2/4/2010: We asked the Town Hall speakers for a summary of their planned remarks. We got some thoughtful comments from Gordon Sayre. Remarks: Gordon Sayre, English (and former Senate Pres): Summarizing, Sayre says that he believes the strongest argument for unionization is salaries, and he cites the 10-year-old Senate white…
UO Matters
2/3/2010: UO Matters has asked the speakers for a brief description of remarks, we will post what we receive Thursday. We’ve heard from many people who are planning on attending this meeting. Dear Colleagues: This is a gentle reminder that there will be a University Senate-organized town hall meeting on…
2/3/2010: Adam Kissell of The Foundation for Individual Rights has a good piece on Pacifica and free speech at UO: The “safety” rationale fails in the absence of truly proscribed speech, such as true threats (and even then, it would be unclear whether an individual threat would be enough to…
1/27/2010: Now that 66 and 67 have passed, UO’s budget seems pretty safe. Rumors are that there is plenty of cash about. We can expect a big announcement from new UO President Richard Lariviere soon about how he plans to spend it – sometime after he deals with his first…
1/30/2010: Update: Also see the InterInstitutional Faculty Senate resolution on this, which boils down to “not so fast, buddy.” From Bill Graves in the Oregonian: A small group of Portland State University students gathered on campus today to denounce proposals to reorganize Oregon universities into public corporations. Students warned that…
1/29/2010: Also see here. AAEO Director Penny Daugherty only started working on this draft because of pressure from the OFCCP and, perhaps, the Oregon DOJ. What is going on? Dear Attorney General Kroger: As the email below indicates, the UO General Counsel’s office has denied my request for a fee…
1/29/2010: From the Chronicle: From June 30 2008 – June 30 2009: $470,515,000 to $386,509,000 -17.9%From June 30 2007 – June 30 2008: $455,583,000 to $470,515,000 3.3%From June 30 2006 – June 30 2007: $365,859,000 to $455,583,000 24.5% These lump together investment gains/losses and spending/new gifts. Really bad…
1/29/2010: PERS currently has assets to pay only 75% of liabilities. This Ted Sickinger story reports that the board votes today to raise the pay in rates from 12% to 18% next year all at once or do so so gradually (most likely scenario). Either case will mean a big…
1/29/2010: Nigel Jaquiss of Willamette Week reports: Former University of Oregon President Dave Frohnmayer is rejoining his old law firm, Harrang Long Gary Rudnick, and opening a Salem office. Prior to leading the U of O from 1994 through 2009, Frohnmayer served as Oregon’s Attorney General from 1981 through 1991…
1/28/2010: Given all the recent pepper spray abuses in Eugene, I’m tempted to say something sarcastic about this Oregonian story: A Portland police officer accidentally used pepper spray instead of a fire extinguisher on a man who lit himself on fire downtown near a fur store Wednesday. But actually it…
Note: The Union organizing committee will be represented on the panel by Prof Gordon Sayre, English. The University Senate, in consultation with the Faculty Advisory Council, is sponsoring a non-partisan, informational town hall meeting on unionization on Friday February 5th at 3-5pm in PLC180. The goal of this meeting is…
1/26/2010: Curious about who is getting UO’s cash? Salary info is now online, at http://ir.uoregon.edu/alpha. Scroll down, or just click here for the fall 2009 quarter. (Big pdf). This is the “Salary Book” that is also in the reserve room. Top 10? Obviously these numbers leave out a lot: Millions…
1/25/2010: From the Oregonian: EUGENE – The Eugene Police Department confirmed this morning that its officers are investigating an alleged theft, and the student who filed the report has told The Oregonian that the men he accuses in it are University of Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli and wide receiver Garrett…
1/25/2010: From an Op-Ed in the Oregonian, from 2 higher ed union leaders: To achieve these goals the university system will have to participate in an honest and open dialogue involving all committed and relevant participants to meet our commitment to the students of today and tomorrow. What we don’t…
1/25/2010: This is old news nationally, I hadn’t seen the Oregon breakdown. From Jeff Manning in the Oregonian: Oregonians earning at the 50th percentile saw their inflation-adjusted wages grow 4.5 percent from $31,866 in 1990 to peak of $33,318 in 2004. The group’s income has fallen every year since then,…