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LSU vs. Louie Bishop

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Page 1: Exhibit 15 Published Articles Greer

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Page 2: Exhibit 15 Published Articles Greer

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Page 3: Exhibit 15 Published Articles Greer

RIVERSIDE: La Sierra professor, board members dismissed

DAVID OLSON/STAFF PHOTO Lee Greer BY DAVID OLSON STAFF WRITER

[email protected]

Published: 10 May 2012 09:01 PM

A La Sierra University professor and three university trustees said they were dismissed for trying to resolve a years-long controversy over creationism and evolution that has threatened the religious institution’s accreditation.

Lee Greer, an assistant professor of biology, said the Riverside university refused to renew his three-year contract. The three trustees said their fellow board members booted them from the panel.

The university declined to comment.

The dismissals appear to be the latest chapter in a struggle by the Seventh-day Adventist institution to reconcile the church belief that God created the Earth in six days with the scientific consensus supporting the theory of evolution.

Page 4: Exhibit 15 Published Articles Greer

The Western Association of Schools and Colleges, which accredits universities, last year expressed concern that pressure from outside groups to infuse more religious teaching into the curriculum threatened the university’s autonomy — and could eventually imperil its accreditation.

La Sierra also is facing criticism from an Adventist church body, which contends the university does not do enough to expose students to the Adventist worldview.

Greer said he initiated discussions that led to a statement proposing that creation be taught in university classrooms as faith, rather than science, and that students be told that it could not be proven with scientific methods.

The university board in October voted to affirm the proposal and encouraged faculty to consider it in discussions on changing the curriculum. But the board also said the backers of the proposal should have consulted the full board and the university administration before publicizing it in Adventist Review, an official church publication.

Before the board voted on the proposal, it dismissed three of the four trustees who supported it.

Carla Lidner Baum said she was rushing back to La Sierra from an East Coast trip when board President Ricardo Graham called her. She was in a La Sierra parking lot when he told her to not enter the meeting room because she had been kicked off the board.

“I told him, ‘I can’t even come in and defend myself?’ and he said, ‘No,’” she said.

Graham did not return phone calls for comment.

Baum, a Riverside dentist, said she supported the proposal because it was a faculty-led effort to solve the controversy. Greer and five other faculty members signed the statement.

The faculty involvement seemed to address concerns from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges that La Sierra was subject to too much pressure from the church and outside groups, Baum said. The association does not allow non-academic forces to determine curriculum, but it does permit faculty to determine ways to incorporate religious teaching in the classroom.

“We thought we were helping fix the problem,” Baum said.

Page 5: Exhibit 15 Published Articles Greer

Another trustee, Kathryn Proffitt, said she was at the meeting when fellow board members voted to dismiss her without allowing her to reply to the allegation that the proposal breached “established governance protocols.”

“It makes no sense for someone like Mr. Greer to lose his position after five years of stellar performance,” said Proffitt, a former U.S. ambassador to Malta who now lives in Arizona. “He was trying to resolve a problem that has plagued the university for years.”

The third dismissed trustee was Marta Tooma.

La Sierra spokesman Larry Becker said the trustee dismissals occurred in executive — private — session and cannot be discussed publicly. The university does not comment on personnel decisions, such as Greer’s employment, he said.

Greer said he’s considering a lawsuit against the university alleging, among other issues, a violation of his contractual right to academic freedom. But he said he’d prefer to stay at La Sierra and have his contract renewed rather than resort to legal action.

Greer released what appeared to be certified letters documenting that he will be dismissed after the June 30 end of his contract.

The university has rebuffed his request to explain his reasons for spearheading the proposal and to refute allegations against him, he said

In Greer’s La Sierra office, a bookshelf contained volumes such as the Bible and “The Five Gospels” above texts such as “Religion and Science” and “Finding Darwin’s God.”

The professor said he only wanted to help La Sierra and its students.

“I’m concerned for the university,” he said. “And I’m concerned for the students, that they have a quality science education. … The controversy is not good for the prestige of their degrees.”

Page 6: Exhibit 15 Published Articles Greer

La Sierra Univeristy Fires Dr. Lee Greer; Signs anti-Creation Bond

April 20, 2012 36 Comments

By Sean Pitman .

According to an article published by ADvindicate yesterday, Dr. Lee Greer, one of the main evolutionary biologists involved with the current debate over neo-Darwinism being promoted at LSU, has been fired by La Sierra University (Link). The article did not list any further details, but this may have been as a result of Dr. Greer signing an article with certain members of LSU’s school board, outside of the knowledge of President Wisbey or the rest of the board, entitled, “Joint Proposal of Individual La Sierra University Faculty and Trustees” back in October of 2011. The LSU administration was not at pleased and issued a response noting that the individuals who signed and published the document, without permission, “failed to recognize normal and established governance protocols…”

The La Sierra University Board of Trustees expressed its concern to the officers of the North American Division over the precipitous action taken to publicize the “Joint Proposal” without adequate prior consultation with the La Sierra University administration and board, especially in light of the ongoing discussions with Adventist Accrediting Association and Western Association of Schools and Colleges over issues of university governance and institutional autonomy (Link).

Page 7: Exhibit 15 Published Articles Greer

It is interesting to note, however, that Dr. Lee Grismer, also active in promoting neo-Darwinism to the exclusion of any support for the Adventist position on origins, also signed the “Joint Proposal” document. Yet, Dr. Grismer has so far been maintained by LSU – probably because he is tenured, while Dr. Lee Greer is not.

Also, it seems like Randal Wisbey, President of La Sierra University, signed a $25 million dollar bond agreement with the State of California in 2008 (to include $17 million dollars to refinance the new Thaine B. Price Science Complex) where one of the stipulations of the bond was that no forms of “sectarian instruction” (presumably to include the active promotion of creationist or intelligent design concepts) would be presented within any of the buildings funded by the bond. It appears other Adventist schools have taken out state bonds as well, such as Loma Linda University (LLU). However, the restrictions associated these bonds are reportedly not as strongly opposed to the presentation of the Adventist position on origins as the language of the bond accepted by LSU appears to be.

In any case, it is no wonder that President Wisbey and the LSU administration have been so unwilling to work, in any kind of substantive manner, with efforts to reform the school when it comes to supporting the Adventist position on a literal six-day creation week within LSU’s science classrooms.

The consequences of failing to uphold the stipulations of the bond are that a lawsuit would be filed against LSU equivalent to the value of the bond. Yet, according to a statement put out by LSU (Link), President Wisbey, along with the Vice President for Financial Administration, David Geriguis, signed such a restrictive bond with the approval of LSU’s school board (though not all of the board members where aware of the restrictive language of the bond – according to one board member).

Page 8: Exhibit 15 Published Articles Greer

How is it not self-evident to anyone charged with oversight over the administration of one of our Adventist schools that they should not accept funds from anyone where strings are attached such that the very reason for the existence of our schools is significantly undermined?

Prohibited Use Covenant

 

Page 9: Exhibit 15 Published Articles Greer

April 19, 2012 | Shane Hilde | 89 Comments

La Sierra University professors prohibited from teaching creation

For the last four years, La Sierra science professors have been legally restricted from teaching Seventh-day Adventist beliefs in their classrooms, according to a recently discovered bond document that President Randal Wisbey and Vice President for Financial Administration David Geriguis signed in August 2008. The tax-exempt revenue bonds totaled over 24 million, but the bonds used to refinance the new Thaine B. Price Science Complex were about $17 million. By signing, Wisbey and Geriguis agreed the complex would not be used for sectarian instruction, devotional activities, religious worship or to be connected with any programs of any school or department of divinity:

The Corporation covenants and agrees that no portion of the proceeds of the Bonds will be used (1) to finance or refinance any facility, place or building used or to be used for sectarian instruction or study or as a place for devotional activities or religious worship or in connection with any part of the programs of any school or department of divinity…. (Page D-32)

Page 27 of the bond document says these restrictions will last “for the duration of the useful life of the project financed with the proceeds of the Bonds.”

Knowing the terms of the bond might explain Wisbey’s reaction to the joint statement published in the Adventist Review October 2011 by six biology faculty and four board members “to affirm and incorporate the church’s position on creation at the classroom instruction level.” Wisbey condemned the joint statement under the pretense the statement creators had not recognized normal and established governance protocols. However, La Sierra administration was aware of the joint statement prior to its publication. The Associate Provost for General Education and Academic Support at La Sierra Barbara Favorito edited it.

Page 10: Exhibit 15 Published Articles Greer

The board later dismissed three of the four board members whose names were on the joint statement, and a few months later Lee Greer was fired.

Because of the actions of a few men, La Sierra University is caught in a covenant agreement, which prohibits it from promoting Seventh-day Adventist beliefs. The consequences of breaking the bond agreement are dealing with a potential lawsuit and/or having to pay the bond principle immediately.

Page 11: Exhibit 15 Published Articles Greer

IRS officials have recently indicated that more resources will be invested in audits of tax-exempt bonds in the charitable organization sector, with specific reviews of private use. Record retention, which the IRS has particularly emphasized, is likely to be an object of scrutiny. The IRS recently sent several hundred post-issuance compliance questionnaires to nonprofit corporations that have previously borrowed on a tax-exempt basis. The questions pertain to post-issuance compliance relating to the Corporation's (i) record retention, ·(ii) qualified use of bond-financed property, (iii) arbitrage yield restriction and rebate requirements, (iv) debt management policies and (v) voluntary compliance and education. IRS representatives indicate that after analyzing responses from the first wave of responses, thousands more will be sent.

Although the Corporation believes that its expenditure and investment of bond proceeds, use of property financed and refinanced with tax-exempt debt and record retention practices have complied with all applicable laws and regulations, there can be no assurance that the issuance of surveys will not lead to an IRS examination that could adversely affect the market value of the Bonds or of other outstanding tax-exempt indebtedness of the Corporation. The Bonds or other tax-exempt obligations issued for the benefit of the Corporation may be, from time to time, subject to examinations by the IRS. The Corporation believes that the Bonds and other tax-exempt obligations issued for its benefit properly comply with the tax laws. In addition, Bond Counsel will render an opinion with respect to the tax-exempt status of the Bonds, as described under the caption "TAX MA TIERS." No ruling with respect to the tax-exempt status of the Bonds has been or will be sought from the IRS, however, and opinions of counsel are not binding on the IRS or the courts.

First Amendment Issues

The Corporation operates a religious oriented educational institution and proceeds of the Bonds will be used to finance and refinance the educational related facilities operated by the Corporation. The Corporation has covenanted that no portion of the proceeds of the Bonds shall be used to finance and refinance any facility, place or building used or to be used for sectarian instruction or study or as a place for devotional activities or religious worship or in connection with any part of the programs of any school or department of divinity for the duration of the useful life of the project financed with the proceeds of the Bonds.

The "Establishment Clause" of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution has been interpreted by some courts to restrict public financial assistance to certain sectarian institutions generally referred to as "pervasively sectarian" institutions. The California Constitution also contains certain provisions that no governmental entity can use public funds to aid any church, sectarian society or for any sectarian purpose. The United State Supreme Court has not directly addressed the question of whether the Establishment Clause restricts the lending to "pervasively sectarian" institutions of the proceeds of a tax-exempt of taxable bond issue involving no expenditure of public funds. However, the California Supreme Court has recently addressed the question of whether the California Constitution prohibits the fmancing by an agency of the State of California on behalf of a sectarian institution or the fmancing of a projects or a sectarian institution involving no expenditure of public funds. The action entitled California Statewide Communities Development Authority v. All Persons Interested in the Validity of a Purchase Agreement, 40 Cal. 4th 788 (2007) sets forth certain criteria under which bonds may be issued to benefit a sectarian institution, such as the Corporation, without violation of the California Constitution.

If a court were to fmd the issuance of the Bonds and the use of the proceeds to finance or refmance the Project described in this Official Statement unconstitutional under the federal and/or California Constitution, and if such an adverse decision were to become final, the Bonds could be declared unenforceable and/or void. Such an adverse decision could become fmal if the Corporation does not appeal the adverse decision or if the Corporation were unsuccessful upon appeal because the adverse

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