Alumni should not wait to lobby against Langston’s return

Charles Langston’s enthusiastic support for Gov. Rick Scott’s attempts to run President James H. Ammons out of the school has practically guaranteed his reappointment to the university’s Board of Trustees. Scott is likely to reappoint Langston as soon as his term ends on January 6, 2013.

FAMU alumni should not wait to begin lobbying the Florida Senate to vote down Langston’s confirmation next year. Florida Rattlers should begin contacting their district senators while the 2012 legislative session is in progress. The National Alumni Association (NAA) should also take up the issue of Langston’s appointment at its upcoming annual convention during May 17-20 in Charlotte, N.C.


Langston has been doing his best to push Ammons out-of-office for more than two years. He quietly backed the Bill Jennings-led campaign to remove the super-majority clause from Ammons’ contract beginning in 2010. He then became Jennings’ mouthpiece on the ad hoc committee that was in charge of recommending modifications to the presidential employment agreement in 2011. He backed down from attacking the super-majority clause after it was clear that he could not bully the three other committee members to go along with him.

Langston was also one of only two trustees who came to Rufus Montgomery’s aid when he tried deliver on Scott’s agenda of getting rid of Ammons despite the contractual super-majority vote that is required for termination. Montgomery proposed placing Ammons on administrative leave at the Dec. 8, 2011 board meeting as a way to get around the fact that there were not nine votes to fire him. It would only take seven votes to suspend the president.

Only Langston and Jennings verbally supported Montgomery’s motion.

FAMUans have succeeded in getting rid of low-quality trustees like Langston in the past. Back in 2007, the NAA called for the removal of Challis Lowe and five other trustees who were trying to obstruct the university’s recovery from the damage of the Castell Bryant years.

The Florida Senate denied confirmation to Lowe despite her reappointment by the Florida Board of Governors. The embarrassment Lowe experienced led other low-quality trustees like Regina Benjamin, Leerie Jenkins, and George Allen to voluntarily resign.

It’s time to clean up FAMU’s board, again. Bidding farewell to Langston will get a good start.