The owner of Tiger Manor condominiums paid for a series of advertisements in local print media outlets showing his support for former Chancellor Sean O’Keefe and encouraging the LSU System to provide more insight to the reasons behind O’Keefe’s resignation Jan. 16. “If somebody doesn’t put pressure on the System to come clean and be transparent about why they’re making this decision, I don’t know that they would ever say,” said Tiger Manor co-owner Glenn Stewart. Stewart said he believes part of the reason the System released a list of 16 questions raised during the formal and informal evaluations of O’Keefe is because of external pressure from the community. “If people like myself hadn’t taken out these ads that demand an explanation, I’m not sure we would have gotten the explanation we’ve gotten so far,” Stewart said. “In my opinion, the disclosure so far is still unsatisfactory because they’re just raised questions. There is no allegations of anything he has done wrong.” The issues raised during O’Keefe’s evaluations were released “in light of the public discussion by the Chancellor and his supporters and the interest of the public understanding at least the scope of such an evaluation process,” Ray Lamonica, System general counsel, said in an e-mail. In the Feb. 3 edition of The Advocate, Tiger Manor published an advertisement asking Gov. Bobby Jindal to “please save our beloved LSU and fire the three malicious Blanco appointees of the [Board of Supervisors],” and to “rehire O’Keefe.” Stewart said the “three malicious Blanco appointees” on the Board referenced in the advertisement are Past-Chairman Rod West, current Chairman Jerry Shea and Chairman-Elect James Roy. Charles Zewe, System vice president for communications and external affairs, said there is no truth behind the thought that only a few Board members are responsible for ousting O’Keefe. “The fact of the matter is this is silliness,” Zewe said. “The decisions that were made were supported by the leadership of the Board and that is that. The matter is closed.” Tiger Manor also paid for a Feb. 7 advertisement in The Daily Reveille asking Katrina survivors, students, LSU fans and Gov. Jindal why there is an absence of protest concerning the manner in which information surrounding O’Keefe’s resignation was handled. “What I’m questioning is why some leaders in the student body – the student government, somebody – doesn’t press for more of an explanation,” Stewart said. Stewart said a poll on Tiger Manor’s Web site is part of an upcoming series of advertisements he plans to place in The Daily Reveille. He said the advertisements will compare O’Keefe to Lombardi based on past actions and ask students “to make a choice who they would prefer to leave LSU.” Stewart said he has not considered the business implications of the advertisements. He said the advertisements are not a business gimmick, and he has not considered if some customers will be discouraged from Tiger Manor because of the advertisements. He said the advertisement is an expression of his opinions and provide a means for reaching the public with his beliefs. The list of issues raised during O’Keefe’s evaluations do not imply any form of wrongdoing, Zewe said. The issues primarily concern if enough progress was made in the Flagship Agenda, if co-workers were treated in “an unprofessional manner,” if O’Keefe spent too much time away from from campus tending to other commitments, if funds raised were accurately reported and if some of O’Keefe’s expenditures are considered “inappropriately lavish.” O’Keefe relinquished his administrative duties Feb. 1 amid pressure from the Board of Supervisors and System President John Lombardi. Former chancellor and System president emeritus William Jenkins is acting chancellor.
—-Contact Nicholas Persac at [email protected]