Thursday, May 21, 2009
Crazy Crap / Hannan / Media TSU Students Push-Polling for May Town
Posted by Caleb Hannan on Thu, May 21, 2009 at 1:05 PM
1) Hello, my name is ________. I am a (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior, grad student) at Tennessee State University. May I speak with Mr./Ms. ________________. [if Mr/Ms ____ comes on, start at # 1 again; if not available, go to # 2] 2) I am not calling to ask for a donation, I just wanted to make sure that you heard the exciting news announced by TSU President Dr. Melvin Johnson on Thursday. 3) TSU has the opportunity to be part of May Town Center in Bells Bend, located a few miles from main campus of TSU. 4) Dr. Johnson announced that TSU will receive: a) 200 acres for Sustainable Agricultural Research b) $400,000 toward endowment of a Chair of Excellence c) 50 acres for a new, TSU Research Park 5) Dr. Johnson is excited that these initiatives will create good jobs, world-class research and enhance the stature of TSU. 6) We would like to keep you informed as this development moves forward. Or you can go to maytowncenter.com for more information.Look objective to you? Nah, didn't think so. Says Briley: "It's pretty unprecedented for a private developer to enter into a partnership with a university where the students are hired, in a polite way of putting it, to go out and try to convince the public that the project is a good idea. It seems pretty far afield from a university's educational purpose." Oddly enough, Pith got this script from Dr. Padgett himself. In an e-mail in which he also made the claim that "we are NOT doing PR. For us to bias our subject pool in any way would taint our research! Scientists have to be OBJECTIVE, or we would invalidate our results." Talking to Dr. Padgett, it's hard to root against him. As a scholar who specializes in urban geography, it's understandable to think he'd be excited by May Town Center. Here's an issue that's chock full of questions about race and conservation, and it's right in his backyard. But the gap between his statements and the baldly non-objective language in the script is huge. I can't figure out what's worse: Dr. Padgett being ignorant to the ways in which he's being manipulated by both the May Town people and his own university (because, after all, they win too if May Town gets built), or knowing exactly what he's doing and going along with it anyway. Briley and the professor are meeting today at 2 PM to hash things out. We'll let you know what comes off it.
Comments (15)
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Congratulations.This is a great story. You took the Channel 4 report--which mentioned the student lobbying almost as an afterthought-- and did the kind of follow-up they should have done. Now, keep going. Call the President of TSU; call THEC. How do they feel about a private developer hiring students (and a professor) to use the school's name in order to lobby for this project? Who approved this? Did Melvin Johnson know? Keep up the good work and make this a lead story for next week.
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Let me set the record straight. First, my students began to make calls immediately following Dr. Johnson's announcement of the TSU Research Park agreement. Therefore, most, if not all of the stakeholders in our sample population were unaware of the agreement unless they happened to be watching the news at noon that day.
Notice in the script that there is no solicitation of information from those called. In order to get any form of response, our sample pool had to be told about the Research Park. University protocol specifically restricts us from soliciting information from our sample pool. Second, my project started BEFORE the announcement of the TSU Research Park. So, to suggest that we were/are being used as lobbyists is inaccurate. Our work is separate from any promotional efforts on the part of others in favor of the May Town Center Project. Third, I almost fell out of my chair laughing at the suggestion that I am being "manipulated" by anyone. After 20 years in this arena, I am not going to all of a sudden become a lackey for deep pocket interests. Please take a look at the links refering to David Padgett attached to this blog if you want to know more about my work and my history in environmental equity and environmental justice in this community.
Our work is separate from any promotional efforts on the part of others in favor of the May Town Center Project.
and
"we are NOT doing PR. For us to bias our subject pool in any way would taint our research! Scientists have to be OBJECTIVE, or we would invalidate our results."
Dr. Padgett, your script calls the project "exciting"; it says it is an "opportunity"; it only lists financial positives and nothing on the environmental impact at all. The script says "we want to keep you informed" and then gives the web address of- not TSU- but the May Town Center's site, which is primarily a biased promotional effort. Come on! You really don't see how that is a promotional effort that is NOT separate from the efforts of others?
What is the research part of your activity with this? You're going to give the sample this information about TSU getting stuff and then question...the same folks- different folks? I'm unclear why you are referencing research protocol and standards while at the same time saying "My primary interest is what's going to be the response of African Americans in this process," Response to what exactly?
I'm no lawyer, but I am aware that the State has very specific laws regarding land usage and receipt of gifts. This has to violate several of those.
Dr. Padgett, the role you and your students are playing can't be more clear. It's pretty run of the mill marketing, they have basically hired TSU to assist with marketing and zoning. I'd like to thank David Briley for bringing this to light.
Let's use a little basic logic. I have NO BACKGROUND in marketing or sales or anything else for that matter. Why would anyone hire me to do marketing?
I do have 20 YEARS of scholarly experience in the disciplinary areas in which my students and I are currently under contract to conduct research:
1 - an assessment of the environmental perception of stakeholder communities potentially impacted by May Town Center
2 - urban development issues associated with May Town Center
3 - spatial analysis of both of the above using geospatial technology
My students and I are NOT the enemy of those opposed to the May Town Center. We are not the problem; we are studying the problem, which is the basis of scientific inquiry.
Let's use a little basic logic. I have NO BACKGROUND in marketing or sales or anything else for that matter. Why would anyone hire me to do marketing?
You're not being paid $50,000 for marketing. You're being paid $50,000 to shill. If you were in marketing your probably get a lot more than that. The fact that you aren't a marketer is irrelevant; and if you were a marketer you were probably be a lot more publicly suspect.
You haven't demonstrated objectivity in this project, especially in the leading and biased terms used in the script. And you cannot shield yourself in the technical jargon of the ivory tower after accepting money from a well-known development team making a controversial proposal that involves the public interest. You have to demonstrate that your project is independent and uncontaminated to laypeople.
You appear to me to be an academic mercenary pimping your discipline for money and the prospect of future research that building over Bells Bend would bring. It strikes me as rather colonial and invasive, even if you don't care to acknowledge the consequences of such research.
If you were in marketing your probably get a lot more than that. The fact that you aren't a marketer is irrelevant; and if you were a marketer you were probably be a lot more publicly suspect.
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"If you were in marketing you would probably get a lot more than that. The fact that you aren't a marketer is irrelevant; and if you were a marketer you would probably be a lot more publicly suspect."
First of all, from the script you cite, it's clear this isn't a "push poll." Apparently you seem to think a push poll is any phone call containing information you don't like. Surely someone over there can coach you on the terminolgy of campaign-related communication. (If not, call a communications consultant and ask what "push polling" means-- this ain't it.)
More to the point, though, there is nothing unusual about hiring University research operations to do all sorts of stuff, including surveyes, research and advocacy. Happens ALL THE TIME. Again, try a little reporting-- Briley doesn't count as a source (and he doesn't know what he's talking about in any event.) Private firms, developers, public sector-- all use students and departmentfor work. You can't get in the door to MTSU half the time becaue they are so backed up with project requests, UT-Knoxville and Vanderbilt do stuff all the time. Why in the world do you only raise hell when it's TSU?
Everyone knows you guys are against this project. That happens. But bring some sense of fairness and accuracy. Keep your last shred of credibiltiy intact so it's useful when you finally turn out to be right on something.
MT?? You are full of it! Schools do not accept large gifts of land contingent on helping assist with Zoning issues! That never happens! I realize you are being paid to get this project going but come on, have atleast an ounze of honesty about your comments. Don't be a total sleaze ball!
Would you think TSU has a little conflict of interest in regards to the integrity of the project? Just a little right.
This project will not happen no matter how much bs you throw around and who you try to manipulate!
NO MAYTOWN!!!!
It's interesting that someone would write that there is "nothing unusual" about a private developer hiring university students and faculty to engage in "advocacy" for the developer's project, all in the name of research. That's news to me and, I suspect, to the officials and board members who run those universities. Could this be a message from the PR firm that thought up this backfiring scheme?
As I said earlier (and as the comments above demonstrate), you guys are on to a really good story. You should move this Pith item back to the top of the page.
This is a very interesting story and Henry Walker is right to urge you to keep digging.
I'm not a supporter of the MayTown project. I fear it will end up like Fountain Square or Bellvue Center or Hundred Oaks before Vanderbilt rescued it. And if it were successful wouldn't it suck the remaining life out of downtown?
Co-opting TSU's support looks suspiciously like a bribe. .They should drop it like the hot potato it is.
dipat
FYI - As of today I have asked my students to immediately CEASE and DESIST using the script in question. Why? Because it has been a poor tool for collecting data on stakeholders' environmental perception of the May Town Project. In order for us to be successful, we must have data. I estimate that 95 percent of the people we have called either have hung up immediately, or never answered at all.
We will move to more scientifically sound methods such as focus groups, qualitative observation, and a voluntary online survey. All future data collection methods will have to pass the muster of the TSU Internal Review Board evaluation process.
Again, neither I, nor TSU is the enemy here. I have 20 years experience working on the behalf of communities negatively impacted by environmental problems. To say that I am biased in favor of a developer is patently false. As a scholar-activist I have a lengthy history of using my academic and scientific expertise to HELP grassroots organizations in this community and others across the country. Again, I am not the enemy. The work my students and I are doing will perhaps AID those working to organize affected communities seeking environmental justice.
I am willing to provide updates on the deliverables of the project to anyone interested in this area of research.
For me, as a social scientist, this case is simply fascinating given all of the geographic, demographic, and socioeconomic variables involved.
... CEASE and DESIST using the script in question ...
So, do you have to give back part of the $50,000, or did you accomplish what they expected you to for the money?
Dr. Padgett: You made a very wise decision. After rereading your comments above, I would respectfully suggest that, for your next project, you might want to research the "rule of holes."
