Last updated on 03/04/2014
3/4/2014 update: I received an email from UO Trustee and ASUO President Sam Dotters-Katz, asking me to correct this post. Here is the relevant part of his message.
Professor Harbaugh,
I am writing to ask you to correct your factually inaccurate blog post, “UO Trustee Sam Dotters-Katz blames…”. Below are a collection of outright falsehoods you are spreading, with the accurate facts relevant to your points. Please correct your post immediately.
1. The ODE Column is not an article, as you infer, it was an opinion piece written by the campaign manager of my Presidential opponent. Something you unsurprisingly fail to point out. It is not a factual news article, it is opinion, and in fact not an accurate portrayal of the events it discusses.
2. “apparently without any input from UO students or others in student government”: Again, this is incorrect. Many members of the student government were consulted in my decision to recommend myself for the position.
3. ” It seems he intercepted the email asking for applicants and simply submitted his own application.”: I did not intercept anything, I was sent an email asking for a recommendation, and I responded.
Sam Dotters-Katz
Sam Dotters-Katz | President | Associated Students of the University of Oregon
3/1/2014: Reporter Troy Brynelson has the story in the ODE, complete with quotes and a great tweet from UO Board of Trustees member Sam Dotters-Katz, here.
The ODE column explaining the unlikely events that led to Mr. Dotters-Katz’s appointment as the UO student trustee, apparently without any input from UO students or others in student government, is here. The documents from Governor Kitzhaber’s office, which seem to corroborate the column, are here. It seems he intercepted the email asking for applicants and simply submitted his own application, along with an unsigned cover letter on ASUOU Executive letterhead and this rather brief statement of purpose:
For comparison, check out the documents showing how PSU’s student government solicited multiple applicants, got detailed statements, then vetted, interviewed, and selected their student trustee, here.
Perhaps more to the point is that the Intercollegiate Athletics Committee began the year with some disturbing reports from former Duck athletes about failures in UO’s academic support services. I’d earlier made a public records request for the job description of the UO administrator in charge, Lorraine Davis. President Gottfredson’s office sent this trust-destroying response:
What did IAC chair Rob Illig (Law) do to followup on the players’s concerns? Nothing:
On Dec 20, 2013, at 12:18 AM, Bill Harbaugh <[email protected]> wrote:
Hi Rob, any progress getting that athlete exit survey from Lisa Peterson yet?
Bill Harbaugh
UO Prof. of Economics
Rob Illig <[email protected]
Subject: Re: exit survey
Date: December 20, 2013 at 7:33:34 AM PST
To: Bill Harbaugh
Is there a rush? I doubt anyone will want to look at it next week.
Sent from my iPhone
It’s March, still no docs, and at the IAC meeting Illig admitted he still hadn’t asked for them. If you want a chance to ask him about this, he’s going to have to answer questions at the 3/12 Senate meeting.
And the UO Board’s next public meeting is March 27. And yes, students are allowed to address questions to their Trustee, Mr. Dotters-Katz:
Can the students recall Sam, or replace him with someone else? If I’m in the senate, I’d worry about a Board member pubicly defaming a Full Professor who’s published in Science, AER, and other premiere outlets.
No confidence vote in in Sam as board member in the senate??
Ask Sam’s mother. She’s the one who paid for his position.
“Can the students recall Sam, or replace him with someone else? ”
They have elections every year. So, a recall would be pointless.
I will say that my observations of Sam Dotters-Katz indicate that, in general, he is an “honest arbiter”. Half of his critics think he is a conservative Republican and half of his critics think he is a liberal Democrat. Ultimately, that probably means that he is doing a pretty good job.
I’m struggling to understand how looking 100% like a career politician means that you are doing a good job governing a university.
I don’t follow your logic here. Could you please explain.
“I’m struggling to understand how looking 100% like a career politician means that you are doing a good job governing a university.”
“I don’t follow your logic here. Could you please explain.”
I don’t know why it is difficult to understand this. But, since I was asked a question…
I think the point is that Dotters-Katz is representing a constituency of roughly 20,000 people. If half the people think you are one thing and half think you are another, then that means you are doing a good job in finding a middle ground amongst that constituency and representing all parties’ interests.
As far as the criticism of Dotters-Katz as a Trustee: He was appointed by the Governor. Ultimately, whether it is the LTD board or a UO Trustee, all Governor’s appointees are “Self-Nominated” in some sense. Kitzhaber can’t conscript people. It only makes sense that the democratically elected President of the students of UO fulfills the responsibility of the student position of the Board. I would find it far more problematic if it was some random lackey.
Truth be told I share the frustrations that UO Matters has with issues in the UO athletic department. At the same time, Dotters-Kaz has a point (though perhaps not eloquently stated on his Twitter in 140 characters or less) : Though, even if you do share those same concerns, when you have people on the IAC that have a fractured relationship with UO Admin, then it makes any kind of progressive changes difficult to implement.
Doth not the Trustee serve at the pleasure of the sovereign prince, who alone possesseth the privilege to invest or divest?
It’s saddening that any UO Trustee would use the word “bullshit” in a tweet. It reflects badly on the board and the institution. What immaturity.
Not sure what is more alarming–Dotters-Katz as a rather junior Trustee now mired in an immature display of political indiscretion, or that he represents the potential future of Oregon politics. Egg meet face. How unfortunate that, before the Board really gets off the ground, they have to pay attention to a member who apparently isn’t up to the task of collaboration and harmonious negotiation, regardless his opinions.
Question: isn’t the IAC meeting material now supposed to be confidential?
The IAC is not confidential.
Sam is an ass.
Gottfredson is a tool.
Discuss.
“Discuss” what? Seems like you’ve summed it all up pretty squarely.
Donkeys and tools—-let’s send them on an errand!
Fair enough.
Let’s go with, Sam who? Never heard of him.
“Fair enough.
Let’s go with, Sam who? Never heard of him.”
Sam Dotters-Katz, President of ASUO. They manage a budget that is about 15% of what the entire City of Eugene works with. It is worth paying attention to.
What happened to the post with the BS accusation of car vandalism against UOMatters?
looks like Bill finally went too far (?)
How exactly did he go too far? By publishing an unsubstantiated accusation levied against him?
it’s ok to be snarky about admins and fellow faculty, but students are off-limits
What about when the student is trying to become an administrator??
A student emailed him accusing him of a crime. How is posting the email and then posting a denial of said crime being “snarky”?
Even more interesting unless it is just my machine, the Uomatters Doesn’t Matter Blog is gone?
Nope, looks like it is. Good riddance to bad (and unfunny) rubbish.