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UO Matters

Kevin Reed’s office tried to hide cap & trade lobbying records

5/17/2019 update:

The Oregonian’s Rob Davis reveals still more of the documents UO tried to hide from the public, including more new information about the redactions by Kevin Reed’s Public Record Office.

If I understand the story right, Reed’s office let the lobbying group decide what UO should redact from UO’s public records. They made some interesting choices. Weird. Full story here with links to all the records:

What UO didn’t want the public to know about industry group’s climate bill opposition

… The newly released documents documents include the alliance’s legislative updates, lobbyist reports and memorandums to members. The university originally contended portions of the documents were protected by the attorney-client privilege and by an exemption allowing material submitted confidentially to be withheld in very narrow circumstances.

Ed Finklea, the alliance’s natural gas director, told The Oregonian/OregonLive it was the energy alliance’s attorney who made the redactions when the university released the records. Molly Blancett, a school spokeswoman, said the university “always solicits the input of third parties when it comes to their records that have made their way to the university’s possession.”

The clean documents show a consistent theme in what was initially redacted: References to potential benefits of Brown’s proposed climate change bill. …

5/14/2019 update:

I have it from a generally reliable source that, as of yesterday, UO has withdrawn its membership in AWEC, the industry group that is lobbying against Governor Brown’s Cap and Trade legislation.

5/12/2019: It backfired. Rob Davis has the story in the Oregonian, here. A few snippets:

Prof Harbaugh announces candidacy as “The Half-Price Provost”

5/14/2019 update:  I’ll be submitting my application tonight, and I’ll post it along with letters of recommendation. Thanks for your support.  4/28/2019: Dear Colleagues – I am writing to ask for your support for my candidacy as UO Provost. I’ll be submitting a full application per President Schill’s call, but…

Professor Parthasarathy posts Provost platform: 45% and he’ll bike in

From Raghu’s always informative Eighteenth Elephant blog. Read it all, this is just a snippet: Our Provost at the University of Oregon has stepped down, and there’s a call for nominations for a new one. The search will be internal, i.e. the next provost will be a UO faculty member. Bill Harbaugh…

Senate to meet today

DRAFT Location: EMU 145 & 146 (Crater Lake rooms) 3:00 – 5:00 P.M. All times are estimates. 3:00 P.M.   Call to order Introductory Remarks; Senate President Bill Harbaugh 3:10 PM   Approval of Minutes February 13, 2019 and April 24, 2019 3:11 PM     Business / Reports: Update: Knight Campus and Bioengineering program;…

Duck AD Rob Mullens wants to spend $12M on big-ass speakers & video

While President Schill is cutting $9M from the academic budget, and about to propose 10% plus tuition increases. You can’t make this shit up. From reporter James Crepea at the Oregonian: “(The speakers) did not pop,” Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens said. “What happened was there was a technical difficulty…