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Oregon legislators back off subsidizing Lord Coe’s corrupt IAAF

1/4/2016: Rumor down at the faculty club is that the legislators are backing away from the IAAF only bill, and instead preparing to load it up with pork for the rest of the state too, in hopes of buying the necessary 3/5 majority.

12/31/2015: Olympic Decathlete Ashton Eaton to lobby legislature for sports subsidies

Why doesn’t UO’s AVP for State Affairs Hans Bernard spend his time doing his job lobbying for academic support for UO, and leave the jock stuff to the well-paid Vin Lananna and his crew? Bernard is even working on bringing Olympic decathlete Ashton Eaton to the capitol for the February media event, at which UO plans to unveil its $40M ask to the state legislature. Or is it the UO Foundation that’s going to make the ask? Or Track Town? It’s all very murky – fortunately a lot of reporters are now digging into it.

Apparently the IAAF’s “Lord Coe” won’t be able to make this event – Parliament still has a few questions for him – and the French police still have Lamine Diack’s passport. Maybe Coe could send his chief of staff and PR expert Nick Davies to represent him? Oh, right, that really didn’t look good, did it. Still, it’s not like Coe himself took money from the Russians. What? You’re kidding – Nike and the Russians both financed Coe’s campaign for the IAAF presidency?

And we’re supposed to believe that this shiny expensive distraction is not going to affect the legislature’s support for UO’s academic mission? To quote former Interim President Scott Coltrane, when he was finally told what Track Town was demanding from UO’s academic side in terms of free office and meeting space, new dorm rooms, and cancelled classes, Yikes!

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Work Plan: They seem to be behind on a lot of this, but Track Town has a brown bag with Governor Kate Brown and meetings with legislators coming up Jan 13-15:

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12 Comments

  1. honest Uncle Bernie 12/31/2015

    Have they finally lost their minds? Or am I crazy?

    • uomatters Post author | 12/31/2015

      What do you mean by “finally”?

      • Daffy duck 12/31/2015

        Off topic, but as for the Bend Bulletin, where is its concern for state finances when it lobbies for bends very own four year university when there are already four within about a two or three hour drive? Rich that.

        • honest Uncle Bernie 12/31/2015

          Whatever the merits of the Bend campus, it makes a lot more sense than this crazy track meet plan.

  2. honest Uncle Bernie 12/31/2015

    Maybe it’s just my well-known incorrigible optimism, but I’ve always thought they were somewhat tethered to reality. This, though, seems so out of touch. Who is Mike Schill listening to?

  3. Anonymous UO Alum 12/31/2015

    Hey — the lodging tax increase is a great idea! UOwe could also ask the Legislature to bump it up to help pay for the MK Arena deficits due to the lousy basketball game attendance!

  4. honest Uncle Bernie 01/01/2016

    Could we hear more about called classes, pre-empted space, etc.?

    If they seriously think they can cancel classes for this, someone needs to be set straight in a hurry.

  5. Texas Guy 01/01/2016

    There’s also typically an August graduation, and given the amount of activity that goes on on campus even in the summer, how can all of the parking spaces just be appropriated?

  6. Hippo 01/01/2016

    Cray cray.

  7. Thom Aquinas 01/04/2016

    I am not versed in business, but others on this blog are. Can anyone calculate or shed light on the obviously expected short-term (?) profits for the economy of the State of Oregon by requesting and pumping $40M into the IAAF Track and Field Championship versus potential long-term (?) benefits for Oregon’s Economy if the same money was used for K-12 and higher education? Importantly ‘who’ is benefiting in either of the two scenarios?

    • uomatters Post author | 01/04/2016

      You might not know the answers, but you’ve got an A+ on the questions.

    • Aristotle 01/05/2016

      Aquinas, another possibility is that not hitting up tourists at all with a new tax, and instead letting them spend their money on what they want, would be best for the Oregon economy.

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