tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044792945653054348.post4501818536605132786..comments2023-08-13T06:56:50.760-07:00Comments on Arts & Sciences College Forum: Imaginosis 2018: When Incoherence Becomes Policy David Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12126067283016390050noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044792945653054348.post-68906186806095160632013-01-26T08:14:13.995-08:002013-01-26T08:14:13.995-08:00Jacobs Inc. is like a plague cycle; very sad but t...Jacobs Inc. is like a plague cycle; very sad but there is no magic pill. You just have to tough it out and vow to never sell yourself out to the Devil Rat. <br /><br />Its been a seven year plague to date. That is about how long it takes until a bad plague plays out. Seven years. It says so in the Bible.<br /><br />The tyranny of this plague at UT has about played itself out. Looking back, I have watched friends and other members of our beloved campus community drop dead, disappear, and go ditzy paranoid. All victims of an asenine Strategic Plan.<br /><br />Carpetbagging administrators and their faculty stooges are genetically coded to move up and out. Call it the "seven-year itch" or the "seven-year plague;" what's the difference? Time is about up for these plague rats and their fleas. The biggest fish in this kettle of calamity is already floundering in its own net.<br /><br />Meanwhile, Rick, Rihana and Ruby Rocket will just persevere while completing their tasks the best they can. They continue to pass in the halls with knowing winks. They bide their time. They strive on, day by day, vowing to outlast the rat b******s.<br /><br />And after the last rat administrator leaves the survivors of the rubble left behind can sit down at their keyboards and compose essays and books about The History of the UT Decline Owing to the Plague of 2006-2013, full of juicy anecdotes and making sure to name names. They can publish their indictments of Jacobs Inc. on the Internet for all to see and to know and to remember. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044792945653054348.post-30077951481484469962013-01-25T09:33:44.920-08:002013-01-25T09:33:44.920-08:00Some may think it unfair that anonymous folks on t...Some may think it unfair that anonymous folks on the internet are demanding direct action from the faculty while not starting anything on our own. But please consider the reality on campus. Who actually has the organizational struture to effect change, besides the faculty?<br /><br />Student government is made up of bootlickers, and the PSA and CWA seem impotent (maybe there's hope for AFSCME), but the faculty have both a union and a senate that can make things happen. With faculty leadership, a lot of us who have no effective representation of our own would come aboard and participate in protest actions.<br /><br />Many of us respect the faculty and the history of UT and are wondering when you'll take your university back.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044792945653054348.post-69189743203928528102013-01-25T05:14:05.478-08:002013-01-25T05:14:05.478-08:00So, with only one attempted no-confidence in Facul...So, with only one attempted no-confidence in Faculty Senate in 7 years (that was tabled and presumably could not get a 2/3 to over-ride)what is meant by enough is enough? Even the mice in Walt Disney movies have been known to strike. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044792945653054348.post-79608494063694570562013-01-25T05:09:00.981-08:002013-01-25T05:09:00.981-08:00The faculty should demand an open, external audit ...<br />The faculty should demand an open, external audit of UT' finances in an open letter to the administration printed in the Blade. How does our budget crisis compared to our peer group in Ohio, for example BGSU, YSU, CSU, KSU, etc.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044792945653054348.post-19730918000405017572013-01-25T05:05:22.180-08:002013-01-25T05:05:22.180-08:00To Anon 7:56
That was exceptionally well said. I...To Anon 7:56<br /><br />That was exceptionally well said. It it time for action, not cartoons. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044792945653054348.post-77853834286260050212013-01-24T19:56:15.925-08:002013-01-24T19:56:15.925-08:00It is indeed more than time to take a vote of no c...It is indeed more than time to take a vote of no confidence in the BOT, Lloyd Jacobs, Jeff Gold and Scott Scarborough. Note that the first initiatives Scott launched when he first arrived at UT included trying to sneak HigherEd Holdings past the faculty, and a re-evaluation of "unnecessary courses" that he labelled as "boutique courses". Like Jacobs, he keeps trying the same thing over and over. He continues to repeat the same thing again and again as if repeating it will make it true that we have a huge budget shortfall. His solution is always that the students and the faculty have to sacrifice, even as he and Dave Dabney can't seem to control administrative extravagance. IF we have the budget shortfall he claims, doesn't he bear the responsibility for the repeated shortfalls that previously occured on his watch as CFO and that set the stage for the current "crisis"? Doesn't Dave Dabney bear responsibility for his performance as CFO during this last crisis? Where has Jacobs led us except into one failed experiment (i.e., COIL, JHCOEHSHS) after another, one enrollment decline after another? Isn't a university president supposed to devote a large part of his time to raising funds for the institution? How much money has he raised for this institution? As for Jeff Gold, he has decimated the budget and assets of this university with his short-sighted pursuit of rankings and outrageously expensive construction projects. They have all siphoned off resources to pay their bloated salaries and bonuses. Meanwhile, the BOT sees nothing, hears nothing, says nothing. Enough is enough.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044792945653054348.post-76306205308299552772013-01-24T16:57:03.329-08:002013-01-24T16:57:03.329-08:00Will the salary go up after he is done with his tr...Will the salary go up after he is done with his training period? Seriously, no commitment to UT, no long range vision of what a real university should be. People like him know in advance that they only come to stir up a dust storm of change, suck up a big salary and bonuses, and then bail out with the golden parachutes they give themselves, leaving a dizzy, weary, and much poorer university for the next round of snake oil salesmen. I have seen it over and over again right here at good old UT.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044792945653054348.post-16928549457324823282013-01-24T16:36:22.270-08:002013-01-24T16:36:22.270-08:00The man is stalwart. The salary helps. The man is stalwart. The salary helps. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044792945653054348.post-33582368664563860212013-01-24T16:25:21.815-08:002013-01-24T16:25:21.815-08:00The Provost worked through his incoherent deck of ...The Provost worked through his incoherent deck of P-point slides for an hour. Then lots of excellent questions/comments from faculty and suggestions, too. I saw no admins other than Scarborough weathering the storm of questions standing center stage. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044792945653054348.post-63919002010722953512013-01-24T15:18:23.247-08:002013-01-24T15:18:23.247-08:00Report on what transpired at the LLSS meeting with...Report on what transpired at the LLSS meeting with the Provost today?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044792945653054348.post-43724444190005561262013-01-24T14:59:49.985-08:002013-01-24T14:59:49.985-08:00Let us sing a song of no confidence, brethren. Let us sing a song of no confidence, brethren. Gabbanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044792945653054348.post-57665130270500183132013-01-24T11:39:01.812-08:002013-01-24T11:39:01.812-08:00Of course rumors are all over the place about an a...Of course rumors are all over the place about an angry president attacking faculty and changing everything for the sake of change. As a result prospective students can't plan ahead lost in rapidly changing landscape of colleges and programs. I'm surprised it's only 4% drop by now. Also, we'll see a noticeable fraction of current students leaving UT soon: they can't plan either and are deeply concerned.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044792945653054348.post-38319849968788511112013-01-24T11:06:45.435-08:002013-01-24T11:06:45.435-08:00A work stoppage for 5 days will cause people to si...A work stoppage for 5 days will cause people to sit up and notice.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044792945653054348.post-2780417271245612932013-01-24T10:09:16.092-08:002013-01-24T10:09:16.092-08:00And when enrollment takes another hit next year Ja...And when enrollment takes another hit next year Jacobs will simply give the BOT a powerpoint of Nathan Harden's "The end of the university as we know it" and conclude with "I told you so!"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044792945653054348.post-52475151810175643862013-01-24T07:57:36.858-08:002013-01-24T07:57:36.858-08:00The biggest drop of 4% at UT can be attributed to ...The biggest drop of 4% at UT can be attributed to the most radical restructuring of colleges compared to other area schools that didn't undergo such transformations. The related sense of instability have certainly affected plans of our potential students. Based on this interpretation, the currently proposed changes will have even more destructive effect: expect another 10% drop next year. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044792945653054348.post-77074633162571755782013-01-24T05:44:15.846-08:002013-01-24T05:44:15.846-08:00Almost all area colleges experienced enrollment dr...Almost all area colleges experienced enrollment drops again but none as HUGE as UT. 4% as opposed to 1% for BG. I think the problem with UT is akin to what is described here, only it involves what Jacobs and co is doing to the university over the past years with all of their attempts at experimentation, examination and prescription for "improvement":<br />http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/27/overtreatment-is-taking-a-harmful-toll/Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044792945653054348.post-4595655463480757562013-01-23T18:13:59.695-08:002013-01-23T18:13:59.695-08:00If you're concerned about the workload policy ...If you're concerned about the workload policy and how it will affect students, come to the open forum tomorrow, thurs. Jan. 24, 3-5 in Doermann Theater. The forum is sponsored by the Faculty Senate, the AAUP and the Provost's office. Air your concerns and opinions. Now is the time.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044792945653054348.post-48894375798871577352013-01-23T12:42:20.619-08:002013-01-23T12:42:20.619-08:00The record will reveal that "no confidence&qu...The record will reveal that "no confidence" votes against Jacobs Inc. were formally introduced on five separate occassions during the past five years, four times in A&S Council and once in Faculty Senate. On three of these occasions a vots was proposed by an elected representative. On two occasions the vote was proposed from the floor. In every instance the vote was tabled by timid brown-nosers who have all since taken administration positions at increased pay. Like it or not, this is the way the corrupting reward system for faculty works at UT under the thumb of Jacobs Inc. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044792945653054348.post-83332933300237121702013-01-23T10:03:28.751-08:002013-01-23T10:03:28.751-08:00Re: Pissing and Dissing
If you speak for the "...Re: Pissing and Dissing<br />If you speak for the "crowd" as you profess, then please explain why the crowd does not take a no confidence vote? If you speak just for the flamers on campus who are all hot air and no committment to change, then keep pissing and dissing, it won't matter.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044792945653054348.post-6150477375039558682013-01-23T06:04:30.271-08:002013-01-23T06:04:30.271-08:00To Anon @ 12:20 Re: prairie dogs and no confidenc...To Anon @ 12:20 Re: prairie dogs and no confidence votes<br /><br />Very well said! Too bad it will fall on deaf ears.<br /><br />You know, if you disagree with the tactics (such that they are) of this blog you get labeled a shill. Sometimes I wonder if this entire blog is a shill, meant to give the faculty a sandbox to vent in, rather than to take "revoltionary action".<br /><br />As I said before, victims can become collaborators through their inactions.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044792945653054348.post-75034282343607050312013-01-23T05:20:20.231-08:002013-01-23T05:20:20.231-08:00UT AAUP just disclosed a link (used by the Provost...UT AAUP just disclosed a link (used by the Provost) to the publication by Nathan Harden "The end of the university as we know it" predicting that Harvard will enroll 10,000,000 students on line, etc. <br /><br />That prediction and the willingness to use it by the Provost only tell that neither the author nor the provost have a faintest idea of how Harvard, MIT, Yale and other big universities succeed.<br /><br />A major factor of their success is not that they have brilliant instructors implementing best teaching success. Quite the opposite, many professors there are relatively poor instructors missing advanced teaching skills compared to many instructors in second rate universities. <br /><br />What makes Harvard, MIT, Stanford and similar schools unique, attractive, and very successful is that they (1) select faculty based on their research abilities and achievements; (2) that faculty present material from the unique perspective of active successful researchers; sometimes that presentations can be clumsy and hard to follow, yet reflecting the live science approach; (3) that that scientifically active faculty introduce their students to the club making directing them individually, setting the necessary connections for their future careers, etc. <br /><br />Enrolling 10,000,000 students will effectively destroy all the above making those famous schools equal to any second rate college trying to broadcast its lectures. Of course, these schools can try IN ADDITION to broadcast their teaching material, but that will never become their major attraction.<br /><br />It's sad we have to explain these basic mechanisms to our Provost who is planning against research, against non standard teaching, and against personal mentoring. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044792945653054348.post-20048913493849996112013-01-22T16:39:01.745-08:002013-01-22T16:39:01.745-08:00Yes, I guess that is the real reason behind this, ...Yes, I guess that is the real reason behind this, the republican push to continue to neuter and hamstring anything that can aid the democratic party including public employees, public education and their unions. That is what it is all about and will have to be fought at the statehouse level.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044792945653054348.post-54039472424231227702013-01-22T13:51:27.497-08:002013-01-22T13:51:27.497-08:00The latest turn is departments are taking a shot a...The latest turn is departments are taking a shot at submitting "exceptions" to the new workload to the Provost.<br /><br />He was supposed to meet LLSS from 4-4:45 today.<br /><br />Hope someone(s) will report on the meeting!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044792945653054348.post-7896155851236977062013-01-22T12:20:26.347-08:002013-01-22T12:20:26.347-08:00If the faculty took the time to take a no confiden...If the faculty took the time to take a no confidence vote, it would be worth far more in value than the effort that goes into looking up pictures of prairie dogs. Imagine complaining for seven years and never taking a faculty vote? Doesn't this mean faculty prefer to complain in this juvenile fashion than to professionally assume their responsibilities? I also am not a current member of UT faculty.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6044792945653054348.post-41785161578154475832013-01-22T11:48:03.425-08:002013-01-22T11:48:03.425-08:00Jacobs has the support of the BOT, Columbus, and, ...Jacobs has the support of the BOT, Columbus, and, for the most part, the courts. The courts, traditionally the recourse of last resort for the union, have, in Ohio, moved away from workers rights. The last time Jacobs raised workload the union took it to the courts as a violation of the contract (which seems to state explicitly that individual departments determine workload and not higher ups). The union lost. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com