Let's Not Rush Into Anything

University drafts first sustainable climate plan
By 2050, the University hopes to achieve climate neutrality, net zero emissions

I Was Standing, You Were There

In a City/Region story about the wide disparity in fund raising between Peter DeFazio and Sid Leiken for the big 4th District race (DeFazio is out raising him 5 to 1), the R-G casually mentions that Leiken's biggest supporter (other than his mom, one would suspect) is none other than newly-appointed Board of Higher Education member Allyn Ford.

So, Leiken won't be able to go to Washington to be an insignificant member of a minoroity party, but his boy will have the power to mess up higher education here in Oregon. Peachy.

Walk On

A quick shout-out to my brothers and sisters in the University of California Higher Education system that are participating in a walkout today.

I'm thinking the reasons for this walkout - that the UC system largely left faculty out of the decision making process during this budget crisis - might show labor the way forward in these difficult monetary times. Control of the means of production Voice, dignity, and respect need to be our themes when bread and butter are not options.

Three Thoughts on A Tuesday Morning

1. What the Register-Guard did to Ernie Kent today is just shitty. Everyone with an interest in local sports knows that Kent's team did not do great last year and we all know his job is on the line. What we don't need is a 1500 word article speculating on who his replacement might be, if he is, indeed, fired. The man lives in this town too. A lot of people in this area are either newly out-of-work or facing that prospect, I can't help but think of the pain that it would cause them to wake up one day and see that their local paper was dedicating a large amount of resources to speculating on who might replace them, should they be fired in the next couple of days. This article could have been saved for the day after Kent was fired, if such a thing happens (let's hope not).

2. This weekend, I bought a "Let It Be" t-shirt from the fine purveyors of clothing and home accessories at the JC Penny, and when I put it on I noticed the the lettering was all off center and not straight across the shirt. I asked some friends last night if the flaws actually made the shirt, sort of a "wabi-sabi" type thing. They said yes, but since I have a touch of the OCD about me, this morning I was thinking I might take it back. Plus, the shirt is officially licensed by the Apple Corp and made by the finest hands the Bangladeshi needle trades have to offer, so I naturally suspected that this shirt was some sort of freak error and a short trip to the VRC would have me looking fine and feeling good. A quick check of the JC Penny website, however, convinces me that some designer was going for a wabi-sabi look on purpose, which kind of ruins the effect in my mind.

On a side note, I also purchased this Star Wars tee. I did so after much soul searching. I like the shirt and all, but I have a hard time getting past the fact that Yoda is on it. You see, all the characters on the shirt, save Yoda, are from the first Star Wars movie. Yoda didn't come into it until Empire. They replaced Leia with Yoda for some reason. Okay, we know the reason and it bothers me. Not enough to not drop $8.88 on the shirt mind you, but if you see me wearing the shirt, know that I am aware of the issues. Plus, the Penny's ad would like me to know that I can "Feed your obsession with this official Star War T-shirt." Star War? Jeebus, I question the whole shopping day.

3. After a full calendar week of work in my bathroom, ten full days after Glenn and I did the tear out, double digit days with no shower in my house, the two tile guys are scheduled, scheduled, to lay the first tile today. Just know that next time we are all cracking on how I have the cushiest job in the world, I may laugh along and join in, but in my mind I will be thinking, "I should have gotten into the tile game."

Tax the Poor!

The University of Oregon, like every university in the US of A is struggling with their budget. Times are tough. Cuts must be made. Or, if not cuts, revenue must be raised. UO President Dave Frohnmayer is proposing to raise tuition for the Spring term. Delicious. I share with Dave not only a powerhouse name, but a firm belief that when times are tough you should immediately turn to the poorest and most vulnerable amongst you and exploit the hell out of them. They have no other options, right?

Okay, so here are three ideas for raising revenue/cutting costs at the UO that have nothing to do with raising costs for students or cutting pay for teachers (which the UO can't do without really risking its AAU credentials, which I understand are dicey at best).

1. The athletic department is self-funded. They got lots of dough. Cabbage. Green. What it takes to get along. In fact, I believe they have a $200 million "Legacy Fund" that I am sure is being prudently invested and is generating more do-re-mi. Now, I know that the UO and the athletic department are separate entities and that anyone from the academic side of the school who mentions the athletic department at all is just a whiner who should put down the microscope long enough to figure out a way to earn the UO some bread, but bear with me.

When times were not so good for athletics at the UO (see 1969-1995), the athletic department was subsidized by the academic side of things. It was kept alive because being affiliated with the Pac 10 was better than not being affiliated and probably just through inertia. Believe me, not many people were paying attention to Duck football in the 1980s (certainly not Phil "I've attended every home football game since the Ducks went to the Rose Bowl" Knight). So turn-about being fair play, I don't think it is silly to suggest that the athletic department subsidize the academic side of things during tough times. If only because the NCAA is so particular about their semi-pro sports franchises being affiliated with an institution of higher learning.

Which, of course, brings us back to that Legacy Fund. I know we can't touch it. From what I've read, the UO keeps a stable of lawyers on hand whose sole job it is to draw up binding agreements to make sure that the academic side of the fence can't get its grubby mitts on a single dime of athletics money. Fortunately, we don't need actual Legacy Fund dollars. We just need to charge the athletics department a fee for the use of the name "University of Oregon." I suggest that fee be equivalent to 2% of whatever happens to be in the Legacy Fund. This will not bankrupt or harm the Legacy Fund one bit and bring an immediate $4 million to the academic side of the university.

2. I am going to acknowledge right up front that I don't know a lot about Emeritus faculty at the UO. It is quite possible that they (very silently) keep this university running. I do know that the UO pays Emeritus faculty $1.7 million a year to work 21.0 FTE. According to my calculations, that's $81,000 a year per. That's some hefty money. I have no idea if unilaterally cutting Emeritus off is a good idea or even feasible. I'm just saying that there's some savings to be had.

3. This may be crazy, but what if the administration and athletics coaches (there I go again) take a pay cut? Or maybe the top 10% of earners at the UO? What if the president of the University forwent his salary for the year? There's $400K or so right there.

Okay, so I know I am just talking crazy. None of these ideas are even mildly feasible as people who have power at the UO would be affected. Instead, let's raise tuition for the kids. Not only do they not have a voice at the UO, but I am sure they will be reminded that it's just more loans, so they shouldn't really care.

....

While I am here, let me acknowledge that Frohnmayer is not really the bad guy in this situation. The bad guys are in Salem. They continually cut funding for higher ed, which forces colleges and universities to raise tuition, the tuition paying parents predictably howl, and the legislature goes all "populist" and prevents colleges and universities from raising tuition. I am sure there is a goodly amount of waste on your average college campus, but the institution really does need money to pay people to educate students. It really does need to administer the programs. It really does need secretaries, janitors, and tech guys. No one is getting rich here (well, a couple of people are, but that may be beside the point). The UO needs to pay its bills. While I would not turn to the students for more money as my first, second, or third option, I understand the (continual) frustration about money at the UO.

Thank You, Come Again

In my readings about the great Phil Knight and his great donation to the "University of Oregon," I have learned a couple of things that I'd pass on to my academic friends.

By now we're all very tired of familiar with the idea that the university is a business and the students are customers. You give good grades because you want to keep the customers happy. You show movies because you want to keep your customers happy. And, if your department is in financial straights, the only reasonable solution is to attract more customers to your department by, you know, not teaching, well, history or anything else the young people might not like.

But did you know that not only students are customers in the university setting? No sir (or ma'am, if you happen to swing that way), donors are also customers. That's right, Phil Knight is the UO's biggest customer and, like all good businesses, the UO needs to be responsive to its customer. And when an employee, say a track coach, basketball coach, and/or athletic director upsets a customer, then that employee needs to be dismissed. That's the way it's done in the business world, and it's high time the eggheads realize that this is what it is like in the real world.

Another customer of the university is the taxpayer. You are probably familiar with this one. It is the university's duty to provide the customer with a product they can be happy about. And believe me, they are not happy with these egghead professors and their anti-America horseshit. Thank God at the UO we have successful athletic teams or we'd be getting even less money from our customers.

Thank God indeed.

Yes, the only people in the entire world who are not customers of the university, and therefore have nothing to say about how the business should be run, are, of course, the faculty.