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Now it's Old Dominion University's turn to weather a scandal.
When critics questioned the legitimacy of the degree that Virginia Commonwealth University awarded to then-Richmond Police Chief Rodney Monroe, the Richmond university found itself standing waist deep in muck as Monroe left to take the reins of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg, N.C., police force.
In the fallout, VCU President Eugene P. Trani announced his resignation and Robert D. Holsworth, dean of the College of Humanities and Sciences, stepped down amid an aggressive internal investigation.
Now, in the wake of the tawdry tango between Del. Phillip A. Hamilton, R-Newport News, and a new teaching center at ODU, you have to wonder: What will be the body count at the Norfolk university?
"I know the members of the Old Dominion University community have been disappointed by the headlines regarding our relationship -- now ended -- between a state legislator and one of our educational outreach programs," ODU President John R. Broderick said during his state of the university address yesterday.
Broderick was speaking of Hamilton's pursuit of a job at ODU's Center for Teacher Quality and Educational Leadership before submitting a $500,000 budget amendment for the center's creation.
State law says no legislator may "solicit or accept money or other thing of value for services performed within the scope of his official duties, except the compensation, expenses or other remuneration paid to him by the General Assembly."
The center got its appropriation. Hamilton got a $40,000 salary as an independent contractor there.
Democrats are not alone in calling for Hamilton's resignation from the legislature. Members of his own party are trying to nudge him off the plank -- and Speaker of the House William J. Howell, R-Stafford, has asked the House Ethics Advisory Council to investigate whether Hamilton violated the state's Conflict of Interest Act.
Hamilton quit his ill-gotten ODU job. But as far as his assembly seat goes, he sounds like he's auditioning for "Dreamgirls" with his rendition of "I'm telling you, I'm not going!"
Given the lack of any real dispute over what transpired, Hamilton's obstinacy is hard to fathom.
Despite utterances to the contrary, he is not accepting responsibility for his actions -- which brings us to ODU.
The party or parties at the Norfolk school who transacted this deal should be held as accountable as Hamilton for this debasement of the public trust. Hamilton may be unwilling to do the right thing, but ODU needs to fall on its sword -- hard.
ODU had as much or more to gain from this deal as the delegate. After all, a quid requires a quo. The e-mails that show Hamilton angling for a job are as damning to ODU as they are to the delegate.
"Mistakes were clearly made," Broderick said yesterday. "While the provost and I are awaiting a full report from the auditor, due within the next two weeks, I am already working with faculty and university counsel to draft a policy for board of visitor consideration at its meeting next month to ensure this never happens again."
In his fall from string-pulling politician to pariah, Hamilton shouldn't go down alone. The assembly needs to send a clear message to campuses statewide that this sort of behavior will not be tolerated.
Contact Michael Paul Williams at (804) 649-6815 or mwilliams@timesdispatch.com.
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