The Media ‘Conspiracy’

Published in The Southern Digest February 7, 2012

I know that this will be controversial, because I am a media representative talking about the media in the third person. However, if I make you think, then I will have done my job.

The media’s purpose is to serve its audience with information and access to policy and procedure that may otherwise not be transparent. Media organizations —whether they are in print, broadcast or online mediums — are established to serve their audience base.

Educate the public on what they want to know and give them the facts so they can make an informed decision concerning their own lives.

The ethical media does not aim to make decisions for its audience, persuade their audience, nor spoon-feed their audience with individual or personal decisions/beliefs.

I am beyond upset at people in the public blaming the media for all of the issues, problems and dysfunctions of America.

It is always easy to pass your burdens or problems on someone else.

When you were a kid and broke something that belonged to your mother, it was always easier to say it was your sibling or the dog. It was easier to lie if you thought it would never get back to you.

At some point, you had to face the facts that you broke the vase, and you either had to pay for it or suffer the punishment.

Put yourself in the media’s shoes: How easy is it to serve the public that blames you for all of its problems?

How does it feel to come into work everyday to get phone calls, or emails regarding someone who has no media training telling you how to do your job?

How would you feel about a job that you never get paid enough to do, for the hours you work and the sacrifices you make?

When every day you spend away from your loved ones, family, friends and other obligations is for a public that doesn’t respect your work, your contributions or your sacrifices.

Now, rethink this media conspiracy. Conservatives often think that the media is too liberal while liberals often think that the media is too conservative. Could it be it depends on perspective and exposure?

Everything that is correlated is not causated. It’s possible that information can be correlated without one event causing the other.

People are more important than issues, but in a demand-driven world, we have to focus on problems to solve before people to introduce.

If you ask for it we will try to write about it but we are not magicians or have flying carpets. If you tell us two hours before the event, it’s a miracle if we are there. But, send us your calendar and we can work you into the schedule.

The media is not the enemy, people make mistakes and try to cover them up, and the media will report it, if it is the truth.

The media’s job is to seek the truth and report it, minimize harm (ever wonder why we don’t print victims names), act independently (not liberal or conservative), and be accountable (the reasons why we answer your phone calls and heed your recommendations).

The media is not the enemy; the media is seeking the represent the people that they are accountable to.

The Exigency Quiz Bowl

Published in The Southern Digest February 2, 2012

Where key figures from colleges and universities dealing with financial emergency or exigency answer questions to earn their colleges what they are lacking, money.

The questions are concerning the tough decisions and sacrifices they face to grow stronger beyond financial crisis. This is Southern University’s 2^ndappearance but, past participants have included Morris Brown College, Florida State University, and Clark Atlanta University.

Every university is different and is faced with different missions, student clientele, financial aid prevalence, employee base, faculty, academic program offerings, funding, and administration hierarchy.

The way the quiz bowl works is similar to Jeopardy but, the categories are selected based on the decisions made and to be made before, during and after declaring financial exigency.

Southern University at Baton Rouge is under scrutiny but, being a part of the Southern University System, leaves the name Southern University at risk. SU administrators and Faculty/Staff have agreed to participate.

Our categories are doing more with less, Policy and Procedure, Roles in Exigency process, restructuring and reorganizing and The New Southern. There are 100, 200, 300, 400 and 500 level questions for each category.

Let’s introduce our teams… For the SU administration we are joined by SUBR Chancellor James Llorens, SU System President Ronald Mason and SU Board of Supervisors Chairman Darren Mire; welcome administrators.

From the SU Faculty and Staff we are joined by Faculty Senate President Sudhir Trivedi, SUBR Physics Chairperson Diola Bagayoko, and SUBR Education Professor Jacqueline Jacobs; welcome faculty members.

We’re going to start with doing more with less for 100. SU Faculty have agreed to answer this, What is the key to creating a  following and combating financial crisis?

Strong leadership. Good faculty and students that can work together –Sudhir Trivedi.

Correct. Leadership is everything.

“We would like to choose Policy and Procedure for 500 please,” Diola Bagayoko.

Ok. What is the policy and procedure for the Board of Supervisors to define a financial exigency?

“A bonafide financial exigency is an imminent financial crisis which threatens the survival of the institution as a whole and which can only be alleviated by adopting drastic means,” Trivedi.

Do you believe that the exigency at Southern was bona fide?

“No I along with the Faculty Senate do not feel a bona fide financial exigency was present and that is why we are filing a lawsuit for injunctive relief against the Board of Supervisors,” Trivedi.

Ok, SU administrators which category would you like to take on?

“The New Southern for 500, please” James Llorens.

Where do you imagine the new Southern University?

“The 21^stcentury model institution. Top notch in technology, effective processes, high recruitment, retention, and graduation rates, and prepared graduates to be competent citizens.” Llorens.

How do you propose Southern gets there?

“Through the restructuring and reorganization of Southern will leave a stronger institution.” Llorens.

Ok administrators… The Faculty has 600 while you have 500. After this question we will go into the last question so make your choices wisely.

“Roles in the exigency process for 500 please”-Ronald Mason

What role does the faculty play in the exigency process?

“Well they have a role in participating in committees to generate ideas for college and department consolidation and they contribute knowledge on academic matters that the administration may not be aware of.” Llorens.

Chancellor Llorens that question must be answered by Mason. What role does the faculty play in the exigency process?

“I work on the system level and have no interest in managing campuses. I support the Chancellor in his decision of the role of the faculty while his campus deals with financial exigency. The system should play a background and supportive role to campus chancellors.” Mason.

Ok. The committee has agreed to grant 150 for that answer considering the chancellor’s answer.

With the Administrators at 650 and The Faculty at 600 we are down to the last question…

This question comes from the students and the students will vote to choose the winner.

As a student who has done everything they were advised, urged, and encouraged to do and approached cautiously things that they were told not to pursue, Why are students still treated poorly, dealing with issues beyond their control, and the university doesn’t consider their circumstances?

Before you answer this question consider that more than half of your students are on financial aid yet it is understaffed, The registration and refund processes are improving but, still have inconsistencies between paper and electronic systems, and your mission as a university is to serve the underserved which means you will not make bank off of your students.

Faculty… your answer.

“Well in line with our mission we must serve the underserved and as long as that is our mission profitability is less important than the ability to educate those in the community. Yes we need money to survive but, that is not the only thing we need; we require a strong faculty, student base, technology, and support system.” Jacobs.

Administrators…

“Students understand that we have to give them a better product. We need to work together on every level of leadership. Student, staff, faculty, alumni, and system leadership to make the product, brand, and system stronger and better.” Mire.

We will now rate answers and take a poll of general approval ratings from SU students. Students please pick up your voting devices and cast your votes.

(jeopardy music)

The results show that SU students have rated the administration with a dismal 15 percent rating while the faculty is rated at little higher with a 25 percent approval rating.

Looks like the faculty comes out on top while the administration hangs it’s head.

Back to work on Monday, we recommend that you pay attention to those who provide you with a job and your real bosses: the students of Southern University.

That’s all the time we have for the Exigency Quiz Bowl, if you didn’t know where your administrators and faculty stood before now you know.

Thank you and good night.

Wake up and pay attention

Published in The Southern Digest January 31, 2012

Welcome to the SU Digest Report. Where students are informed on the SU community issues. Where we push the positive and address the negative. Discussing the controversial and digging for deeper perspectives. Looking beyond the surface for the real stories.

(Pause for station identification)

I’m Evan Taylor and this is The SU Digest Report … Today we will be discussing the issues plaguing the Southern University community.

From accreditation concerns to the reorganization of Southern University at Baton Rouge; The Southern University System community is facing inner turmoil.

As students: deciding whether to continue and fight for their Southern University degree or to leave and start over.

As faculty members: Whether to retire before getting fired, to continue the job as usual, or work to sue the SU Board of Supervisors for inadequate decisions and lack of procedure.

As an alumnus: Deciding whether to overlook the reputation or perception of misappropriating funds and give during a time of need or look into alternative methods to boost enrollment and recruitment outside of financial contributions.

As a Southern University employee: To continue your job blindly or keep an eye open and a resume ready in case your position is terminated.

(Commercial break)

If you are just joining us, we are back discussing perspectives on Southern University while they are facing Financial exigency, declines in enrollment, unfunded state mandates, a furloughed faculty at SUBR, and faculty/staff receiving termination notices at SUBR.

SUBR Chancellor James Llorens says in the organizational structure SUBR plans to take a closer look at the programs offered. Llorens also says I’m looking forward to the next academic year coming out of exigency.

Outside the administration, Faculty Senate President and computer science faculty memberSudhir Trivedi looks to engage faculty into this reorganization process and makes claims that financial exigency was not needed to solve Southern’s financial situation. In an effort to address the faculty’s concerns and set precedents for financial exigency policy and procedure, Trivedi established the Faculty Defense Committee to file for injunctive relief against the Southern University Board of Supervisors.

We’ll be right back with perspective from SU System President Ronald Mason and his plans to address SUBR issues systemwide.

(Commercial Break)

System President Ronald Mason says SU students can expect the system to keep moving forward in 2012 while building the new SU with the traditions from the past.

Amidst challenges there is no denying of the power and the need for leadership in the SU system. Now more than ever Southern University needs to unify its message and mission to overcome it’s current challenges and the ones it will face in the future.

With the State of Louisiana constantly cutting higher education only the universities willing to adapt and are self-sustaining will survive. Can the Baton Rouge community adjust to the loss of a university founded to serve the underserved?

I hope we have dealt with your perceptions and answered your questions. Tune in next time for our continued coverage on the SU system in crisis; choosing between mission and profit.

I’m Evan Taylor and this has been the SU Digest Report.

(cue Color Blocks)

New year new inspiration

Published in The Southern Digest January 26, 2012

For some, Barack Obama’s State of the Union address was the best speech ever and for others it was motivation to vote for Mitt Romney or Newt Gingrich or even Ron Paul.

No matter your political affiliation or favor of one candidate over another everyone is working towards a new version of themselves, new ambitions, new aspirations, and turning over a new leaf.

New Year’s resolutions are common promises made to yourself or close cohorts to change something in the new year in comparison to something that happened in the previous year.

Deciding what that resolution may be is up to you; it may be personal, professional, spiritual, or even social but, it transforms you into a element of change.

President Barack Obama in 2008 ran his campaign on the foundation of hope and change. Creating a vision in voters and constituents of the endless possibilities and opportunities ahead.

The State of the Union was no different; he discussed his implementation of change, plans for more change, and hope for establishing a stronger union in pursuit of making ‘The American Dream’ accessible to everyone.

Traditionally change is social execution, it is frowned upon, and does not recognize intent of founders of traditions.

But, it takes vision to implement change whether it is on the grass roots level or the international level.

Change is defined as making different in a particular, to make radically different, to replace with another, or to undergo modification. Each of these has a dimension no, President comes in and says I want to make this country different now, and doesn’t recognize what has worked and failed.

No authoritarian decides to rule without trying to utilize former policies or make minor adjustments to established policy. No one wants to re-invent the wheel.

Decide what you will do for yourself and your community this year.

Whether it’s a goal to get healthy, educate kids, volunteer, or commit to spiritual well being no goal is too great with motivation and dedication.

After all, in the words of Biggie Smalls (Notorious B.I.G.) “We can’t change the world if we don’t change ourselves.”

The same applies to Southern University, if we don’t change the building blocks for the better the house of cards will collapse in one swift motion.

The struggle is not over

Published in The Southern Digest November 21, 2011

I know some 80s and 90s babies wonder why do they have to learn about History of Civilization, American History, or Cultural/Human Geography. These “ancient” cultures and civilizations and their practices are still present today.

We stand on the shoulders of those who came before us. Taking that statement conceptually, we stand on the progression of those that came before us and are expected to progress so the generation after us can stand on that progression. When a generation fails to take the advancement of others and innovate and create new solutions to progress they leave the next generation stagnant. Without the sacrifice of each generation the next generation has nothing to stand on to achieve progress.

Imagine a track relay. And the anchor catches a cramp or the first of the team drops or fumbles the baton. Can you imagine the crowd in unison … Awwwwww.

That’s what happens when our generation fails to carry the baton. The next generation in unison says … awwwwwwww.

What will we be known for: picking up the baton and running for first? Being competitive and innovative? Or will be known for dropping the baton and lazily ignoring the task ahead. We are in it for the long haul … literally.

If there is one thing that is evident, it is the need for a fight and a united effort. Time to move together for one cause. If there is a cause there is a need for a fight.

The struggle is not over it is continuous, and so should our effort. Taking heed to the lessons learned before us, we need to reevaluate our efforts and rededicate our time and money to a cause worth fighting for … our future.

The world is watching Southern University as an institution for higher learning for a traditionally disenfranchised people. We are only disenfranchised if we refuse to fight our disparities. There is a cause, with disparities in healthcare, education and economics; the struggle is not over it has just changed.

We have matriculated from being unable to vote to having to purchase a birth certificate to prove our citizenship. We have moved from being able to own property to not being able to purchase or earn credit for housing and assets. It’s not just about being able to eat where we want, but being able to pay the check when it is set on the table.

With the struggle present, the next step is a movement … the question is not whether you will be involved but, how will you be involved?

Desperate times call for fresh perspective

Published in The Southern Digest November 7, 2011

Now that we are 7 days into financial exigency, we ask ourselves how did we get here?

How do we get out?

What does this mean for Southern University?

How will this affect me as an individual student, faculty member, staff member, or employee?

Throughout the next 23 days we must decide where to go from here… What steps and in what direction should we take?

Desperate times don’t call for desperate measures but a fresh perspective and approach.

Fresh perspective and approach to stale issues and problems. We have to re-think the way we address revenue, spending, travel, and salaries. We have to re-evaluate the way we classify jobs, their importance, hierarchy, and value. We have to consider sacrifices for the whole university in order for the united body to prosper.

Not just cuts to the faculty, continuation of furlough for staff, layoffs, and consolidation of colleges. We have to think outside the box to approach the problems with registration, retention, graduation, and student involvement.

This is not something that can be solved in 30 days, only an approach and plan can be developed but, the issues didn’t happen overnight and can’t be solved that way.

It is critical that no matter the decisions made that the administration; faculty, staff, and students make them together. If we are not on one accord it will only delay the process.

As long as all parties have equal representation and voice the democratic system should be able to decide on a solution to these problems. Without one united front we will just be fighting each other.

How did we get here? No one really knows speculations of inaccurate policies from the Board of Supervisors, lack of leadership in administrative roles, misappropriation of funds, decrease in student enrollment, low graduation rates, formula funding, or a combination of more than one factor. But, the buck should stop here.

How do we get out? Definitely not by cutting certain entities out during solicitation for input. Not by excluding the foundations of the institution in the processes and decisions.

We need a united front with new ideas and new solutions to our old problems.

What does this mean for Southern University? Is it bankruptcy? Not quite. But, it does give the administration powers they did not have before concerning termination and restructuring. There needs to be a policy and procedure for financial exigency put together by each affected party. Faculty, students, staff, etc. need to have a procedure and that needs to be negotiated to a compromise. The interests of every one should be addressed and considered.

How will this affect individual parties? This can decide whether a tenured faculty member has a job.

This lowers job security for staff members and other employees.

This plan can decrease the amount of time a laid off faculty member, staff member, or employee has to make arrangements for a new job.

Exigency can deter new students from applying to this university in fear of the survival of the campus and the relevance of their future degree.

Exigency can deter students from graduating from Southern University because of consolidated programs and cancelled programs.

Exigency can mark Southern University as a example of a failed system.

Beyond the brand of exigency, it’s important for a fresh perspective to leadership, organization, structure, fundraising, revenue, spending, recruitment, retention, and graduation.

If we want to place Southern University where we envision it, we have to see it, act on it, and accomplish it.

It’s time to work, Jaguar Nation

Published in The Southern Digest November 3, 2011

The time has come. For the students, faculty, staff, and administration to re-evaluate the systems and processes we use at this university.

The time has come for students to give their input on making the classroom, registration, matriculation, and graduation processes better.

The time has come for staff and faculty to give their input on making the curriculums, programs, degrees, and professional development opportunities better.

The time has come for the administration to designate and deliver the leadership and effective processes to address the issues before us.

The moment has arrived for students to graduate from Southern on-time, with honors, and contribute to our university as dedicated alumni.

The moment has arrived for staff and faculty to represent Southern University programs and curriculums away from the university to recruit students and generate interests in academic programs.

The moment has arrived for the administration to show leadership on and off of the campus and be willing to make decisions against the grain for the prosperity of the university.

There should not be any reason students should be surprised with discrepancies two weeks before graduation.

Its unacceptable for students to wait days for financial aid to say they are waiting for verification on documents sent in three months before.

It is intolerable that faculty shouldn’t have a voice in the procedure of the evaluations of financial and academic decisions of the campus.

Its unfortunate that censure, policies, and procedures have to be discussed in open meetings because those who we elected don’t know the policies and procedures they are to adhere to.

It’s sad that students lack the interest in the future of their degree and institution that they choose to transfer instead of fight on behalf of their departments and programs.

Its pitiful that the administration waited until the issue became so out of hand before they asked for specialists and input from other sources beyond their office.

A lot of people will not like financial exigency but, now that we are in this hole lets make sure we can get out. It is necessary for the administration, students, faculty, staff, and alumni to work together to develop a strategy.

When I say together, there needs to be a collaborative effort for students, faculty, staff and alumni to submit ideas and solutions.

This hole needs to be an opportunity to climb out and rebuild. We need to come out of this hole a stronger Southern University.

Financial Exigency will not break us if we don’t let it. We dug this hole together it’s time to get out of it together. If there was ever a time for the Jaguar Nation.

The time is now.

Judge, jury, and executioner

Published in The Southern Digest October 31, 2011

Where were you when the board declared financial exigency on Southern University Baton Rouge?

Were you tailgating, in class, at home, with a friend? I was in the meeting where more students should have been.

It was not just about a deficit over 10 million dollars it was about a reputation, programs, faculty, and students who may leave and never come back.

It wasn’t just a vote to declare financial emergency on the Baton Rouge campus but, a declaration of enrollment emergency, retention emergency, graduation emergency, low student involvement emergency, and a national reputation emergency.

Even if you were not watching the state of Louisiana, the United States of America was watching and the world was watching as we declared that we have to change our policies and procedures to get business handled.

As we questioned and asked within our own Board of Supervisors whether our policies and procedures should be amended for clarification to make a possibly detrimental decision.

As we declared that our faculty and administration cannot work efficiently together.

As we declared that the only HBCU system would declare financial emergency on a campus before exhausting system resources and state resources to solve the problem.

The world watched as Southern University declared financial exigency again jeopardizing the reputation of this historical institution.

As Southern University at Baton Rouge celebrated homecoming, the Board of Supervisors declared that there was a financial crisis present in Baton Rouge. A crisis that could only be corrected and addressed through a mandatory furlough of all Southern University employees and employee layoffs and cost savings measures.

After pleas of compassion and consideration of other options and solutions were heard from the podium in front of the Board of Supervisors acting as judge, jury, and executioner.

The Southern University Board of Supervisors laid down the verdict that Southern University Baton Rouge needed to be executed in order to save the system.

There was no sentence for rehabilitation but an immediate sentence of restructure and reorganization within this time period or face death row.

As the gavel hit the podium to charge Southern University with crisis on the heads of the students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community faced the charges.

30 days of strict and defined planning to how to approach the next year sentence to be eligible for parole as of June 30^th 2012 or earlier for good behavior.

The question becomes will you let Southern University at Baton Rouge be executed alone for the crimes committed by other conspirators.

The State of Louisiana deserves to be up for trial for its treatment of higher education institutions in this state, for its choice to ignore the forces on the students of Southern University inside and outside of the classroom.

The System deserves to be prosecuted for being a top heavy and dependent office without leadership to sustain the other campuses. Passing the buck to entities smaller and with less representation than them.

It’s time to call our lawyers, friends and family and fight for proper and equal representation across the system. Not to allow lackluster leadership persecute and execute the Baton Rouge campus for crimes it did not commit.

Who will be next? Without the Baton Rouge campus how will SUNO, SUSLA, SUAG, and SU Law Center survive the scrutiny of the Southern University system?

Real experience, not experiments

Published in The Southern Digest October 27, 2011

According to the Society for Professional Journalists, an ethical journalist is to seek the truth and report it, minimize harm, act independently and be accountable.

This code of ethics is used to recognize those who report on as humans, be the watchdog for the public, and be held accountable for unethical and useless content.

A great reporter works to bring the audience a story free of bias and ultimately where they don’t become a part of the story.

Due to the thin line between unethical and ethical, journalists are becoming more newsworthy than the news itself; falsifying information, misquoting, and just not doing their due diligence.

With unethical and ethical journalists working together it has become harder and harder to know where to turn for your news and who to trust.

The Southern Digest, EGO Magazine, and The Jaguar Yearbook are press/media organizations.

Our jobs are to tell the stories that concern the Southern University community. This includes the students, faculty, staff, area community and alumni community.

Our organization has never been — and will never be — a place to play, to attack, or to determine the fate of Southern University. We are here to seek the truth and report it; the good, the bad and the ugly.

Just as any other media organization or job, you learn and gain valuable experience to take into your next job and your next stage of life.

The Office of Student Media has never been a laboratory to experiment with the powers of the administration, faculty or students.

This is a real-world transition from being only accountable to yourself and becoming accountable as a team and a publication.

We are trained young professionals who also balance classes, other jobs and life.

Our jobs have never been simple or easy to explain. We wear many hats as future media professionals, future photographers, future engineers, future doctors, future lawyers and future teachers.

We not only carry the burdens of full-time and part-time students, but also of a profession that others are quick to judge and criticize. We try not to shine false light on the issues and concerns of the Southern University community no matter how large or how small.

We ask some of the toughest questions and get some of the most important answers.

Our office is and was the home of great media professionals who have grown inside this office and through their experiences.

They received the training and exposure they needed to apply the techniques and education they acquired in the classroom.

Without the Office of Student Media and its accomplishments and efforts, Southern University would not be home to a consecutive award winning publication staff.

If there is anything, that is in question concerning the journalists that work for The Office of Student Media it is when and how the next year’s staff will perform and what opportunities their involvement will place in front of them.

The Office of Student Media is a way to keep your foot in the door. The Southern University degree gets you in the door, the experience during and after your college career keeps you there.

The editors before me and hopefully after will continue to offer the opportunity for all students to get published, work as a team, gain work experience, be held accountable, compete in this global economy and be compensated for their work; as the world outside this university works.

 

Evan Taylor

The Southern Digest

Editor-in-Chief

2011-2012

Be a part of the solution

Published in The Southern Digest October 24, 2011

Within the last two months, almost 7,000 students had schedules at Southern University. Only about 6,200-6,500 kept schedules, paid their fees and went through the new Banner process and old financial aid process.

Southern faced financial exigency, low enrollment and furloughs head on. Faculty, staff, students and the administration voiced their opinions for their side.

Letters to the editor, commentary and news stories were written. New television news segments were aired. The vote came and went and the crisis of financial exigency was avoided.

Then the budget had to be presented to the Board of Regents. There were some issues that the board felt needed to be corrected or explained.

After all, we were projecting the budget for 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 fiscal years with enrollment at 7,000 students.

The Board of Regents wanted clarification of this restructuring the administration wanted to do and how this would lead to the prosperity of the university. Because, they wanted clarification the acceptance of the budget was deferred.

Furlough arguments and misunderstandings ensued. The purpose of the university was in question and the procedure for doing so would be the first thing on the chopping block.

Choosing between two “f” words,“financial exigency/emergency” and “furlough.” The faculty would make the decision but, questions still surface.

What was the agreement? Was there an agreement? I thought it was an offer. Is there a difference? Can the university legally do what they are doing?

Next, the furlough schedules … Faculty were told to sign a schedule to be furloughed at times they were not scheduled to teach classes.

For students these times would be during preparation time for class and office hours. Making professors less available for questions and professor to student interaction.

Then book vouchers were not taken out of refund checks. Students were outraged when asked to pay back the money utilized to pay bills, loans, etc.

Vice Chancellor for Finance and Adminstration Flandus McClinton addressed the student body at SGA’s Town Hall that students would be able to register for the spring and that a mechanism to take it out of spring refunds would be used.

During all of this, students have only spoken out refund checks, having to pay back book vouchers and financial exigency. Chances are the board will consider financial exigency again. Will you be there?

We need to be more aware and speak out about things that affect us. Anything and everything that happens at this university should concern you.

I challenge you to utilize homecoming as a opportunity to show the best that Southern University has to offer. While you are shoulder to shoulder with alumni, newspaper representatives, BET, Black College Today, board members, community members and complete strangers; talk about the difference you are making at this university. And ask what are they doing to make this university better.

Money can’t buy us student enrollment numbers, faculty and administration that are willing to sacrifice, character, integrity or pride.

We have to build our university up with a foundation of prosperity, principle, and purpose.