Senate committee advances legislation to vacate the Tennessee State University board of trustees

Tennessee State University’s Board of Trustees is facing an uncertain future following a vote Wednesday in the Senate Government Operations Committee.The committee advanced a bill sponsored by Senator Kerry Roberts, R-Springfield, to vacate the Tennessee State University (TSU) Board of Trustees and give Governor Bill Lee the power to appoint new members or reappoint previous ones.The bill is a response to last year’s vote to extend TSU’s board by one year to give it more time to address issues identified in a scathing audit by the Tennessee Comptroller. That review criticized how TSU handled its housing crisis and claimed that administrators were directly responsible for students having to live in a hotel.Roberts told committee members that it makes the most sense to address these concerns by vacating the entire Board of Trustees, even if some are reappointed later.“If you have a bill that says that we’re going to stagger this and we’re going to vacate, you know, five positions or retain five or whatever the case might be, then you get into which five is that going to be. And so, in my opinion - that’s all it is, in my opinion - it’s better to have a bill that vacates the board and if the governor chooses to reappoint people then the governor would have the option to do that. To me, that’s the better way to proceed if your goal is to change a certain number of people,” said Roberts.Senators Charlane Oliver, D-Nashville, and Sara Kyle, D-Memphis, were the only votes against the bill.Oliver has vocally disagreed with the Comptroller’s audit in the past and told her fellow committee members that they haven’t done their jobs as legislators. She said state lawmakers need to hold themselves accountable for not ensuring TSU receives the necessary funding.Last year the Biden Administration sent Governor Lee a letter claiming Tennessee has underfunded TSU by $2.1 billion over the years.“The legislature, the very body that has been responsible for underfunding Tennessee State University is making allegations, harsh ones, about the way TSU is running its business. We, as this body, are reaching our hands all the way into the affairs of this university and micromanaging them. Now don’t get me wrong, I think there are real issues at TSU, I think we all agree with that, that these issues need to be resolved to improve the students,” said Oliver. “But for many people in the community, these allegations feel unfair, especially when you consider the full context.”TSU board member Pamela Brooks Martin also pleaded with the committee to not vacate the board. She instead asked members to grant a one or two-year extension to address the concerns.“The board heard you. And we listened when we received the report. We’ve done everything the General Assembly has asked us to do,” said Martin. “We hear you, and we’re working to make these changes. And we appreciate you hearing us and allowing more time to make these changes.”Martin also said the legislation could affect the current search for a new president to succeed Glenda Glover who’s stepping down at the end of the semester.The legislation still needs approval by the full Senate and the Tennessee House.