Entropy update: Leading black university fires leading black poet

Dan Moldea - Plain and simple, Howard University has ambushed a good and decent man, a loyal friend and trusted colleague to many of us.

Nearly every writers’ rights activist in America knows E. Ethelbert Miller. And in Washington, D.C., he is nothing less than a treasured institution. Since 1974, Ethelbert—the former chair of the D.C. Humanities Council—has been the director of the African American Resource Center at Howard University. Along with a slew of other positions, he is also the founder and director of the Ascension Poetry Reading Series at Howard. In addition, he is the author of nine books of poetry, two memoirs and the editor of three poetry anthologies.

After 40 years at Howard University, Ethelbert, now 64, appears to have been unceremoniously laid off by the university’s administration. He still doesn’t know for sure. He has not received any official notification.

Washington Post - E. Ethelbert Miller, a noted poet and longtime director of the Afro-American Studies Resource Center at Howard University, believes he was laid off last week in a round of staff cuts after working for his alma mater for four decades. He cites solid evidence: He was locked out of his university computer and e-mail account. A larger-than-usual paycheck from his employer was deposited Friday in his bank account. A local television news station reported that day that he had been fired along with more than 80 others. But Miller said he still isn’t quite sure what’s going on. As of Tuesday afternoon, he said, no one in the university administration had directly informed him of his termination or told him what his severance package will be... “Nobody has even requested the keys back,” Miller said. “What is my severance? What are my benefits? ”

And here's how Howard President Wayne A.I. Frederick explained it in a letter to the Howard community:

“As we collectively work through challenges and assess opportunities to continuously build on our 148-year legacy, rest assured that the difficult decisions that we’re making today ensure that we can deliver on our promise to provide the premium quality academic experience and opportunities that our students expect and deserve… for many years to come."

So much for poets as part of a premium quality academic experience.