BREAKING: Garrison has appointed Jane Martin, former Dean of Nursing, as Interim Provost — in an attempt, no doubt, to take the heat off himself. Good luck with that.
Now. From reading the hundreds of comments, it’s clear that a lot of you people sound a lot like battered wives. I don’t mean that in a derogatory way, but–
Think about that.
Look guys — it’s now or never. Either stand up to Garrison today, or start stocking up on lube. Because if this guy stays, the only thing you can count on is getting totally fucked.
So get your ass to the assembly. FIND A WAY. Cancel appointments. Break prior engagements. Unless you’re bleeding hard from the head, you have no excuse. The Faculty Senate BRAVELY stood up — now it’s your turn.
Enough of this whining on the internet. IT IS TIME FOR ACTION. Hit them back. Let the bullies know you’re NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE.
Oh, and report back.
Tags: Heathergate
May 14, 2008 at 12:32 pm
The BOG members are struggling with each other about what best to do. Not all pro Garrison. Or Goodwin. Why do you think he stepped down?Some are furious with Garrison. True as reported in the press today, that some BOG are decent people and “tormented” by this debacle. The way the full faculty votes will give the BOG members ammo, one way or another. I’ve been instructed to tell you this.
May 14, 2008 at 12:32 pm
Former Dean of Nursing?
PhD in Nursing?
May 14, 2008 at 12:36 pm
re:BOG,
my listening post here says same.
May 14, 2008 at 12:45 pm
It’s really funny how, like, every comment is all cryptic and shit now.
May 14, 2008 at 12:46 pm
The faculty will not rest until the parasite known as Garrison is out of office.
The citizens of WV will not rest until the scum-bag called Manchin is out of office too.
Faculty, students, and alimni UNITE. Lets purge ourselves of these self serving assholes!
May 14, 2008 at 12:48 pm
Not meant to be cryptic….just very fluid….some BOG members are asking the Gov to take a role.
May 14, 2008 at 12:57 pm
Sorry, ACFM, but the citizens of WV had a chance to send more of a message to Manchin yesterday, but they did not.
Truth probably is, most folks who have seen his TV commercial don’t make the connection that when Joe made the statement (paraphrasing some here), “It is time for those who have taken advantage of West Virginia to stop,” that he meant everyone who was not a part of the Manchin family or its cronies.
People really do feel like this micro-managing,meddlesome, megalomaniacal maggot is doing a good job. They feel like the highlights he hit in his commercial–reducing the state debt, etc. are enough to reelect him.
The state is made up of regular Joes who work hard all day, look forward to going home and relaxing, and doing it all again tomorrow. Looking forward to some warm weather, some fishing, a little gardening out back, anticipating football season and hunting season.
No, all of us on this blog would largely qualify as the intelligentsia in every sense of the word. And unfortunately that probably makes us the larger part of the “giveashitsia” out there as well. It is going to take something monumental, like Wise’s bimbo eruption, to get the attention of the state as a whole, and derail the Manchin Express. And I don’t see it happening.
May 14, 2008 at 1:00 pm
BTW there is an article in the sport section of USA Today about Rodriguez’s claim that a late night meeting full of nyets from Garrison marked a change in attitude toward him.
THAT kind of revelation mike expand the “giveashitsia” in the state toward Garrison. It certainly will not impact Manchin (Too bad he was not spending the night at Blaney House that night).
May 14, 2008 at 1:02 pm
From WVU’s announcement: E. Jane Martin, PhD., RN, FAAN. I don’t know what FAAN is or the specific area of her doctorate but at least she’s qualified on paper.
May 14, 2008 at 1:06 pm
http://www.hsc.wvu.edu/son/faculty/martinEJane.htm
May 14, 2008 at 1:11 pm
Jane Martin–PhD Higher Ed from University of Pittsburgh 1979
May 14, 2008 at 1:28 pm
FAAN= Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing
May 14, 2008 at 1:29 pm
Dr. Jane Martin has plenty of credentials and experience and certainly would be qualified to fill in as an interim in the provost position. She is retired from the HSC, though still very active.
The furor seems to be over whether she will be a sycophant in this whole melee’.
Umm….HELLO, McFLY, what else would you be expecting from this administration??!?
May 14, 2008 at 1:32 pm
I’ve always said that Appalachian Fatalism in general is most like Battered Wife Syndrome and considering that we have a very low college graduate rate, it’s not surprising that Mojo didn’t hear about this yesterday.
But whether the average WVian realizes it or not, this is extremely important not just for WVU; corruption in all places should be found out and fought.
May 14, 2008 at 1:36 pm
Oh, I have no illusions, Driver. I figure she’s in place to tow the party line.
May 14, 2008 at 1:38 pm
Fine, Jay, all well and good, but “whether the average WVian realizes it or not” is the key. Until someone can make the corruption real enough for the average Joe WVian to care, and to vote accordingly, it does not matter if the few, the proud, the intelligentsia recognize it.
I can say one thing, someone was able to make the whole Spike Maynard thing real enough to sway votes. The same sense of reality would need to be brought to mear on Mojo for anything to change.
May 14, 2008 at 1:40 pm
WV used to have the lowest college-going rate in the country. We might still. The rate is 50 percent in most WV counties, which is one reason my kids and I moved to Morgantown. The college-going rate in Mon Co. is the highest in the state.
May 14, 2008 at 1:40 pm
Ann, my comments were certainly not directed at you, but I am surprised at the indignation some have in the wake of the announcement. I fully expect a whole rash of future indignations unless Mr. Microphone resigns.
May 14, 2008 at 1:51 pm
I didn’t feel singled out, Driver. I was simply seconding your comments, lack of surprise and HELLO MCFLY! Good one. :)
May 14, 2008 at 2:08 pm
This is why this blog is here: to make a difference!
This is why we are here: to implement change!
I fully expect the BOG and the faculty at the various colleges to hit the Garrison administration hard. Then the Goodwins and finally Manchin.
This is the tipping point for W.Va….we do this now…or get off the pot.
May 14, 2008 at 2:18 pm
According to the pundits covering the WV primary, 7 in 10 West Virginians do not have a college degree. TTD, I was saying the same thing yesterday–that it would take something more tangible/concrete for the average WVian to be outraged by the Garrison thing. In Maynard’s case, it took a photo of him on vacation with Blankenship, even though Maynard’s personal connections to Blankenship were no secret. If it takes more than two sentences to explain something, I don’t think it really catches on, but a picture speaks a thousand words, I guess.
May 14, 2008 at 2:18 pm
TTD, DaughterGate in itself affects the average WVian not. If Heather Bresch had sapped Pat White’s seed the night before the Fiesta Bowl, the whole Manchin Clan would be the inverse of the Von Trapp family, singing their way to Europe, with Sadie standing in Sacred Heart holding a distributor.
If you have pictures of Garrison clinking champaign glasses with Bresch, then by all means, let’s have them. Otherwise, you need to realize that the intelligentsia are the Special Forces of this operation, and they’re going to have to carry the load. Godspeed.
May 14, 2008 at 2:20 pm
According to the pundits covering the WV primary, 7 in 10 West Virginians do not have a college degree. TTD, I was saying the same thing yesterday–that it would take something more tangible/concrete for the average WVian to be outraged by the Garrison thing. In Maynard’s case, it took a photo of him on vacation with Blankenship, even though Maynard’s personal connections to Blankenship were no secret. If it takes more than two sentences to explain something, I don’t think it really catches on, but a picture speaks a thousand words, I guess.
May 14, 2008 at 2:21 pm
I obviously have a comma problem.
May 14, 2008 at 2:24 pm
“Sapped his seed.” My. God.
May 14, 2008 at 2:25 pm
in manchin’s ad he failed to mention 1 accomplishment, his daughter got her degree.
May 14, 2008 at 2:49 pm
I just drove past the CAC. The parking lot is packed. There are also cars parked behind the CAC, in a stretch of the Coliseum lot near the CAC and in the parking lot by the old Alumni building. I suppose there could be something else going on but it looks well attended.
May 14, 2008 at 2:56 pm
Ann: The faculty meeting definitely looks well attended — both pedestrians and cars were streaming in right before 1:30. I’d have tried to park if I saw demonstrators outside, but there weren’t any – looked like a well mannered faculty event.
Re battered wives: according to experts, it takes 7-9 tries for a battered wife/significant other to leave — the abusers keep promising to reform. Hard to take an interest in outside politics for people in that situation, too, they have to think of their own survival.
May 14, 2008 at 3:08 pm
There are about 500 faculty members at the assembly who are voting now. Don’t they need 900 for a quorum? How does this work?
http://www.wvmetronews.com/index.cfm?func=displayfullstory&storyid=24753
May 14, 2008 at 3:09 pm
votes: 565 yes, 39 no, 11 abstain
May 14, 2008 at 3:12 pm
Full Faculty Wants Garrison Out MetroNews Talkline
Morgantown, Monongalia County
An assembly of the WVU faculty voted overwhelmingly this afternoon to call on embattled WVU President Mike Garrison to resign as a result of the Heather Bresch scandal.
The vote was 569 in favor of resignation, 39 against and 11 abstentions. The theater erupted in applause and cheers when the vote was announced.
The vote is non-binding, but it does represent a strong sentiment of the faculty in support of a motion approved by the Faculty Senate last week. The motion says: “The Faculty Senate of West Virginia University votes no confidence in President Garrison. For the good of the institution and for the benefit of our students, he must resign or the Board of Governors must require his resignation.”
The vote at the Creative Arts Center followed a half-hour long debate where the vast majority of professors spoke in favor of Garrison’s resignation and expressed concern over the impact the Bresch mess has had on WVU.
Last fall, WVU decided to award an executive MBA degree retroactively to Bresch who is the daughter of Gov. Joe Manchin. Bresch is also the COO of Mylan, Inc, whose founder, Mike Puskar, is a major benefactor at WVU.
An independent report released last month said it was a mistake to award the degree and that Bresch was treated different than other students. The controversy led Provost Gerald Lang and Business and Economics School Dean Stephen Sears to resign from their positions although both will remain in tenured teaching positions.
The controversy has triggered national and international attention and criticism of WVU and sparked outrage by many members of the WVU Faculty. The anger and concern spilled over into Wednesday’s debate.
WVU now has the perception as “the ultimate party school that is in the pocket of the ruling party of West Virginia.” because of the Bresch scandal, said WVU Prof. Judith Sedgeman.
Prof. Katy Ryan, who introduced the motion calling on Garrison to resign, said the responsibility of the fall-out from the Bresch scandal falls to Garrison.
While Most of the speakers said they wanted Garrison to resign, Prof. Andy Sorine presented a petition with over 1,400 signatures of business and community leaders from across the state calling on The Board of Governors to support Garrison.
Faculty Senate Chairman Steve Kite said as the meeting began that the faculty was paving new ground today. “We have not done this before,” Kite told the professors.
The gathering was initially called as a “Faculty Assembly,” however there was not a quorum. There are over 1,800 faculty members and officials estimated about 400 to 500 faculty members came to the meeting. Fifty percent was needed for a quorum.
The faculty decided to adjourn as a Faculty Assembly and reconvene immediately as a mass gathering of the faculty. Faculty Senate Chairman Steve Kite said the switch was a technicality that should not affect significance of the meeting.
“The importance of the meeting is to allow people to express their feelings,” Kite said.
May 14, 2008 at 3:14 pm
Brushy, I think someone on here said yesterday that they don’t need a quorum. More than 500 sounds like a good showing. I wonder what happened to the other half of full time faculty?
May 14, 2008 at 3:24 pm
Who cares what business and community leaders across the state want – the faculty at WVU should be heard and Garrison should be OUT.
May 14, 2008 at 3:27 pm
I guess that explains why I came back here after attending college & law school out of state.
May 14, 2008 at 3:37 pm
I’m with you Staff. Who cares what business leaders say about a university position? Why do they matter when faculty don’t? Okay. No need to answer that.
I’d like to see that list so I know where not to shop, eat, bank, etc.
May 14, 2008 at 3:46 pm
I’d like the list for the same reason – I can’t vote, but I sure can abstain from supporting those who support Manchin/Garrison high jinx. Where’s the list?????
May 14, 2008 at 3:47 pm
What now? Waiting for the BOG meeting June 6? Six hundred plus faculty showed up, but it looks the “business leaders’” views count more in the view of the powers that be. Don’t the “business leaders” realize that if faculty leave and new faculty decline positions here, there won’t be enough people to live in all the new condos and “luxury apartments” and other developments sprouting all around Morgantown. Also, the continued presence of this administration will affect the perception of external grantors, the federal government in particular, which will direct funds to other institutions. Business leaders, you’re shooting yourself in the foot.
May 14, 2008 at 3:57 pm
I’d like to know who the 1,400 “business and commnuity leaders” are. Does anyone have a copy of that petition? What constitutes a business and community leader anyway?
May 14, 2008 at 4:02 pm
Even if your head is bleeding wrap a towel around it and get over to the CAC. There is NO excuse (except mine). Do it for your children and your children’s children. Hell, do it for your neighbors children too!
I would attend but I haven’t figure out that teleportation thing yet. I am approximately 6706 nautical miles away at the moment.
May 14, 2008 at 4:10 pm
And I’ve returned twice. Sad.
May 14, 2008 at 4:14 pm
Gee, I wonder how many of these “1,400 business and community leaders” have ties to one of the 25 companies Mike Garrison whored himself out as a lobbyist for in 2006:
705-Five Development Group
Alliance Resource Partners, L.P.
Boys & Girls Clubs of America Inc.
Branch Banking & Trust
Bruceton Bank
Cabell Huntington Hospital
Camden Clark Hospital
Centra Bank, Inc
Charleston Area Medical Ctr.
Glenmark Holding, LLC
I-79 Development Council
Information Manufacturing Corp.
Media Holdings,LLC, WV
Morgantown Area Chamber of Commerce
Morgantown Area Economic Partnership
Mylan Laboratories, Inc.
Platinum Properties
RMS Strategies
Spilman Thomas & Battle, PLLC
St. Mary’s Medical Center
Unisys corp
United Health System, Inc., WV
Vandalia Heritage Foundation
WV for Infrastructure
WVU Research Corporation
I wonder…
May 14, 2008 at 4:23 pm
Where did you get that list HK? Why is WV Media on it? No wonder Bray Cary didn’t ask any real tough questions. Do you have a list of the people that signed it?
May 14, 2008 at 4:32 pm
How many from HSC were on duty during the meeting?
May 14, 2008 at 4:32 pm
Bray Cary didn’t ask tough questions and voiced support for Garrison after that interview. But a few days later, Cary reconsidered and spoke out against Garrison — to his credit.
May 14, 2008 at 4:37 pm
I am especially happy that the vote on to ‘make everyone shut up and do as their told’ motion was rejected 527 to 23. I really doubt though that today’s events will change anything in the near future. What is needed is more large foundations and corporate donors to speak up. I read last week (or two) that one foundation was going to withhold a donation worth about $2 million dollars. Has anyone heard if any other large donors have spoken up with their thoughts and/or purse strings?
May 14, 2008 at 4:37 pm
Only 5-7 more tries to go, Lawbot!
May 14, 2008 at 5:03 pm
Who were the 39 idiots that voted to keep this joke ongoing? They should be drawn and quartered in front of Stewart Hall.
May 14, 2008 at 5:05 pm
Bravo.
Lang down.
Sears gone.
Sights on Garrison…don’t let up until that mother fucker is out.
The good people above are right…Manchin must be next. He really is a maggot. The Family must go.
May 14, 2008 at 5:10 pm
I just got back from the faculty assembly. As previously stated, there were around 600 faculty members there. What amazed me though was the lack of media. Although I saw cars for several news stations in the parking lot, when I went in there were only 2 cameras plus some guy with a home video camera (that would be me). I know one of the news camera crews were from metronews. I did see Hoppy there too.
For my full report go here
May 14, 2008 at 5:19 pm
Prescott was there today. I was able to converse with him for a second and he said that he “wouldn’t miss this”. Hmm I wonder what he meant?
May 14, 2008 at 5:22 pm
I’m emailing people I know to ask them to sign the petition at MIR (http://www.wvumir.org/petition.html)
I’ve also started emailing the BOG again to voice my opinion that they can no longer ignore the faculty. I realize this may be pointless but I’m a little worried that they may pull out that 1500 signatures in support of him crap.
If anyone else would like to do the same, here are the email addresses which were posted by someone else several threads ago. I think there may be other members but this was all I had.
a636@aol.com
ecappellanti@jacksonkelly.com,
hank.barnette@skadden.com,
jason.parsons@mail.wvu.edu,
jdailey@whmcontractors.com,
prmartinelli@mail.wvu.edu,
rwells@baileyglasser.com,
sbfarmer@fcclaw.net,
sgoodwin@goodwinware.com,
steve.kite@mail.wvu.edu,
tclark@citynet.com,
wnutting@ogdennews.com,
May 14, 2008 at 5:24 pm
Good report GMG. Thanks. Maybe the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette thought state media would finally cover the meeting?
May 14, 2008 at 5:26 pm
I guess I should say that there were several “reporters” there with pen and paper in hand. One guy I think I recognized as from the DA. I am sure some of the other newspapers had people there too, I was just surprised at the lack of TV coverage.
May 14, 2008 at 5:29 pm
GMG, perhaps the media moguls for once felt that people wouldn’t speak/vote freely if they thought a camera may be focused on them.
May 14, 2008 at 5:29 pm
WBOY TV posted an article about the meeting on their Web site: http://wboy.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=38605#
May 14, 2008 at 5:34 pm
On motion 1, as has been reported here: 565 for concurring with the Reimenschneider/ Ryan motion, 39 against, 11 abstain.
On motion 2, Dallas Branch’s motion, debate centered on notion that a) death threats were already illegal and that b) vagueness of “intimidating, coercive and/or threatening language behavior, etc.” would have a “chilling effect” on cacmpus free speech. Motion defeated 527 to 23 (12 abstain)
On motion 3, calling for re-evaluation of the composition of BOG, passed unanimously via voice vote.
On motion 4, charging the faculty senate with establishing an external review panel to whom faculty/staff/students can confidentially report harrassment etc, passed unanimously via voice vote.
On motion 5, regarding hiring procedures. The motion was amended and substituted, but in the end called upon the faculty senate to recommend more uniform, transparent and democratic procedures for selecting chairs, deans and higher administrative positions, passed via hand vote, on roughly a 2 to 1 ratio.
On motion 6, urging WV’s legislature’s commission on Special Investigations to look into matter,r egardless of MG’s resignation: referred to faculty senate for debate.
Motions 7 and 8 were more recent and more nebulous: Seven was a call for change resolution that called for some general principles like checks and balances, transparency, academic freedom, etc. It passed narrowly in a vote of by-then-diminished count (roughly 250 voted on that measure).
Motion 8, which called for MG’s resignation, a criminal investigation of all who “showed favoritism and altered student’s [sic] records” and “dismissal of perpetrators who colluded” was tabled indefinitely.
May 14, 2008 at 5:35 pm
please let us know how we can get in touch with the outside review panel. some of us have a lot to say…
May 14, 2008 at 5:46 pm
When the only person to publicly oppose the first motion started going on about the business and community people in favor of MG, there was a tenseness in the air especially when he read that over 1400 people signed the petition. He went to great lengths to let everyone know that all of these people were verified and that an accounting firm was responsible for ensuring the veracity of the results (i.e. all faculty based petitions are suspect). Another interesting point was the questioning of any conclusions when there was no good way to verify who was faculty and who was not. This actually got a bit contentious especially when we had to adjourn the Faculty Assembly and readjourn as a mass of the University faculty due to lack of clarity as to rules and what would constitute a quorum. I found 600 people to be quite impressive considering 1.) 1 week notice @.) end of semester 3.) number of people (especially junior level faculty) who did not want to be seen there 4.) number of faculty not on main campus 5.) number of clinical and non-tenure track faculty. I do not know if it would ever be possible to get the required 918 people in attendance to call it a quorum; however, 600 was still very good. In the last no-confidence vote, the supporters of MG claimed that the faculty senate was out to get MG from the beginning so the vote was a witch hunt (Faculty senate vote was 80% in favor of no-confidence). They also claim that the thoughts of the senators were not representative of the faculty as a whole and in this part they were correct as it was 90% of the faculty as a whole who voted no-confidence. Finally, the argue that MG has reached out and is working with many faculty and he is open to working with any faculty that is willing to work with him. If there are many faculty out there that believe MG should stay, where were they. This was NOT a rally against MG, this was a forum for determining if official faculty support for the faculty senate’s vote of no-confidence was approapriate and applied to the faculty as a whole. Where were the MG supporters. Their absence was evident and spoke volumes. It is difficult for me to fathom a way for them to spin this but I am sure they will.
May 14, 2008 at 5:52 pm
WVU faculty: President Garrison must go
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
By Patricia Sabatini and Len Boselovic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — More than 500 West Virginia University faculty members today called for the resignation of President Mike Garrison in the wake of the M.B.A scandal rocking the state’s flagship university.
A nonbinding resolution demanding that Mr. Garrison step down or be fired by the WVU Board of Governors passed, 565-39, with 11 abstentions.
The vote came during a rare mass meeting called by the faculty, which now appears to be outraged over the awarding of the master’s of business administration degree to Heather Bresch, daughter of West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin and a long-time friend of Mr. Garrison. An investigative panel concluded last month that she didn’t earn the degree.
Mr. Garrison’s office had no immediate comment on today’s vote.
The resolution the faculty passed today was the same as one approved last week by the WVU Faculty Senate. Mr. Garrison has said he will not step down.
About a third of WVU’s faculty members from campuses across the state attended today’s meeting at the WVU Creative Arts Center in Morgantown. Attendance was required in order to vote.
Also passing on voice vote was a resolution urging the Faculty Senate to create an outside review panel to hear complaints from faculty, staff and students, particularly concerns about harassment, retaliation or retribution for speaking out against the administration.
The faculty overwhelmingly defeated another motion that had recommended that any faculty member who threatened or intimidated a university employee, board member or other state executive be disciplined or dismissed immediately.
The motion, offered by professor Dallas Branch and rejected 527-23, stemmed from two fliers found in the engineering building last week that used the word “kill.”
The composition and font size were crafted carefully to avoid qualifying as a direct threat, and State Police said last week they did not consider the language criminal.
Two professors opposed the language of the motion as overly broad and warned it could have discouraged free speech on campus.
——————————————————————————–
More details in tomorrow’s Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. This report contains information from the Associated Press.
First published on May 14, 2008 at 3:57 pm
May 14, 2008 at 6:00 pm
Fellow bloggers:
Repeat this three times – Jane Martin is not part of the problem; she will try hard to be part of the solution. So don’t make her one of the bad guys in your own minds out of rage and frustration. She’s a legitimate academic; the American Academy of Nursing isn’t a crony palace like the BOG, and she did a good job with the School of Nursing for years.
IMHO, she shouldn’t have done it, but I have no doubt she accepted this challenge out of a sense of loyalty to the institution, not to Mike.
Give her some space and your support. She’s going to need it. Stay focused on Goodwin, Garrison and the trail of slim they are leaving all the way to Charleston and beyond. Jane needs you to just lay off for awhile.
May 14, 2008 at 6:05 pm
Dave Satterfield was just on camera on Channel 12 news. Said something about following the report and “exercising restraint”.
good lord.
May 14, 2008 at 6:24 pm
i remember Jane from my days at the HSC…….great lady……….she’ll be really good, if she has the responsibility AND authority……..
May 14, 2008 at 6:29 pm
Jane Martin is a nice person and very smart. She is, however, in her mid- to late-70’s and has been retired for 2 years. In my interactions with her several years ago I found her to be very nice and receptive, but not a hard worker and not one with a vision. In short, you would think they could have found someone a little more active.
May 14, 2008 at 6:32 pm
David Satterfield was at the Faculty assembly meeting and was quick to remind everyone with a single question that this was no longer an Assembly because a quorum had not been reached. I think he asked the first or 2nd question of the assembly.
I think we did well. Of 1800 or so possible faculty, maybe 200-300 are off campus and 500 are clinical faculty with patient care responsibilities. So, of the remainder, maybe 90%+ showed up. It was impressive. The meeting was conducted very well and in a civil and respectful and thoughtful fashion. I was proud to be associated with it.
May 14, 2008 at 7:03 pm
To Anonymous and Formerlyproud – Jane Martin is an obsequious suck-up of the first magnitude. I also had occasion to work with her in the HSC and she thought D’Alessandri was god incarnate. D’Alessandri was the source of much that is wrong in the HSC, and Jane Martin will do/say whatever the hell Garrison wants her to do/say that will keep him in office.
May 14, 2008 at 7:04 pm
where was bailes and the ’silent majority’ he claims to be representing at the HSC ? must have been counting his millions down at centrabank. I knew the HSC faculty would come out and vote to dismiss MG if done by secret ballot. Someone mentioned that Prescott was there today. Did he speak ? I am sure he would have had a lot to say. If he did not, I hope the PPG calls him for comments. Or maybe the local TV would interview him instead of Dave S.
May 14, 2008 at 7:09 pm
Prescott did not speak, which is a shame. Everyone would LOVE to know the real reason he was fired, excuse me – “resigned”, and turn some of the rumors into facts.
May 14, 2008 at 7:17 pm
I don’t know who the hell that guy is that presented word of a petition signed by “over 1400 business and community leaders”. There’s no Sorine in the faculty directory. The problem is, the idiot doesn’t recognize that it’s the “business leaders” on the BOG who are the source of the problem. They think the university is a cow they can milk for profit while at the same time rewarding their young protege with stepping stone to higher office.
May 14, 2008 at 7:17 pm
A few things to consider if and when the president and the board of governors ignore the latest action by faculty.
- Don’t just get mad; get even. Don’t quit now; sign up for the long haul, because this fight is only just beginning. There are other forms of economic development out there that promise better results than bogus degrees and sweetheart land deals to BOG cronies.
- 92% of the more than 600 faculty present and voting today affirmed the faculty senate call for resignation and they did so in precisely the kind of reasoned, respectful, dignified and yes, somber (and even slightly ponderous and boring) manner one might expect of a bunch of faculty being careful and thoughtful. Precisely the sort of behavior the pols will undoubtedly mistake for weakness; that would be a serious mistake for a number of reasons.
- Who in higher education has ever seen 500 faculty agree on absolutely anything before? We are one step away from that turning that unanimity into other forms of concerted action, so pols watch your step.
- For anyone who sees resistance among faculty eventually crumbling or believes it’s over now (or will be soon) and there is nothing left for faculty to do, please note: this is the third repudiation of the president by the faculty, and EACH TIME THE FACULTY VOICE HAS BEEN SOUGHT, THE REJECTION HAS BEEN MORE DECISIVE AND UNEQUIVOCAL. If someone wants to shoot for a 95% or even 97% rejection next time, that’s entirely within range. (What were those people who voted to ABSTAIN on a secret ballot thinking, for crying out loud? That doesn’t even make sense.)
- The second most important motion passed by an equally strong majority (or stronger; I forgot the numbers) . It called for basic changes in the governing process. That deserves some serious attention by all faculty and help from the lawyers and others on this list. Faculty are in this for the long haul now, guys, but we will need some help: It may take 10 years, but this leveraged buy-out in which the governor and the lege put up less than 30% of the budget and get 100% of the control of the institution in return has got to change.
- And to those of you outside the institution and in favor of the president remaining because some people in the community like him: who were those business people (and Democratic party members? and what’s their stake in all of this? Football tickets? Shrimp cocktails and champagne at the president’s house while the rest of us eat brats and beer in the parking lots? (Mostly by choice!)
-There was no mention of a single faculty member or university employee on the list of those who signed the petition that was presented at today’s meeting. Time to ante up folks: Which one of those signees do you want to teach your future doctor or pharmacist? Which community resident who went to high school with Mike and believes him (like I used to) to be a nice guy, do you want to write your will or negotiate your contracts? Who is that banker at Centra bank that you want to teach the speech therapist or social worker who deals with your abused neighbor child? Or to advise the English major who teaches your child to read?
People of WV need to understand: Those nearly 600 faculty who voted NO CONFIDENCE in Mike Garrison did not do so because they enjoy playing politics. We did so as an act of desparation; voted because we believe we have lost our educational autonomy to the Goodwins and the Manchins and the other state party pols who have changed the basic rules of the higher education game but are absolutely clueless as to the game they are in. (We know what tenure is!) The pols may think this is some small town school board take-over. They may believe that the teachers at WVU better wise up and see things the way they really are. Guess what: we teach, but we also study things. We know the way things really are, and the way they should be. And this too is the way they really are. We must redouble our efforts to teach our students to speak truth to power. We teach the teachers too: One of the future messages over the next two decades to future teachers needs to be more equivocal than it has ever been: WVU faculty have shown they don’t intend to take this kind of crap from our governing board of political cronies and we expect you won’t either. We know we won’t win every fight, we we don’t intent to quit fighting them.
It is precisely because we understand the way things have always been in WV that WVU faculty must remain committed to changing them; and we ought to invite the faculty at the other institutions in the state to stand up and join us. Starting here; starting now with the resignation of Mike Garrison, but by no means not ending there.
As one of the speakers said today: WVU is now truly the Number 1 Party School in the nation – and that’s the WV Democratic Party. There isn’t another state political party in the country that has its own university.
But Democrats remember. If you ignore and defeat the faculty in every other respect, remember that history will be on the side of the faculty. A lot of people can make that claim. We can mean it! Because faculty will write that history, other faculty will review and publish it, and lots and lots of us will require our students to read it. And, the same goes in sociology, and political science, and economics, and English and humanities and engineering and….,.
But, just one more thing. There is more to making history than just writing it:
There have been a lot of threats to leave, and no doubt many of us will. Beware of those who stay! Note in particular the number of young faculty present at the CAC today. Garrison may be the youngest university president in the country. Many of these folks are younger, smarter and better educated. Many were still in elementary school last time the Faculty Assembly met, and more than a few were they today despite their fears and uncertainties for their own futures here. But they were there anyway and many of them aren’t going anywhere. You’ll see them again, and next time they may be tenured and a lot less fearful.
Young faculty, in particular, may wish to note that political parties in Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Vermont, California, and numerous other states were once as corrupt as the Democrats of West Virginia. Those parties were eventually overturned by more progressive and enlightened reformers from within – aided, abetted – and sometimes even led – by academics from the state universities.
A point worth remembering.
Inquiring minds want to know: Could it happen here?
May 14, 2008 at 7:19 pm
Sorry, #249, but I disagree. At what point does doing something out of loyalty to the institution make you a collaborator when your action enables a discredited President to remain in power? Others had turned down the request to serve as interim provost. Had MG continued to be turned down, it would have been harder for him to make the case that he could continue. I wish people he approached to serve would have continued to reject the opportunity.
May 14, 2008 at 7:59 pm
Re Provost: Jane Martin is being used. Most senior people asked to take the position turned it down because they took “no confidence” from the faculty to mean what it means. If one does not have confidence in an administration, one does not do the work of that administration. Faculty teach and continue to perform service to the students and the state, but do not sign on to the president’s senior team to do his will.
May 14, 2008 at 8:07 pm
JM is a curious choice. She’s certainly been busy at the HSC lately, taking care of business where and when needed. And she didn’t let the dirty business with the Dean distract. Just kept on working. Diligently. Certainly, this suggests that she will help to keep communication lines open between HSC and Downtown. Only, the question is, is this really a good thing?
May 14, 2008 at 8:50 pm
Someone should have told Satterfield if there wasn’t a quorum, then he should go the fuck home, since anything they did, wouldn’t be of note.
Fuckin Bob Wise cronies. They’re almost as bad as The Family.
May 14, 2008 at 9:10 pm
Ok- A few comments:
First, Some may slam Jane Martin for doing this, but like it or not, there are critical voids in the academic affairs portion of the institution and they needs filled before things fall apart even more. If you look at the fact that she has already gone through one career at WVU she really does not need this job. therefore, she may not take any crap from those who may attempt to sway her opinion away from doing the right thing. Perhaps she did this for the students.
Also, I have read about people who are thinking about protesting graduation. That is probably not a good idea. The crap that wvu is going through now is one thing- but to totally ruin a graduate’s (and their parents) proudest moment is unfair to them. Hardesty called this a student centered university and those who are planning to disrupt graduation are being selfish- give these kids a break. Remember, even if MG goes WVU still need students to survive and the impact of public displays like this will kill the university
Just an outsider looking in and offering an observation..
May 14, 2008 at 9:40 pm
I have no plans to protest at commencement. I didn’t even attend my own WVU graduation. Protests are more likely from students than outside adults. Obviously, the only way to avoid protests is for Garrison to step down.
May 14, 2008 at 10:10 pm
Newsflash…Jane Martin hails from right within the VP’s office at the health science building, special advisor to the vp, I believe…peculiar???
May 14, 2008 at 10:39 pm
Yes, Rev, that’s exactly what I was saying… this didn’t occur by chance.
May 15, 2008 at 11:38 am
I don’t know Jane Martin or the circumstances that allowed her to play the Robert Bork role in the Nixon Watergate Saturday Night Massacre parallel. But I’d have preferred someone as interim provost with a Ph.D. in something other than “Higher Education.”
May 15, 2008 at 2:23 pm
Ralph and others – Get it through your heads – there are NO plans for faculty to disrupt graduation in any way, shape, or form. Nor have I heard of any student plans to disrupt ceremonies.
May 15, 2008 at 9:47 pm
Hear, hear Undercover! I am not sure where these rumors of protest emanate from, but they completely defy logic. Commencement is about legitimately earned degrees. Period. A cause for celebration to be sure, and not protest.
As for me, this will be the first year that I will not attend a commencement ceremony since being at WVU. Cannot stomach the idea of having MG beung there or Brick in his new role as the Med School Dean. eeeewwww…..
May 20, 2008 at 1:53 pm
When Jane Martin was picked, the biggest thing they looked for was a person who didn’t hang out at the Rat Pack or ChickenBones, someone not on board of Mylan or Centra. Obvious place to look is for an older woman used to falling into line quietly. She is a nice person.
May 21, 2008 at 2:46 pm
What are uneducated brow beaten hillbillies to do about the sophisticated
big pharma and insurance industry corruption clouding our state like a runaway slurry spill?
If I worked for WVU or for the state government I would join the most vocal workers union I could find and organize my work place to fight this corruption long before the snow ever starts to fall this November.
Then, come this November to remember, the Government will fear We the people more than the people fear this corrupt government.
We, the people of this Great State of West Virginia, will vote to change this state of denial in exchange for the better government we will earn by voting to restore accountability as ratified by the Constitutions with real checks and balances. We will not vote for the Repugs and their total occupation of corruption, nor will we vote for the Dem-rats and their “Spread ‘um for Business” corrupt influence pandering to the special interests. There are other choices than Dem-rats and Repugs, even if the bought and paid for special interest media holding company refuses to report the facts.
We the People of West Virginia will vote for our own party – the WV Mountain Party – to put an end to the corruption of state government by unaccountable yes men and the royal family of special interests.
WVU is the place to be, to educate, agitate and organize accordingly.