'As the trial for former Texas State University [How much trouble is a university in when the Houston Chronicle gets its name wrong in the first sentence? Long, long ago, the place was called Texas State... The Chronicle reporter needs to update his files... UPDATE: And UD needs to get corrective lenses. Andre Mayer, a reader, points out that the writer says "former Texas State University." My bad. Though it seems a strange choice to start your piece about the place by using an obsolete name for it... UPDATE UPDATE: Another reader, TAFKAU, points out that former seems to refer not to the school but to the school's president... And that therefore UD is at least correct that the formulation's messy... Anyway, TAFKAU notes that the reporter has now rewritten the sentence.] President Priscilla Slade starts this week, observers expect a fight that is more contentious than the paper-heavy trial of her chief financial officer who was convicted of criminal financial mismanagement as part of the same investigation. [that is... who was... Especially in concise newspaper writing, you want to avoid these draggy to be verb formulations. Notice how the sentence reads if you simply take them out: "...a fight more contentious than the paper-heavy trial of her chief financial officer, convicted of criminal financial mismanagement..." See? Just drop them.]

And while prosecutors are expected to bring in alleged bad acts like wrongful termination of TSU employees and minor legal infractions if Slade is convicted, university supporters hope the public can separate the allegations against her from the troubled institution. [For background to this story, go here. ]

Slade, 55, is charged with two counts of misapplication of fiduciary property over $200,000. If convicted, she faces five to 99 years or life in prison for the first-degree felonies. She could also receive probation.

Slade was fired in June 2006 after a TSU investigation concluded she had failed to follow university policies and state laws while spending more than $260,000. A criminal investigation concluded that more than $1.9 million was spent during her tenure on such purchases as home furniture, artwork, club memberships, spa treatments and tickets for sporting events.

Slade's attorney, Mike DeGeurin, said other university presidents, like Slade, buy fine furniture and accessories, like crystal stemware, to entertain donors at home. He framed the expenses as reasonable and necessary to turn TSU into a "first-class university."

"Dr. Slade ordered crystal and china for Texas Southern University so that when people came to visit, they weren't drinking out of Styrofoam cups," DeGeurin said. [These being the only alternatives.] "The complaint reflects, to me, that where other universities can have nice things, TSU should not have that nice of stuff." [She's hired herself quite the eloquent advocate.]

DeGeurin said Slade was working to improve TSU, and would have shepherded the university through its current troubles.

"What TSU needs right now is someone like Dr. Slade," DeGeurin said. [TSU has endured enough thieves. It's time for it to look for administrative officers who don't steal. But so far no competent and ethical people want to work at a place that has fallen to pieces.]

He said no crime had been committed, and he isn't worried about prosecutors proving a crime.



Assistant District Attorney Julian Ramirez noted that one jury has already found that a crime was committed.

In May, Slade's former CFO, Quintin Wiggins, was convicted of the same crime and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He is appealing that conviction.

With Slade, both sides began gearing up for a bitter battle months ago.

During the monthlong Wiggins trial, prosecutors kept a fraud investigator in the courtroom and DeGeurin had a staff attorney observe the entire trial. In pretrial hearings, both sides have staked out their positions and say the gloves have come off.

Assistant District Attorney Donna Goode said the two indictments relate to about $523,000 worth of purchases that benefited Slade. Wiggins, on the other hand, was part of her plan and received little benefit, Goode said.

"The stakes are higher," Goode said. "We're now trying the alleged principal of the crime."

If Slade is convicted, prosecutors have filed a notice of "past bad acts" they will work to prove up to bolster the jury's outrage. Because of a motion that limits what they can say about these acts, neither side would discuss alleged wrongful firings of TSU employees and legal infractions.



In Slade's wake, the spending scandal left the state's largest historically black university in turmoil. Shortly after firing Slade, regents eliminated 178 jobs, or 16 percent of the workforce, in an attempt to contain costs while enrollment continued to slide.

Gov. Rick Perry later asked the regents to make "tough decisions" to turn the university around. But the board failed to offer the specific proposals necessary to correct the financial situation, prompting Perry to pressure the regents into resigning en masse in May.

The new regents are now working on a reorganization plan that should soon be forwarded to the governor and state lawmakers. The board also is making plans to replace interim President J. Timothy Boddie Jr. with another temporary leader after recently extending the search for a new president.

Enrollment, meanwhile, is expected to be down as much as 15 percent when classes resume Aug. 27, officials said.

Legislators who have supported TSU historically said they hoped the public would be able to separate the university from the scandal.

"I don't want the school to be penalized for mistakes some have made," said state Sen. Rodney Ellis. He said he hopes the public will be able to draw a distinction between the university and the crimes alleged to have been perpetrated.

State Rep. Garnet Coleman said the public hasn't learned to separate TSU from Slade.

"Priscilla Slade has done a disservice to TSU," Coleman said. "She abused the public trust, harmed the students and harmed the school."'

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