Posts published by “uomatters”
Insidehighered has the latest here. The UO story is here.
The NY Times has the news here.
And so it begins. Andrew Greif has the story in the Oregonian here. The complaint to the federal court is here:
The 20126 election results are here: http://senate.uoregon.edu/content/2016-elected-committee-results There are two runoff elections, due to ties. Vote by Friday. Login to Duckweb at https://duckweb.uoregon.edu/pls/prod/twbkwbis.P_WWWLogin University Senate: Only CAS Natural Sciences faculty will vote between Elliot Berkman, Psychology: When considering poverty, our national conversation tends to overlook systemic causes. Instead, we often blame the poor for their…
DENIED: So HLGR’s $25M loss to the family of dead smoker Michelle Schwarz stands:
The Oregonian’s Andrew Theen has a long piece on the results so far from the legislature’s decision to breakup George Pernsteiner’s OUS empire. Worth reading it all. He notes the record $665M in state funding this biennium. Here’s his take on UO: In retrospect, everyone agrees the old Oregon University…
Dear colleagues, Over the past few weeks we have announced the appointments of a new vice president for research and three deans—an unprecedented series of leadership hires that are critical for the University of Oregon’s future and ability to achieve excellence. I want to extend my deepest thanks to Brook…
Here’s a bit from Athletic Department Director Rob Mullen’s July 2012 planning document, full pdf here. Price elasticity is the top threat to Duck Athletics, followed by the NCAA, and Professors Harbaugh and Tublitz: RG sports reporter Steve Mims reported on the elasticity threat w.r.s.t. Dana Altman’s basketball team back in March, here:…
The focus of the meeting was the new “Responsible Reporting Policy”. There was lots of interesting debate, some amendments, and a decision to hold an additional Senate meeting next Wednesday the 18th to continue working on this policy. DRAFT Senate Meeting Agenda – May 11, 2016 2015-2016, Agendas, Watch Live, University Senate Blog Browsing…
Jack Moran has the story in the RG here:
The University of Oregon has accepted a $242,000 settlement deal to end a legal dispute over bonuses the UO paid to then-head football coach Chip Kelly and his staff for the 2012-13 season.
“The university is glad we were able to reach a settlement agreement and now we are looking forward to the upcoming season,” UO spokesman Tobin Klinger said.
The university had paid a nearly $490,000 premium for an insurance policy the UO says it thought would cover all incentive bonuses Kelly and his assistants earned in the 2012-13 season.
After the highly successful season, the UO paid out bonuses totaling nearly $688,000 and sought reimbursement under its policy. The insurer refused.
Financially, it appears the university would have been better off not buying the insurance at all, as the lawsuit settlement doesn’t even cover the cost of the premium the UO paid. …
Duck Associate Athletic Director Eric Roedl, who agreed to this $490,000 contract without understanding it, has been fired:
Just kidding, Rob Mullens gave him another raise:
So how much did HLGR bill UO for settling this case for 50¢ on the dollar? I don’t know, but judging by the long docket below, they probably did OK at ~$300 per. Here’s hoping PURMIT picked up their tab:
Case details
| Court: | ord |
| Docket #: | 6:15-cv-00260 |
| Case Name: | University of Oregon v. Drummer et al |
| PACER case #: | 120541 |
| Date filed: | 2015-02-13 |
| Assigned to: | Judge Ann L. Aiken |
| Case Cause: | 28:1332 Diversity-Insurance Contract |
| Nature of Suit: | 110 Insurance |
| Jury Demand: | Both |
| Jurisdiction: | Diversity |
Parties
Associate Brett Applegate has left HLGR’s Portland office for Larkins Vacura LLC, who famously took the case of the 1930 Pendleton Roundup Queen’s dress to the Oregon Supreme Court, and won: That does sound like more fun than helping Bill Gary and Sharon Rudnick defend Philip Morris from another lawsuit, from the family of another dead cigarette addict.
Monday May 9th, 4:30-6:00PM, Room 141 in the UO Journalism School.
Live-blog: Usual disclaimer – my opinion of the gist of what people said. Nothing is quote unless in quotes.
David Force – newspaperman back in 1973 when this law was passed. The Oregon DOJ was once the ally of transparency. Now the DOJ is on the side of state agencies trying to hide records. It would be more accurate to call this the “Oregon Public Official Secrets Act”. Calls for an independent advocate outside the DOJ, and taking control away from the DOJ and the County DAs. Gives the RG’s long fight to get the Seneca contract from EWEB as an example. It’s not just the exemptions, it’s the conflict of interest between the DOJ and the agencies trying to hide records.
Dave Bahr – local attorney working for clients trying to get records from Feds and various state records. On National Archives transparency committee.
Many people nationally are advocating for eliminating all fees. These are effectively used to block the public’s right of access, but are a trivial part of the budgets of the agencies. The DOJ makes it too easy for state agencies to do this.
Similarly with delays. Washington state allows 5 days – and fines if agencies don’t respond.
Also brings up the point that, under Oregon law, requestors who get the AG or the DA to issue a PR Order can then be sued by the agency. No other state allows this.
Bill Harbaugh – Argues that AG Ellen Rosenblum can and should use the DOJ’s Public Records Orders process to promote transparency, by putting agencies on notice that the AG will not tolerate use of fees and delays. Asks why she is not doing this.
Here are a few resources:
Oregon DOJ:
The Oregon DOJ’s Public Records and Meetings law website.
You can get all the AG’s PR Orders (updated quarterly) from the Oregon Law Library, by following this link: http://cdm17027.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/landingpage/collection/p17027coll2. It’s a pretty clunky interface, and it’s not indexed by google, or even linked to from the DOJ website, but you can search by full text, etc. (Petitions to require local agencies to comply with the law go to the county DAs. Multnomah county has posted all their DA’s PR Orders online. I don’t think any other counties do.)
2008 AG’s Public Records and Meeting Manual. Former AG John Kroger didn’t want it on the web. I posted it illegally in 2009, to much amusement, and Kroger then backed down.
2011 AG’s Public Records and Meetings Manual. (AG Kroger, January 2011)
2014 AG’s Public Records and Meetings Manual (AG Rosenblum, November 2014)
Some UO links:
Task Force in Eugene, hearing announcement:
Max Thornberry has a story on the Senate in the Emerald, here. Some extracts: “American universities are the best in the world because of our strong tradition of academic freedom,” [Incoming President Harbaugh] said, “and because of the principle that the faculty, not the administration, controls the academic mission in…
Bob Keefer’s Eugene Art Talk has the story here – with a photo of the fabulous winner of the People’s Choice award for the final Jacob’s gallery show last year. The Karin Clarke Gallery website is here. Submissions are due May 31.