news for the conference and for the more than 7,500 Memphians living with HIV/AIDS. Except that the renewed invitation comes with new set of conditions.
“We have gotten a letter with new stipulations from UT, and as of right now they are very different from what we were told and what we agreed upon before the space was revoked,” says James. “There are new barriers that they’ve put in place, and we have sought legal counsel at this point.”
As to what these new stipulations are, James was not prepared to share that information. Though he noted that the new conditions are different enough from the original arrangement brokered between the conference and the university to warrant legal counsel, and that they presented a roadblock to the mission of the “Saving Ourselves” Symposium.
LGBT activism is alive and well in the South, but what special issues come along with preaching equality in the Bible Belt?
Jonathan Cole of the Tennessee Equality Project will discuss “LGBT Activism in the Deep South” in front of the Marxist Student Union on the University of Memphis campus. The lecture is open to the public on Thursday, March 28th at 7 p.m. in the Mitchell Hall Auditorium on the University of Memphis campus.
The event is co-sponsored by the Progressive Student Alliance.
NASHVILLE — After months of delaying his answer on whether to accept an expansion of TennCare, the state’s version of Medicaid, with funds provided by the Affordable Care Act, Governor Bill Haslam finally had something to say on the issue Wednesday, and it was a very hedged No.
Haslam first spoke at length to a joint morning session of the General Assembly, unveiling what he called “the ‘Tennessee Plan’ for Health Care Reform. He then retired to the conference room of his Capitol office, where he faced questions from reporters in shifts — dealing with print reporters first, then members of the broadcast media.
The “Tennessee Plan,” as outlined by Haslam in his remarks to the General Assembly and in an accompanying press release would “leverage the available federal dollars to purchase private health insurance for Tennesseans who would not otherwise have access to coverage.”
The problem, Democratic legislators responded, is that there will be no new “available federal dollars” to “leverage,” short of accepting expansion under the terms of the Act. “What the governor would like to do, to appease his base, is have access to the Obamacare dollars without subscribing to the Obamacare plan. I don’t see how he can do that,” said state Rep. G.A. Hardaway (D-Memphis). “He seems to be asking for a waiver, but he has nothing resembling a business plan, and, without that, he won’t get it.”
“I think the result will be disastrous,” said state Rep. Mike Turner (D-Nashville), the Democratic caucus leader in the House.” I think with workers’ comp [legislation] and this, we’re setting up to become the sickest,unhealthiest state in the nation.”
As might be expected, Republicans were more sanguine about te consequences of the governor’s decision. State Rep. Jim Coley (R-Bartlett) called Haslam’s action “prudent,” though he said he also thought the governor should not be hindered in pursuing further negotiations with the Obama administration.
As with any complex governmental schema, the devil is in the details as to how results equivalent or nearly so to what was offered the state by Obamacare can be achieved by Haslam’s ad hoc solution. In the case of the “Tennessee Plan,” those details are devilishly vague.
As summarized in information sheets distributed along with the Governor’s remarks, the plan would:
— Leverage available federal dollars to purchase private health insurance for Tennesseans up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level who don’t have access to health insurance, which would translate to 175,000 more insured Tennesseans;
— Allow co-pays for those who can afford to pay something;
— Include a definitive circuit-breaker or sunset of the plan that could only be renewed with the General Assembly’s approval;
— And reform the payment structure for providers so they are compensated for health outcomes, not just based on services performed.
— And reform the payment structure for providers so they are compensated for health outcomes, not just based on services performed.
Haslam faced sharp questioning from reporters in his Conference Room session. Asked if he wasn’t just “kicking the can down the road” and forsaking an immediate $1 billion in federal funding, the governor said, “We’re not giving up on our version of what we’re asking for.”
He said that, “Two days ago we were almost there,” but, after a Monday evening conversation with federal Health and Human Service officials, “we did not get our questions answered.”
Asked if he hadn’t merely found an expedient way to dodge potential criticism from Republican legislators who would have vehemently opposed acceptance of Medicaid expansion under the federal Act, Haslam acknowledged that acceptance would have meant “a very uphill climb.”
With expansion of the Medicaid rolls under the Affordable Care Act, the federal government would have paid 100 percent of the expenses of expansion for the first three years and no less than 90 percent thereafter. Even governors as conservative as Rick Scott of Florida had accepted the formula under the implied option of bailing out of the program when the three years were up.
Haslam said he did not regard such a temporizing as useful.
On the day of the governor’s announcement, the lobby of Legislative Plaza was filled with signs and exhibits from various groups taking a position on Medicaid expansion, most of them urging acceptance.
Meanwhile, state Senator Brian Kelsey (R-Germantown) promised to continue being a “watchdog” to prevent any further prospect of Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. Though there had been conjecture that he would shelve a bill (SB 84)he has introduced to that end, he spoke for it in the Senate Commerce and Labor Comittee later Tuesday and asked for, and got a favorable 7-2 vote. The two no votes in committee were from Democrats Charlotte Burks of Montery and Reginald Tate of Memphis.
Senator Burks wondered out loud if the legislature had the authority to prevent action by the governor on TennCare, which has traditionally been the administration’s province. Kelsey answered that the General Assembly had surrendered control of too many governmental areas to the executive branch and that his bill was intended to reclaim this one administrative corner.
His bill had previously been amended by Sen. Mark Green (R-Clarksville) to acknowledge that the governor might continue negotiations with the Obama administration but stipulated that any agreement had to be approved by the General Assembly. Kelsey did not disapprove, and the bill was approved in that form and forwarded on to the Senate Finance Committee.
VIDEO of Sen. Kelsey vowing eternal vigilance against Medicaid expansion:
With the Grizzlies set to face the New York Knicks tonight, Chris Herrington looks at the state of the playoff race and some other issues with the team.
Five quick-ish and related observations on where the Grizzlies stand today:
1. The Race for #3: With the Dallas Mavericks beating the Los Angeles Clippers in overtime last night, the race for the third seed remains very tight with the Grizzlies, Clippers, and Nuggets all tied in the loss column at 23. Here’s how the schedules for all three teams set up the rest of the way:
Grizzlies: at Knicks Rockets at Wolves (back to back) Spurs at Blazers at Lakers at Kings Bobcats at Rockets Clippers (b2b) at Mavericks Jazz
Notes: 5/7 home/road split with two back-to-backs and 9/12 against teams currently in the playoff race. Grizzlies are difficult to project based on how they’ve played without Marc Gasol and the uncertainty of his return. If the team gets back on track, 8-4 seems like a reasonable finish, which would get them to 55-27, but it could easily be a little worse if their defense continues to flounder without Gasol. The “Hollinger Playoff Odds” on ESPN.com has them projected at 54-28.
Clippers: at Hornets at Spurs at Rockets (b2b) Pacers Suns Lakers Wolves at Hornets at Grizzlies (b2b) Blazers at Kings
Notes: 5/6 home/road split with two back to backs and 6/11 against teams currently in the playoff race. But not included among those playoff-caliber opponents are the Hornets, whom the Clippers still play on the road twice. The Hornets have beaten both the Grizzlies and Nuggets in the past week, so the Griz will hope they can continue to play sleeper. I’m feeling a 7-4 finish against this schedule, which would also land the Clippers at 55-27, which is where ESPN also has them projected.
Nuggets: at Spurs Nets at Jazz Mavericks (b2b) Rockets Spurs at Mavericks Blazers at Bucks Suns
Notes: 6/4 home/road split with one back to back and 8/10 against teams currently in playoff race. Denver has to play better teams on average but with more rest and more games on their near-insurmountable home floor. Like the Grizzlies, there’s mystery here about the availability of their most important player, point guard Ty Lawson. I’m saying 7-3 the rest of the way, which would put the Nuggets at 56-26. ESPN has them at 55-27.
The Unified School Board voted 10-10 Tuesday on a proposal to change the way teachers are paid. But the measure, which needed 12 votes to pass, can come up again because of some strategic moves by proponents of the change.
Three members of the 23-member board were absent. Board member Kevin Woods voted “no” but is actually in favor of the change. By voting no he reserved the right to bring up the measure again — a practice that is fairly standard on the Memphis City Council and Shelby County Commission. Barbara Prescott, chairman of the Transition Planning Commission which proposed the change, said she believes there is one more “yes” vote among the three absentees, which, with Woods, would make a majority.
The proposal puts more emphasis on student test scores and less emphasis on experience and advanced degrees. But interim superintendent Dorsey Hopson emphasized that it would not cut the pay of any current teacher or any teacher currently working on an advanced degree.
In the face of dozens of Memphis Education Association members holding signs urging board members to vote no, Hopson defended the proposed change, in the first test of his leadership as superintendent.
He gave a good account of himself, as did several board members in the debate that avoided emotional outbursts. The complex issue, with conflicting studies and research, lends itself to “on the one hand, on the other hand” speeches, and there were several of them.
The division on the board defied the usual stereotypes. Both suburban and Memphis representatives were to be found on both sides. So were board members with advanced degrees. Proponents included David Reaves, Tomeka Hart, Jeff Warren, Betty Mallott, and Billy Orgel. Opponents included Joe Clayton, Snowden Carruthers, David Pickler, Sara Lewis, Patrice Robinson, Stephanie Gatewood, and Kenneth Whalum Jr.
No speaker carried the day, but Hopson had the most memorable line. He repeatedly used the fictional example of a degree in “basket weaving” qualifying a teacher for more money. In the example he used, a teacher with a bachelor’s degree and excellent student test results and mentoring experience would make $43,994. Another teacher with a master’s degree and 45 more hours of graduate school with mediocre test results and no outside mentoring or added responsibility could make $66,258.
Look, Coach, it’s not the loss that hurts. Not really. Y’all had a good year, and you lived up to the hype and expectations that built slowly back up after the season’s bumpy start. So when you won your first NCAA tournament game, the celebration was deserved. The sinking feeling that came after the subsequent stomping, however, wasn’t simply because the season had ended. It was because everyone in Memphis knows by now that the end of a successful basketball season means the start of Poaching Season. There was no “we’ll get ‘em next year,” because there was very little hope of having the same “we.” And that included you.
As soon as teams began falling out of the tournament and open coaching positions materialized, every fan in Memphis wondered the same thing: Where’s Pastner going to go? Surely our golden boy would be happier in, say, the Golden State. We couldn’t expect a rising star like yourself, coming off of a perfect conference record, to hang around and withstand the inevitably tough transition into the Big East. Not when an established national team comes calling. Likewise for many of your star players — a big year in a small place makes a great stepping stone toward bigger, brighter things. It happens. We’re used to it.
But bless your heart, you proved us wrong. Instead of looking off in the distance for a better offer, you used that legendary optimism to see what’s already right in front of you.
Memphis, man. It’s so freakin’ great, right?
I mean, you already know about the sports stuff, but I would remind you that not every town takes college basketball as seriously as this one. UCLA is a good school and all, but if you asked 100 Angelenos who coaches their basketball team, you’d be escorted out by security at least 37 times.
Beyond that, though, the fundamental essence of Memphis is something that simply can’t be duplicated. On paper, sure, other cities are richer or exercise more or have the slightest clue how their school system will be running in six months, but still. As much as it pains me to ask, how many songs are written about Minneapolis? No, not counting plinky-dinky folk songs. Yeah, that’s what I thought.
What’s really amazing about Memphis right now — and what must surely set your positivity phasers to stun — is its potential. We have as much history, both fantastic and tragic, as the entire constituency of the Big Ten combined, but for the first time in decades, we also have the heart and drive and energy of a dozen All-American freshmen (not literally; you’re a good recruiter and all, but not quite that good). Remember when Forbes magazine told everyone how miserable we were? They’re now calling us one of the country’s emerging cities. At a time when people could easily give up, pack up, and settle around the newest suburban big box oasis, residents are pushing for reinvestment in the heart of Memphis. From South Main to Crosstown to Overton Square, the holes are being filled in, not with random commercial scrambling but through creative, innovative, and responsible urban planning. We’ve been one of the country’s 20 largest cities for quite some time, but now we’re finally starting to act like it.
Look, Josh — can I call you Josh, since I’m old enough to be your, um, aunt? — I know you had a lot to consider, and the same questions will probably come up again in a year’s time. So as you think about what will bring your family happiness, what will make your career most fulfilling, and what will best shape your legacy, I’d just ask you to keep in mind that this city is everything you could want in a winning team. It’s tough, loyal, diverse, adaptable, humble, and a little goofy. Making it be everything it deserves to be isn’t going to be a fast or easy job, but it’s definitely worth the effort.
You and your top guys could go to plenty of other places right now. And really, so could a lot of us. But instead of trawling L.A. craigslist ads for $1,500 one-bedroom apartments, we choose to stay and make a great place even better. It’s not the one-and-done philosophy that dominated your predecessor’s program. It’s a long-term plan that builds on collective strength and talent, both of which Memphis has in abundance.
Some people are going to question your decision, JP, but as a Memphian by choice, I totally get it. You could go coach anywhere, sure. But where else but Memphis could you be part of such an incredible team?
