9/2/2011: I’m sorry, but there’s no polite way to state that simple fact:
More docs on Pernsteiner here. And more on order from OUS. We also pay his mortgage. And thanks to an anonymous commenter for explaining what’s really going on here:
The fact is that the UO would like to raise staff salaries and eliminate furloughs and has the money to do it. The conflict is with the OUS and the need to subsidize other campuses. Classified staff should be strong supporters of the New Partnership Plan. The status quo is bad for the UO, bad for faculty and staff, and bad for the state.
The RG article itself shows how shameless the OUS is in attempting to undermine the UO. It is really disgusting. It is almost as though they are laying a trap for the UO administration to step into so that they can fire them.
9/4/2011: Update:
A commenter notes that we also pay for maid service for Lariviere. The difference is Lariviere uses McMorran House for UO events pretty much all the time. Here’s what the Feb RG story says about Pernsteiner:
Not used for meetings
The deed isn’t the only document that restricts how the house is used. Pernsteiner’s employment contract also stipulates he is “required to reside” at Treetops.
The contract also requires that the house be used “to conduct Board or OUS meetings and events on a regular and continuing basis,” something that doesn’t appear to be happening.
Paul Kelly, president of the state Board of Higher Education, said no board meetings have been held at the house in the 3½ years he has been on the board. In fact, he said he’s never been in Treetops.
“I have not been there for any kind of board or official business,” he said.
The story also explains that while Pernsteiner rarely uses the house in Eugene (he lives in Portland, at his own house, which we are paying his mortgage on) his college age kid(s) do live there, along with some of their friends.
The commenter’s point about the classified staff only makes sense of the classified staff of UO don’t give a flying fuck about their colleagues at other schools. And for sure, some of them could not care less. But some do. And more importantly, I think, SEIU does, and that’s the message they push out: That you don’t leave anyone behind. That’s why they bargain as a group, even when it bites them in the ass. In the long run, the argument goes, it’s better for everyone. (Whether or not that is empirically true is just about impossible to measure.)
The other point to make is the larger corollary to the SEIU perspective: That OUS is looking out for the system, and that’s a legitimate point of view to have. That it results in shifting money from larger campuses to small ones is, in that view, not a terrible thing.
None of this excuses the shit-tastic behavior from Pernsteiner and Kitzhaber regarding SEIU’s ongoing negotiations, of course, but the picture isn’t as simple as the comment makes it out to be.
These comments are well taken, but the SEIU reps can not then turn around and complain about non-classified faculty and staff raises at the UO. This is not a zero sum game (and the OUS spokespeople should be ashamed at implying that it is as means of undermining the UO administration). And, although the socialistic ideal highlighted by Dennis might be a nice one, the UO can not become a world-class institution under these constraints. The goal of equity should be achieved via the state tax system and not via redistribution of tuition and private funding. Building excellence is hard, and the fact is that state resources fund less than 6% of the university budget. All other resources are generated locally. Equality across universities can not be sustained under such a system–and certainly can not be maintained via fiat.
Uo used to subsidize other campuses. Not any more, in fact- the state is giving more that an equal share per student to Uo considering it’s portion of out of state students… Probably something uomatters should look into.
Also- the state does the same for Lariviere house when he holds events…
Jesus, the parrots continue to show that none of them have actually read the new partnership plan. What a snow job. I love seeing all those foaming at the mouth for the “new partnership” with no concrete understanding of what it was about beyond the marketing materials. Shocking suggestions: Read the FAILED bill- Sb 559.
There is still zero traction for the idea in Salem beyond the legislators from Eugene- none of whom are very politically powerful in Salem.
Perhaps everyone should think about stopping swallowing all the marketing and actually understand that the plan was just a pitch for UO to be able to fully ignore the needs of the state/other institutions and finally be rid of OUS. There are a million things totally annoying and controlling about OUS, but jesus- READ the FAILED bill. There is no reason to believe it would have done anything beneficial for students or staff.
It would have basically allowed the foundation to fully run the show. At least now we have SOME kind of check against the culture of rampant power abuse and disregard for anything beyond athletics.