In the last few months the readership of this blog has nearly doubled. I would appreciate suggestions from new or old readers on what issues they would like to see covered more, less, or differently. Leave a comment or email [email protected]
In the last few months the readership of this blog has nearly doubled. I would appreciate suggestions from new or old readers on what issues they would like to see covered more, less, or differently. Leave a comment or email [email protected]
Your stock has risen, so don’t blow it. My advice: back off on campus police and Frohnmayer. Keep the heat on athletics. Don’t let the quest for transparency become an end in itself; use it to instruct and enlighten the community. Don’t assume every dollar apparently wasted is the sign of incompetence or corruption. Continue to give credit where credit is due — to the new administration and many of its recent hires. Continue to defend research and teaching against the many champions of mediocrity and complacency in our midst.
Grade: B (solid work, but needs improvement in key areas)
On the whole, UOMatters does matter. And is a welcome relief from the bland pablum put out by the UO communications office.
There are critical issues to be addressed. The enrollment increases that are not matched by more classrooms and faculty; the subtle but undenialable shift in instruction toward more adjunct faculty.
The problem with public safety is not guns on campus, for there are occasions when that may be necessary, but rather that the manner in which the process has been mananaged [hardly transparent]. Public Safety has become a very visible sign / indicator of all that is wrong with the budgetary and fiscal policy.
The Cheshire Cat, who still thinks that the UO is the new Wonderland, advises: continue to expose the hypocracy and incompetence.
Dog barks big time
Oh hot diggity dawg – a sounding board for what UOmatters should emphasize (and don’t worry
Dogs aren’t obsessed with giving grades).
To this aging mutt, the following are the major issues to focus on as a WatchDog:
Primary:
-the continuing lack of good teaching infrastructure/classrooms to accommodate our now too high UG enrollment
-our continual failure to increase participation in our grad school programs
-the continuing lack of internal research support for faculty
-the overall lack of leadership on anything academic and the evolution of academics; our administrators always seems be consumed with matters other than our central mission as an Academy
Secondary
-Agreed that the Frohnmeister has been beaten to death in this forum and its time to let go.
-Campus police – well continue to point out the incompetency when its uncovered
-Athletics – by now we all know the score here but I think its still useful for UOmatters to post links to the more extended NCAA investigations to put the UO behavior in the proper context. We ain’t doing anything that is different than other conference powers.
well okay, Dog gives you an A+ for having the
temerity, oh hell that’s an academic word –
for having the balls to initiate this forum
and live with the consequences.
Write about what interests you. Reader suggestions are helpful for areas of possible expansion, but never cut back on a topic because it’s unpopular. If you think a subject’s worth your time, go for it.
Keep it UO/OUS centric. What’s happening in the legislature with the Higher ed restructuring?
For Athletics, I also am more interested in the local issues than the bigger national issues (such as student pay/no pay for football).
Interested also in what is going well at the University that we might not all know about.
Less about Athletics. Everything that happens here happens at any other D1 school with the publicity that we get- probably twice as badly.
Nice try, Mr. Mullens.
As a UO graduate working in academics with an investment in the value of my graduate diploma and as someone living outside Eugene, I advice:
1. Continue to pursue athletics and the how it IS ruining academics (who wants students who select a school solely on its athletic brand?). The article linked here has only to do with salaries of graduates rather than other factors but take a look: http://blog.oregonlive.com/higher-education/2011/10/osu_graduates_out-earn_their_p.html/. It notes best and brightest are going to OSU (maybe not true but perception is everything in some places). But don’t worry about OSU, most of the schools following OSU were liberal arts schools. Where’s UO? This was our strong suit. coach kelly is not well liked among other coaches and media (drives up scores, is testy and defensive, etc.) and when the inevitable sanctions kick in and house of cards falls there will be a remaining taint on the reputation of UO. We will be the Florida State of the west.
2. Be more skeptical of President L. Outside Eugene his reputation is not good and he is obviously a lap dog for Phil Knight. He has had opportunities to pull the plug on the athletic frenzy (as during the season of felonies, and more recently the cover-up of the quarterback being in a 118 mph car that smelled of pot, and more to come….) but has been silent or an apologist. The man specializes in ethics. No evidence in his application. Perhaps he is afraid of pissing off 50,000 rabid fans who only care about winning. Is that really a good long term plan? He has the opportunity to lead other universities in saying enough is enough.
3. UO Matter’s love of the funding plan has interfered with objectivity. The state’s bonding authority is limited these days. Ironically, probably the last bonds the state was willing to underwrite for the long term are in the arena while Phil’s money sits in the athletic department. Phil never pays retail.
4. Investigate Phil’s relationship with UO. Follow the money.
5. Glad you asked?
The UO desperately needs more faculty and needs to be hiring them ASAP. As UOMatters has informed us, we have seen the number of students grow from 20000 and 24000 while the number of faculty has barely budged. In some departments we have “senior seminars” with forty students taught by GTFs and adjuncts. This is outrageous. Hiring should be prioritized toward the fields with the most majors, and therefore the greatest needs. I sense that deans and Provosts may afraid to set these priorities because they fear the complaining from units who don’t get new lines.
Beyond that top priority, I agree with the dawg.
The Deans and Provosts are more afraid of not having anywhere to put new faculty than they are of setting priorities. New TT hires won’t be too excited to land a former study carrel in the library.