The New Majority: houston's minority news reader

TAVIS SMILEY'S NAME IS ON THE BUILDING: But is his $1 million pledge in TSU'S bank account?

By Paul Fitzgerald Bennett

Trying to get someone to talk openly about the intricacies of Tavis Smiley's supposed September 2004 million dollar donation to Texas Southern University's School of Communication is like trying to get the famed deaf mute Helen Keller to communicate verbally; it may not ever happen.

So recently, The New Majority communicated in print by submitting an open records request of all financial documents related to Mr. Smiley's gift to TSU. We'd hope to have the information for you at the printing of our February publication, but as of press time we had yet to receive the information. Here's what we do know. From the Houston Chronicle's website the headline of a story written in September of 2004 reads, "A Milestone for Texas Southern University; PBS, NPR host gives $1 million; Communications school benefiting from Smiley gift."

Within the context of the story itself the Houston Chronicle reporter writes, "Texas Southern University received one of its largest donations ever from an individual Monday when Tavis Smiley, the NPR and PBS host, gave $1 million to boost the university's communications school. The money, which came on the same day officials dedicated a center in Smiley's name, will endow a faculty chair and create new student scholarships…"

Upon initial glance (and if the Houston Chronicle story can be trusted) it can be assumed that Mr. Smiley has already given $1 million to TSU. Once again the reporter writes, "The money, which came on the same day officials dedicated a center in Smiley's name…"

An October 2004 story in Jet Magazine reads that Mr. "Smiley presented Texas Southern University with a check for $1 million."

On the website of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania based WURD 900AM Radio a bio about Mr. Smiley reads that "Smiley cement (ed) his commitment to TSU with a one million dollar gift to the Center."

The New Majority contacted the office of LaChanda Jenkins, Vice President of External Affairs and Marketing at TSU hoping to speak to someone at TSU in an official capacity. In a voice mail, Ms. Jenkins said she was "trying to track down" the information related to Mr. Smiley's donation.

But several sources affiliated with TSU have told The New Majority that Mr. Smiley has not given a million dollars or any money to the school's communication department. Unfortunately, all of these sources wish to remain anonymous. One of these said Mr. Smiley has even retrieved his office furniture from the school for a home office for his new Los Angeles digs.

"The media took that and ran with it that he had already given us a million dollars. But none of that is true," said one of the unidentified sources.

Of course The New Majority attempted to go to the giving source himself; Mr. Smiley. As of the publishing of this story a request to interview Mr. Smiley has not been granted. The New Majority did send several e-mails to Joel Brokaw who is identified as Mr. Smiley's publicist at The Smiley Group, Inc.

A Monday, January 28th e-mail from Mr. Brokaw reads: "Here's the response concerning Tavis Smiley: Tavis Smiley's $1 million contribution to Texas Southern University was structured in the form of annual gifts over an agreed upon number of years. Since the announcement in September of 2004, Mr. Smiley has honored his commitment. TSU is aware that Mr. Smiley's annual gifts are (on) hold and will be restored when there is a satisfactory resolution of TSU's current situation and a new president of the institution is installed."

The New Majority followed up Mr. Brokaw's e-mail the following day by requesting the amount which had already been given to the communications department by Mr. Smiley. Mr. Brokaw was also asked to comment on whether the Houston Chronicle story was factually correct. He was asked to comment on the bio written about Mr. Smiley on WURD concerning his "one million dollar gift." In addition The New Majority asked Mr. Brokaw to comment on WURD's wording that Mr. Smiley had "a further commitment to help raise 10 million dollars over the next ten years," for the communications department.

Mr. Brokaw responded with the following: "My understanding is that Mr. Smiley's personal commitment is for a total of $1 million divided into annual payments. I do not have any info on how much has been paid; only that he has honored his commitment as earlier stated."

Most people would understand Mr. Smiley's hesitancy to give to a university where a president is accused of financial mismanagement. But former TSU president Priscilla Slade was fired in May 2006 (a jury ended in a mistrial concerning wrong doing on her part) and serious investigations of the university's financial situation began in the first quarter of 2006. Meaning that from September 2004 until at least January 2006, any annual financial gifts from Mr. Smiley should have continued without interruption.

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