University faculty members continue to speak out against the controversial WSB-TV video report that claimed many professors abused state funding for travel while abroad. David Chu, a retired pharmacy professor who was featured in the report, said that if WSB-TV or Cox Enterprises does not issue an apology, then he may organize faculty to take action or create a petition.

“It’s important for us to collectively act,” he said.

Chu also mentioned the professors involved in the report are very productive faculty and most, including him, bring much more money to the University than they receive. Any restrictions on travel may jeopardize this financial support and hurt the reputation of the University, he said.

“This is a very dangerous thing to do,” Chu added. “A respectable station like WSB-TV should not be stirring up the public with inaccuracies without correcting them.”

Tom Jackson, vice president for public affairs, added that President Michael Adams received a letter from Cox Enterprises – the company that owns WSB-TV. In the document, Cox President and Chief Officer Jimmy Hayes said the company does not have a hand in the daily operations of its media properties.

In response to Adams questioning why data from 2007 was used for a report in 2009, Hayes said he understood the nature of his points, but “perhaps it would have been helpful for more current data to have been provided [for the report].”

Jackson said the University did not refuse to provide the travel records for 2008, but they were not given adequate time to do so. He said WSB-TV requested the most recent travel records Oct. 15, 2008, and the University provided the most recent data on file – from 2007. He said the station requested the information again on March 5, but said it needed it in a few hours before the report aired.

“By this time, the 2008 data was available, but we didn’t have enough time to make the request by the end of that day,” he said.

One professor in particular said he was upset by the report because the station accidentally used a photo of his deceased father to identify him, rather than a picture of himself.

“I was very upset when I first saw the report,” said Mark Risse, professor in biological and agricultural engineering.

He said in addition to the report’s content, he was distraught that a picture of his late father was mistakenly featured without verification.

Risse said two members of his family contacted WSB-TV about the mistake and requested the station issue an on-air apology, but received a verbal one instead.

“I’m going to chalk it up to poor journalism and move on with my life,” he said. “I don’t have the time or energy to bother with it or take further action.”

Additionally, Risse said the report was presented in a biased format and failed to discriminate that many “state-funded” travel reports are reimbursed at a later date.

“To have our travel approved, we [professors] must estimate the expenses for the trip and provide a bank account – either from state funds or grant funds to write down before we even leave,” he said.

For instance, Risse’s trip to China in 2007 was reimbursed by the Chinese government after he returned to the U.S., he said.

As an extension employee for the state, Risse said traveling throughout Georgia to help farmers address environmental problems is an essential part of his profession. He said most researchers, including himself, cannot do their job effectively if they do not actively seek grants for funding.

M. Howard Lee, a physics professor who was targeted in the report, also said he wanted to convey how travel is pertinent to contributing to the University.

“The report made it seem like I was using state money to go off for holidays [or vacations] instead of for work,” he said.

Lee said for his age, travel is tough on him physically and mentally, and doesn’t think the report will effect him one way or another.

Lee has been a professor at the University for 35 years and comes in to work on the weekends, he said.

“I know that myself and many of the professors featured in the report are doing the right thing,” he said.

“We love our professions, enjoy teaching the students here, bring in [prospective] researchers and students, and enhance the University’s international reputation.”