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UO Athletics Committee member arrested after posting video of meeting.

Video and interview with the recently released perp here. Oh wait, that was at the Supreme Court last Wednesday – apparently it’s the first time in history that anyone has managed to get video from inside the court. The SCOTUS arrested the protestor, then according to this NYU law blog, deleted…

UO to hold closed search to replace erratic NCAA faculty rep Jim O’Fallon

It’s called the “Faculty Athletics Representative”. For the last 25 years it’s been Jim O’Fallon (law). He’s never had a performance review, and his reports to the faculty Senate have been, let’s say, erratic:

I pushed for an open search to replace O’Fallon, with finalists to talk with the faculty and answer questions about how they would deal with the many challenges of this important job. That’s not going to happen. Furthermore, the nominee’s names will be kept secret. President Gottfredson will make the decision. We will not know even know who the search committee recommends as finalists.

Given the secret nature of Gottfredson’s search, our next FAR can’t expect to have the faculty’s trust. But hey, it’s still a sweet gig. There’s a 0.5 FTE release, support staff, and of course free Duck tickets, travel, and bowl game junkets. All paid out of the academic budget – only to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest, of course:

Dear Colleagues,

The university is seeking to appoint a new Faculty Athletic Representative (FAR) for the University of Oregon. The current FAR, Jim O’Fallon, is retiring, and has agreed to serve through the 2014–2015 academic year to mentor the new FAR as he or she transitions into the position.

Espy surveys faculty, hoping to get OK for more admin bloat

I went through the survey in the email below. It reads like an insulting push-poll, designed to collect responses that will justify hiring more RIGE administrators to coordinate research aimed at local businesses, and work with local government development offices. This is not a bad idea, but for the fact that there’s not much trust left in Espy’s ability to administer such an effort, or in Gottfredson’s ability to administer Espy.

A message from University of Oregon President Michael Gottfredson & Vice President for Research and Innovation and Dean of the Graduate School Kimberly Andrews Espy: 

At the University of Oregon, we view promoting Oregon’s long-term economic well-being as a key component of our mission.

To help serve this mission, we are writing to ask you, our faculty and staff, to take a few minutes to complete a survey [link deleted, check your email] that will help us focus on our economic engagement in the community, region, and state.

Scott Coltrane won’t share credit for UO raises with the faculty union? Wow.

Either Senior VP and Provost Scott Coltrane has lost his brain, or he thinks UO’s faculty has lost their memory. From Coltrane’s email today (full text after the break):

The UO was able to provide an across the board and merit process for all faculty and officers of administration in FY14. We are providing another across the board and merit process for FY15.

Thanks Scott, we appreciate this statement, really. But the truth is that “The University” fought the faculty union raise proposals long and hard, then bought us off with a $350 goat. And now Coltrane wants to take credit for the little bit of merit Gottfredson, Geller and Sharon Rudnick finally agreed to? Shame.

Really Scott? Not a word about the fact the faculty union contract requires that you implement these raises, or about the fact that the Lariviere plan, which you supported publicly and were prepared to implement as CAS Dean in 2009, and for which you had the funds, and for which you gave me the detailed spreadsheets for (OK, only after a public records request), would have meant raises sufficient to get UO within spitting distance of our AAU peers?

Come on Scott, you’ve got the permanent provost job now, you’re a better person than this, aren’t you? Because “The University” sure needs one.

Coltrane’s full email below: