SC State trustees meet behind closed doors

ORANGEBURG, S.C. (AP) — Trustees at South Carolina State University have met for six hours behind closed doors the day after the school’s Faculty Senate issued a statement demanding the removal of the university president.

Trustees came out of the closed-door meeting, only to say they would meet in secret again Friday morning. Acting board chairman John Corbitt said trustees were discussing the firings last month of eight administrators.

University President George Cooper has refused to give a reason for the firings, only citing an internal investigation into policies and practices without giving any details.

On Wednesday, the university’s Faculty Senate released a statement calling for Cooper to be removed. The group says graduation and retention rates at the school are at all-time lows. Members also say administrators have bullied professors into staying silent.