No, I don’t mean scotch. That’s covered for the next few years, thanks. I mean what are UO’s priorities now and how can this blog help move them forward?
No, I don’t mean scotch. That’s covered for the next few years, thanks. I mean what are UO’s priorities now and how can this blog help move them forward?
What to do about the scandal of how little students (on average) study — probably the median at UO is around 9 hrs/week outside of going to class.
It would be good if UO Matters looked more critically at how much we’re paying for the Portland campus and what students are receiving for that investment. It’s well known that the Portland campus is not self-sufficient, but can anyone say just how big a money hole it has become? Is it a replay of the Bend fiasco? Has it accomplished anything besides alienating our colleagues at PSU? Is it time for the Portland campus to be cut loose?
I agree – look into what’s going on in Portland.
Estimate given current revenues vs. costs at what point we’ll end up on the hook for the M. Knight Arena costs.
Armed with an effective Constitution, the Senate stands ready to take on any problem that impacts the academic mission of the University. Matters with direct budgetary implications, are not excluded. UOMatters ability to pull up the numbers could be put to good use.
What about the Huron Contract. UO Matters you seem to be deliberately not touching this subject. Are you being selective in the issues you are willing to touch? I sense soft spot for the person who is messing up at ORSA. Is there a conflict of interest on UO Matters’ part? That contract is costing UO much more money than it needs too. Get them out and get rid of the person who has messed up. You know who “SHE” is, where are the signed letter of complaint from faculty for all the research money that is going down the drain? Where is the outrage. Threading close to losing credibility UO Matters. Very close
SBs 242 and 909 and the OUS decisions on local governance boards.
You seem to be late to the party, the Huron contract has been a subject on this blog extensively and covered quite thoroughly.
Now the school is giving free tuition to students from a Portland high school. What about our local community? Why isn’t the school helping out people right here? I would like to see this discussed and I would also like to see the issue of campus cops discussed further. Perhaps our new interim president has some thoughts about handing out guns to people who could not make it in a real police department?
Give the East Campus Residence Hall a real name: Lariviere Hall. Mr. Pernsteiner, is that a thumb in your eye?
Word down at the Portland branch of the faculty club is that UO – Portland is losing $3.5 million a year, and Wendy Larson has no plan for how to fix it.
> Give the East Campus Residence Hall a real name: Lariviere Hall.
A great idea and a fitting and timely tribute — esp. given that the new dorm will support honors students and foreign language immersion, two themes Lariviere was intimately associated with. How to get it done? A petition coordinated by the campus planning committee?
I’ve started a new thread for Lariviere Hall ideas, at https://uomatters.com/2011/12/lariviere-hall.html
Please keep comments here on “what should UO matters do” thread.
It may have been covered but it has not been stopped. The contract is now at close to $5M. An original contract of $14,000? Apply that $5M to faculty pay, what a raise that would have been. “More a less” it seems that UO Matters does not want to touch this and You “Anonymous”, don’t either, “More a less”. Head(s) should roll for that one. Where are the outraged faculty? Your research $$$$ are going down the drain to a contractor who don’t know the first or last thing about grant management, but I guess if they continue to allow you guys to spend Fed dollars as you wish then why complain. “More a less” is closely tied to the faculty therefore UO matters can not take one of their own down now can you? BS UO Matters, your credibility is shot. Next time answer yourself, don’t let “More a less” do it because they don’t want this matter raised. I am no Economic professor, but this sure smells fiscally irresponsible to me.
What specifically do you think UO Matters has the power to do concerning Huron? As a discussion blog, they cannot fire or negate a contract on anyone. They can highlight issues, hold adminstrator’s feet to the fire, and elicit good comments and suggestions from faculty, staff, students, and OAs, but they can’t stop Huron–as much as they would like to.
It would be interesting for OU Matters to keep a vigilant eye on how much actual teaching professors do at the different schools vs. how much they are getting payed. I would also personally would like to know how many hours do top admins put in, as well as all their little helpers.
UO Matters can get its little elf to get more information on Huron, like they do with other information about what is happening at UO and highlight them as deligently as they have been doing with all other UO matters. That is what UO Matters can do. But I guess they don’t want too since it may hurt “More or Less” and “More or Less” is connected to the “ruling” faculty.
I don’t think contact hours with undergraduates is a major factor in salary levels. Should it? I know that the new VPR sends e-mails 24 hours a day, so at least one admin is busy.
Dog wakes up after very long sleep
I bark that UO matters should continue to
keep track of expenditures that are related
to our academic mission (broadly defined –
although I know we don’t really have one) – compared to expenditures for non-academic
reasons.
This skewed ratio, at some point, will become
important in the sense that if it is documented
that the UO spends 1000 times more money on
athletic and other facilities than it does on
classroom maintenance and upgrades, well then,
we should be closed because clearly, we are not
an academic institution.
I also agree about the money loss in PDX – but
that is a JTM legacy.
How about looking into what faculty governance really means at the unit level. Do the same rules apply? What happens when they aren’t? I know of at least one major unit where there is essentially no faculty governance on anything important – major decisions about hires, curriculum, budget priorities – are made by administrators with little to no accountability to faculty.