There have been many pleasures, great times, and terrific learning experiences in the many years that I have studied, researched, taught and otherwise been associated with Idaho State University.
One of those treasures that will always "be in my basket" is named Lee Krehbiel.
Lee is the type of leader who makes young people look up and say "I want to be like him." He has remarkable poise in the face of ISU's often treacherous problems and politics. As the leader for student services, Lee has to deal with everything from strategic planning and communication in the wake of the Virginia Tech shooting massacre, to the sensitive needs of individual crime victims and other troubled students on campus. His judgements have been known to be fair and impartial.
At the same time, many have commented how Idaho State has a remarkable slate of student activities, organizations, programs, concerts, and speakers.
Pocatello is not a boring place, and we can thank Lee for a lot of that.
ISU's vice president for student affairs also takes time regularly to acknowledge and uplift those around him. Lee is always quick to offer a sincere compliment and friendly words. He gives credit to others whenever it is due.
Finally, I have always been impressed with Lee's personal touch and his outreach to the black community. He is astute and in-touch on race issues, and practices what he preaches.
As you read the announcement below, don't be suprised if you read another one in a few years ... announcing Lee Krehbiel, Ph.D., as a university president.
-- Michael
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Idaho State University has named Lee Krehbiel, Ph.D., its new vice president for student affairs. Krehbiel has been serving as interim vice president of student affairs since September 2006.
Dr. Lee Krehbiel
He originally came to ISU in 1996 to serve as assistant dean of students. He was promoted to associate dean of students in 2005.
“Dr. Krehbiel leads by example,” said Leonard D. “Buddy” Frazier, ISU’s director of affirmative action, who, along with others quoted below in this story, was on Krehbiel’s advisory committee. “He has been a strong advocate for diversity and is totally committed to students and puts them first when it comes to service and academic achievement.”
Administratively, Krehbiel has worked closely with student unions, student activities, general counsel, campus daycare, judicial affairs, student leadership and government, study skills, and international programs and services.
“I am thrilled that Dr. Krehbiel will be appointed to the position of vice president for student affairs,” said JoAnn Hertz, ISU director of academic advising in enrollment planning. “He is known by students, faculty and staff as a person of great character and integrity and vision. He initiated the liaison exchange program between the student affairs and enrollment management divisions to enhance collaboration and communication. His idea has been very successful and, as the EM liaison, I see continued opportunities to create shared programming and greater understanding.”
Krehbiel received positive reviews from others on his advisory committee, including Barbara Adamcik, Ph.D., associate vice president for academic affairs.
“In his interactions with students and faculty alike, Dr. Krehbiel has shown me that he is a person of great integrity,” Adamcik said. “His excellent critical thinking skills and clear communication style, along with his extensive student affairs experience, make him a great person to lead the division.”
Her sentiments were echoed by Mike Echanis, assistant director of TRiO Support Services, who said, “During Dr. Krehbiel's tenure as interim vice-president for student affairs he has led our division to the forefront in facilitating open communication and networking amongst colleagues and for developing quality assessment models that will allow all of us to improve our services to students.”
Prior to joining Idaho State University, Krehbiel was a research associate at the Indiana Education Policy Center, Indiana University-Bloomington. He previously served as director of Alumni Building (Union) and Campus Activities at Berea College. He taught American history and civics in the Wichita, Kan., public school system from 1984-87.
Krehbiel received a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Wichita State University, a Bachelor of Science degree in secondary education from the University of Kansas, and both a Master of Science-Education in College Student Personnel Administration and a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from Indiana University.
“Dr. Krehbiel has proven himself to be a valuable asset to students time and time again, but more than that he has been a good friend,” said Matt Spencer, president of the Associated Students of Idaho State University.
His research and study interests include the collection and management of student activity fees, the history of collegiate food service and collegiate mascots.
Krehbiel will officially begin his duties as vice president at the start of the new fiscal year, July 1.
I agree with this opinion column written by Kalamazoo poet, writer and radio commentator Buddy Hannah, found at:
http://blog.mlive.com/kzgaz...
Hannah offers several things to ponder. Below is an excerpt:
" ... After savoring my moment of pride and being thankful to be able to witness such an historical day, I had to ask myself, what now?
I understand that, yes, history has been made, but making history will not solve the problems we face in this country.
History-making aside, I had to ask myself which one of the two candidates for president will best represent America and the American people?
Which one of them can put together an administration that will be for and about the American people? Which one of them will have a plan that will end the war and bring our troops home? Which one of them will come up with a plan that will ensure that every American is provided with quality health care? Which one of them can bring about the change this country is so badly in need of?
I'm proud of what Obama already has accomplished and overjoyed with the thought of what he might accomplish come November. But I know that if he does becomes the first African-American president in the history of this country, that will not automatically solve all our problems.
This is not just about a black man making history. Rather it's about high gas prices and the future of energy in this country.
It's about jobs and homes being lost. It's about our schools and the future of our young people. It's about the homeless and the hungry. It's about having an agenda, about having a plan, one that will work for all Americans.
By no means am I downplaying the history that has been made and the history that can possibly be made come November. But the reality of it all is that the color of Obama's skin -- or John McCain's, for that matter -- will not revive the economy. Nor will it determine their leadership abilities or their judgment."
Hannah slams the point home here:
" ... Yes, history has been made, but that's only part of it. Because come Nov. 4, I, like many Americans, will cast my one vote and hope it was for the right person. And that will be based solely on what each candidate has presented to the American people as being his plan for straightening out that which has been bent completely out of shape ...".
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I plan to do the same thing in November.
-- Michael
The increase in reports of violence and overly aggressive prosecution against African American youth by law enforcement officials symbolized by the boot camp beating death of Martin Lee Anderson, the assault of Shelwanda Riley by a police officer and countless other recent dehumanizing attacks has led the NAACP to declare a ‘State of Emergency’ that requires immediate action by local and state authorities as well as the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Congress.
 State of Emergency »
“The NAACP denounces overly aggressive handling of black youth by law enforcement entities, a blatant disregard toward investigating hate crimes and racially discriminatory utilization of prosecutorial discretion,” said Interim NAACP President & CEO Dennis Courtland Hayes. “We demand that the American criminal justice system live up to its Constitutional obligations to serve and protect all Americans with dignity and fairness irrespective of race, ethnicity, gender, religious faith and other differences. Violence and intimidation of our young people is not acceptable, is against the law and must end now.”
The Florida State Conference of the NAACP is holding a march and rally today (Oct. 23) in Tallahassee demanding justice for Martin Lee Anderson, a black 14-year-old who tragically died while in custody at the Bay County Boot Camp last year. To add insult to injury, on Oct. 12 an all white jury acquitted deputies and a nurse who participated in the videotaped violent abuse of Anderson that resulted in his death hours later. The U.S. Department of Justice has agreed to review the case for civil rights violations.
NAACP units will be expressing outrage about the Anderson case as well as the apparent increase in violence and disturbing pattern of attacks against African American youth by law enforcement in their communities and nationwide. For example:
--On Oct. 4, 15- year old Shelwanda Riley was thrown around, punched and pepper sprayed by a Ft. Pierce, Fla. police officer, a man roughly twice her size, as he tried to arrest her for a non-violent curfew violation.
--Last month 14-year old DeOnte’ Rawlings was fatally shot by an off duty Metropolitan Police officer in Washington, D.C. for allegedly stealing a mini-bike and shooting at the officer during a foot chase. An autopsy found no gunshot residue on the boy and several suspicious injuries to his elbows, knees and face.
--In January, Isaiah Simmons III, 17, lost consciousness and died after being retrained in a face down prone position for over two hours by seven adult staff of the Bowling Brook Preparatory School, a privately run residential program under contract with the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services. Witnesses said the staffers sat on the boy’s limbs, chest and head. He subsequently died when staffers waited 41 minutes to call 911 after realizing that Isaiah had lost consciousness. The state medical examiner ruled Isaiah's death a homicide. However, the Carroll County State's Attorney and grand jury refused to charge the staffers with manslaughter. Instead, the staffers were charged with reckless endangerment, a misdemeanor.
--For a year now the NAACP has been engaged in activities seeking fairness for the Jena 6, six teens who have faced overly aggressive prosecution and extended incarceration for fighting with a white classmate in their Louisiana community following a series of racial incidents including the hanging of nooses in a tree at the local high school. One defendant, Mychal Bell, was jailed in an adult facility for nine months before being initially freed.
--In July 2006, videotape showed Donovan Jackson-Chavis, 16, being slammed to the ground, tossed into the air, bounced on the hood of a squad car and choked by police as they handcuffed him for supposedly not dropping a bag of potato chips at a convenience store in Inglewood, Calif. The officers were subsequently charged with assault and fired.
--In July 2003, Marcus Dixon, 15, a straight-A student with a scholarship to Vanderbilt University, was charged with rape, assault and other major offenses then held for over a year for having consensual sex with a white classmate. His 10-year conviction was overturned once jurors disclosed that the Georgia prosecutor had misled them.
--On April 7, 2001 Timothy Thomas was fatally shot by a cop during a foot chase in Cincinnati, Ohio. Police said the young man was reaching for a gun. Thomas, who was wanted on traffic violations, was unarmed and simply holding up his pants as he ran. The officer was cleared in the shooting.
National reports and statistical data also clearly illustrate the criminal justice system’s disparate treatment of African American and other racial and ethnic minority young people.
According to the seminal report on racial disparities in the juvenile system, entitled "And Justice For Some," commissioned by the Building Blocks for Youth initiative, prepared by the National Council on Crime and Delinquency, the NAACP and other organizations using U.S. Department of Justice and FBI data, although minority youth are one-third of the adolescent population in the U.S., minority youth comprise two -thirds of the more than 100,000 young people confined in local detention and state correctional systems.
When white youth and minority youth were charged with the same offenses, African-American youth with no prior admissions were six times more likely to be incarcerated than white youth with the same background. Latino youth were three times more likely than white youth to be incarcerated.
Youth cases waived into the adult court system involve African American defendants at least 50 percent of the time; that number rises to 63 percent when the case involves drugs.
Nationally, custody rates were five times greater for African American youth than for white youth. Custody rates for Latino and Native American youth were two times the custody rate of white youth. Among all offense categories, white youth were more likely than minority youth to be placed on probation.
“The problem of racially disparate treatment in our criminal justice system against must be address at every level of governance, from our towns, counties and hamlets to our major metropolitan cities,” said NAACP Washington Bureau Director Hilary Shelton. “Law enforcement recognizes that in order to be effective at preventing and solving crimes, police officers must have the trust of the community’s they serve. Until this scourge of abuse has been justly addressed they cannot be effective in racial and ethnic minority communities.”
The NAACP has called for hearings not only in Congress but also in every community around the nation in order to clearly understand the scope of this problem and most importantly craft viable solutions.
The authorities have been investigating this for nine years. That is usually not a good sign for a defendant.
Long investigations like that are done for one reason - to build a rock solid case with lots of criminal counts, evidence, witnesses, etc., for prosecutors to work with. Nonetheless, on the JHub, I was asked to suspend judgement about Larry Craig -- not to convict him in the media before all of the facts were out.
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Here is one example:
Posted by mbogo on Tuesday, August 28, 2007 at 09:56 AM
" ... It looks like There are some folks that have decided that Senator Larry Craig should resign because of a conviction of disorderly conduct in a Minnesota airport men's room. We seem too willing to rush to judgment based on what we read in the paper. Senator Craig issued a statement saying that at the time of the incident, he complained to the police that they were misinterpreting his statements and that in hindsight he should have retained an attorney. That was also printed in the newspaper, but some people don't want to hear that, they just feel he ought to resign. So, if he was innocent, of any wrong doing, why did he plead guilty to the charge? That is a good question, and I hope he will address that question as soon as possible. In the mean time I would like to know more about the incident than I currently know. Senator Craig has done some good things for Idaho during his time in office and we owe it to ourselves to make sure we have all the facts before we ask him to resign. He should start talking to us soon though."
Hopefully, those voices will speak up the same way for the accused Akbar Abdul-Ahad.
-- Michael
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From the Idaho State Journal:
ISU alum proclaims innocence
POCATELLO - As he does every June, Akbar Abdul-Ahad watched the first game of the NBA Finals on Thursday. But this year, he had a hard time enjoying it.
Something about being in prison made the game suddenly seem not so important. ''This is hell,'' Abdul-Ahad said by phone, talking publicly for the first time since being sent to Minnesota's Sherburne County jail on May 14. ''Whoever said there was something cool about going to jail was lying. There's nothing cool about this at all.''
Abdul-Ahad, a former Idaho State point guard who started every game and averaged more than 13 points and four rebounds per night as a senior, has been stuck in jail for more than three weeks as part of an indictment that was handed down against 23 people following a nine-year investigation into a drug trafficking operation and conspiracy to possess firearms. Ask Abdul-Ahad to explain any of that, and he doesn't know what to say. Mainly because he's still not exactly sure why he's in prison.
''This is basically just one big misunderstanding,'' he said. ''That's what everyone is going to find out. The investigation has been going on since 1999, and I was only 16 back then, a sophomore in high school.'' Since that time, Abdul-Ahad has taken immense pride in staying away from drugs and becoming a Division I basketball player.
As a child, he grew up in a house where his mother was addicted to crack cocaine and his uncle died using it. He wanted to stay away from that environment so badly that he practically dedicated his life to it, going so far as to avoid alcohol and resist going out on weekends in college.
Upon graduating from Idaho State, he released a self-made documentary about his basketball career that centered around those experiences. After working that hard to live a clean life, ending up in jail is the last thing he expected. ''I'm in here with bank robbers, drug dealers and killers,'' he said. ''There's all these people who are nothing like me. No one has a college degree. No one played college basketball. I just try to keep to myself and focus on getting out of here.''
Abdul-Ahad said he expects to hear a decision on whether or not he can be released on bail soon. With six lock downs and head counts a day, a daily 5:30 a.m. wakeup call and nothing but a few phone calls and TV time at night to look forward to, he hopes he can be set free.
Both he, and those close to him, expect that to happen. His good friend and former Idaho State basketball manager Lester Stewart agreed, saying that Abdul-Ahad was in jail ''just by association. It's nothing he did.''
His mother, Chiffon Williams, who was also listed in the indictment for allegedly running a stash house in the 2600 block of Cedar Avenue in Minneapolis, told the Minneapolis Star Tribune on Wednesday that Abdul-Ahad was merely ''guilty of knowing people.'' Abdul-Ahad also insists he did nothing wrong. He hopes that his name will soon be cleared.
''I'm not saying I'm perfect, but I'm not a drug dealer,'' he said. ''That's not my cup of tea. I hate drugs.''
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Below are some responses from Kellis Robinett's blog:
On November 8, 2007 I posted this entry on the JHub:
Where are they now? Akbar Abdul-Ahad
This former ISU Bengal, a key player on last year's squad, is best known for his documentary, see:
http://isubengals.cstv.com/...
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http://graphics.fansonly.co... border="0">
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Class:
Senior
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Hometown:
Minneapolis, MN
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High School:
Roosevelt HS
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Last College:
Indian Hills/Minneapolis CC
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Height / Weight:
6-0 / 175
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Position:
G
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Experience:
1VL
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Abdul-Ahad now playing pro basketball in Austria.
 Height: 183cm / 6'0''
Position: Guard
Born: 1984
Team: Gussing (Austria) (2007-08)
Nationality: USA
Agency: Heinrich Sports
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However, today's Idaho State Journal reports:
Former ISU star indicted
A Minneapolis television station reported Monday that former Idaho State point guard Akbar Abdul-Ahad was one of 23 people indicted in an alleged drug trafficking operation involving crack cocaine, ecstasy and marijuana in Minneapolis a month ago.
The indictment unsealed last week and announced Monday also includes federal charges of firearms possession, money laundering and carjacking.
According to the indictment in U.S. District Court, from 1999 through May 6, 2008, 22 of the defendants conspired to distribute 50 or more grams of cocaine base, 5 kilograms or more of cocaine hydrochloride, as well as ecstasy and marijuana.
It also alleges that one of the defendants, reportedly Abdul-Ahad's mother, Chiffon Williams, had a stash house in the 2600 block of Cedar Avenue in Minneapolis to store, package and deal drugs.
The indictment comes after an investigation by federal and local authorities.
As a senior, Abdul-Ahad started every game for Idaho State and averaged more than 13 points and four assists per night. He was also one of the team's best students and was well-known for making a documentary about his college career. Ironically, much of that 30-minute video centered around how he overcame a poor environment that was surrounded by drugs to live a clean life and become a Division I basketball player.
Abdul-Ahad did not respond to calls or text messages left on his cell phone.
Idaho State coach Joe O'Brien said he had no comment on the indictment but admitted he was ''stunned'' when he was told of it.
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This is sad news.
Here is further evidence of why the Pocatello NAACP and the national organization are so useful.
The spirit of inquiry is alive and well as presidential candidiates are asked their views on civil rights. As you can see in blue below, the definition of civil rights has expanded greatly to issues that profoundly affect all americans.
Obama and McCain will be speaking at the NAACP national conveniton in July.
International media coverage of the resulting information will be at an unusually high level of intensity in this historic race.
-- Michael
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The NAACP released its 2008 Presidential Candidates Civil Rights Questionnaire highlighting the presidential candidates’ positions on essential civil rights priorities facing our nation. The questionnaire is intended to educate NAACP members and the communities they serve on the presidential candidates’ positions on an array of civil rights, civil liberties and basic human needs priorities.
“We trust that users will find this document to be an effective and thoughtful tool to assist them in making informed decisions before they head to the polls to cast their valuable vote,” said NAACP Interim President & CEO Dennis Courtland Hayes.
Hilary O. Shelton, director of the NAACP Washington Bureau stated,” The NAACP’s Questionnaire topics include the candidates positions on: election and immigration reform, universal health care, criminal justice issues, predatory lending, public education, equal opportunity, gun violence prevention, affordable housing, fighting global poverty and disease, a living wage, African and Caribbean trade aid and development, ex-offender re-entry into society, DC Voting Rights and a host of crucial issues important to the African American community and others that value civil rights.”
Beginning in late August, 2007, the NAACP Washington Bureau sent questionnaires to candidates for President of the United States from both parties. It was made clear that responses received would be reproduced and distributed to NAACP members and their communities. Candidates’ responses were limited to 200 words or less per question.
Completed candidate questionnaires can be found on the NAACP website at www.naacp.org on the home page or under the Washington Bureau header.
Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities, conducting voter mobilization and monitoring equal opportunity in the public and private sectors.
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