March 19-21, 2012
Mar 19 02:30 That's the secret to solving our energy crisis? Mar 19 04:00 What aviation duplication? Mar 19 11:19 Tim Walz is a "proven bipartisan moderate"? Mar 19 16:19 SCSU's inconsistent behavior puzzling Mar 20 11:21 Photo ID doesn't have bipartisan support? Mar 20 15:40 Rules Committee debate on Photo ID gets contentious Mar 21 09:19 The Aviation Gospel according to President Potter Mar 21 19:38 NFL Commissioner Goodell punishes Saints, ends Saints Injury for Hire system
Prior Years: 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
That's the secret to solving our energy crisis?
When I read Anti-Energy Secretary Chu's comments, it explained this administration's energy policies. Here's what Chu said back then :
In 2008, Chu had argued that raising gasoline prices, through taxes, would make solar, wind and other renewable energy technologies competitive with fossil fuels.
Doesn't it sounds like Chu thinks "solar, wind and other renewable energy technologies" won't be competitive without government interference? Doesn't it sound like Chu thinks it's ok for families to experience a significant increase in their cost of living? With campaign season upon us, though, Chu's singing a different tune:
Energy Secretary Steven Chu reversed his stance on high gasoline prices, telling a Senate committee Tuesday, "Of course we don't want the price of gasoline to go up. We want it to go down."
If the election were behind us, Chu's statement would change dramatically. It's impossible to think that a true believer would abandon his beliefs. Here's what Dr. Chu really thinks:
Also on Tuesday, Chu staunchly defended the Energy Department's loan programs for alternative fuels, as he has since Fremont solar power firm Solyndra went bankrupt last year. He predicted that within 15 years, renewable energy will be able to compete with any new sources of traditional fossil fuels.
"There will come a day; I don't know whether it's in this decade or within a decade and a half, but it is not 30 years from today, renewable energy...will be the same as any new form of energy, it will be as competitive," Chu said.
Dr. Chu is a former "UC Berkeley physicist and Nobel laureate", which means he understands the difference between emotion-based opinions and scientifically proven facts. It's impossible for Chu, or anyone else for that matter, to know whether alternative energy will be competitive. It's possible for Chu to speculate but it's impossible to know.
In Dr. Chu's own words, he admitted that alternatives would never be as inexpensive as fossil fuels without direct government interference through excessive taxation or draconian restrictions on drilling. Without that type of intervention, fossil fuels will remain the cheaper alternative, with the exception of nuclear power.
While Dr. Chu says he'd like for gas prices to drop, industry experts don't see that happening :
As an energy analyst acknowledged by top manufacturers, distributors and end users in the vast and fast-growing U.S. fossil fuel and renewable energy industry, I dispute the conclusions conveyed in the article that suggested the $5 cost per gallon of gas at the pump is fading as a nationwide probability.
My contrary contention, backed by former CEO of Shell Oil John Hofmeister, is not only due to the geopolitical threats posed by Iran, but also the turmoil in Syria, and the loss of production from Egypt, Libya, Iraq and Nigeria, all of which are experiencing oil production threatening internal problems.
In other words, thanks to Dr. Chu's anti-drilling policies and President Obama's decision to halt the Keystone XL Pipeline project, Americans will face difficult situations this summer.
President Obama's and Dr. Chu's sunny talk are worthless. Their actions say everything that needs to be said.
Tags: President Obama , Steven Chu , Nobel Scholar , Physicist , Gas Prices , Global Warming , Alternative Energy , Democrats , Fossil Fuels , John Hofmeister , Shell Oil , Election 2012
Posted Monday, March 19, 2012 2:30 AM
No comments.
What aviation duplication?
While reading this article , this paragraph jumped off the page at me:
Foss addressed the issue by saying, 'We didn't directly speak to Mankato. One of the criteria we looked at in all of the programs was uniqueness. We don't have to have every degree program. If we had programs that were truly unique, even if it was small, that was factored positively into the assessment of that program. If other institutions offered a similar program, we had a little more flexibility in our decision. The fact that Mankato had a program, we took into consideration because both of uniqueness of offering and duplication.'
To the average observer, Ms. Foss's point seems legitimate. To people who've studied aviation accrediting, Ms. Foss's statement seems like total nonsense. When Ms. Foss suggested that Mankato's aviation program was similar to SCSU's aviation program, she either accidentally made a sloppy statement or she was intentionally misleading people.
The similarity between SCSU's and MSU-Mankato's programs end with the name of the program. That's because SCSU's program is AABI-accredited. AABI stands for "Aviation Accreditation Board International." This webpage gives a good picture of why AABI accreditation is important:
Advantages
- Increases the attractiveness of the program to prospective students and their parents by ensuring that the program meets accepted standards of quality.
- Ensures employers that graduates possess a broad background in the aviation industry as well as skills needed for aviation specializations.
- Assures institutions that their aviation programs will periodically perform a comprehensive self-analysis to achieve their objectives.
- Keeps aviation educators in contact with other faculty, industry advisors, and practicing aviation professionals.
SCSU is one of only 26 universities nationwide who are AABI-certified. That's a significant differentiation between SCSU and MSU-Mankato. It's important information because industry experts expect a severe airline pilot shortage over the next 20 years. This statement didn't make sense to me, either:
Foss said, ' This was a decision that was forced upon us because we were facing real financial constraints and we had to make tough choices on what we were going to do and what we weren't going to do. It required us to make the real, hard decisions about what we were going to do. What the university, with the Strategic Planning Committee, had to do was look at what was in the best interest of the entire institution and the entire student population. When you're increasingly more tuition-dependent, you increasingly have to look at things like profitability in programs.'
I'd imagine that this was a difficult decision for the SCSU Strategic Planning Commission to make. It isn't easy to eliminate a program that's needed, both in the short- and long-term, while keeping the Social Responsibility Masters Degree program. I'd love finding out how many post-graduate students of the program were hired in their area of expertise. I'd love knowing how many students get their Masters, then find themselves overeducated and underemployed .
If the Strategic Planning Commission thinks that's a wise decision, then I'd argue that it's time to fire the people on that commission and replace them with people who know what they're doing. President Potter has lost control of the campus. He's losing reputation with St. Cloud's civic and business leaders, too. That's due, at least in part, to the decisions he's signed off on. Closing SCSU's Aviation Department at a time when there's a predicted 20-year long pilot shortage is foolish.
Tags: Aviation Department , Earl Potter , SCSU , AABI , Lisa Foss , Social Responsibility , Strategic Planning Commission , Mankato State , Pilot Shortage
Posted Monday, March 19, 2012 4:00 AM
Comment 1 by Patrick Mattson at 19-Mar-12 07:32 AM
(Lisa) Foss said that one of the reasons that SCSU did not close the (Nursing) program was because SCSU has a responsibility to serve the public with health care providers, adding, 'From a social-contract perspective, what is the state looking for us to provide: qualified healthcare providers. We've created a school of Health and Human Services because that area of health and healthcare related fields is exploding. From a strategic alignment perspective, even though Nursing is expensive, it is a social need.'
Pure bunk Lisa but then you have finally exposed the administration's true agenda - socialism and liberal thinking! Are you aware that without the aviation system most of what we enjoy today becomes local? Think about it - easily traveling to your next vacation or getting that package you ordered via FedEx would not be possible without aviation. So nice try on that "social-contract perspective". PS - did you know that before 2000 Nursing was not even taught at SCSU but thanks to a former Dean it now consumes too much of the resources.
In my opinion, the closure of the Aviation Department was pre-determined PRIOR to any talk of reorganization.
Tim Walz is a "proven bipartisan moderate"?
It's occasionally possible to ignore dishonest statements from politicians. I can't do that after reading this article . Tim Walz made this dishonest statement recently:
For his part, Tim Walz doesn't seem concerned about Republican challengers. He said he's a proven bipartisan moderate despite the Republican rhetoric.
"Every time you make these types of cases that Walz is in lock-step with Nancy Pelosi or Barack Obama and then the NRA runs an ad for me it really starts to question your credibility," he said.
Walz also said his victory in the 2010 over former state Rep.Randy Demmer, when many other Democrats around the country were defeated, demonstrates his strength among 1st District voters.
What part of Walz's record says that he's bipartisan? It certainly isn't bipartisan to vote for the stimulus bill. That bill got 3 GOP votes in the Senate, none in the House. It certainly isn't bipartisan to carry a minimum wage bill as a freshman that shielded then-Speaker Pelosi's husband from the minimum wage increase.
In fact, those sound like the types of things that only a Pelosi lapdog would do.
That's before talking about his voting, repeatedly, for Obamacare. That isn't proof of Walz's bipartisan nature. It's proof of his partisan nature.
As for his defeating Randy Demmer in 2010, that isn't proof of his bipartisan nature. It's proof that the Demmer campaign didn't do a good enough job of exposing Walz's liberal voting record.
This is a new election cycle. Mike Parry is certainly a tougher matchup for Walz than Demmer was. This isn't being disrespectful of Demmer. It's just that his spending 8 years in the state legislature made him a target of Walz's demagoguery.
Mike Parry is a businessman who's served a briefly in the Minnesota Senate. Sen. Parry is only in his second term but he's already the chair of the Senate State Government Innovation and Veterans Committee, one of the most powerful committees in the Senate.
The bottom line is that Tim Walz isn't a moderate. You can't vote for Cap and Trade, Obamacare and the stimulus and be a moderate.
Tags: Tim Walz , Stimulus , Cap And Trade , Obamacare , Minimum Wage , Pelosi , Corruption , DFL , Mike Parry , MNGOP , Election 2012
Posted Monday, March 19, 2012 11:19 AM
No comments.
SCSU's inconsistent behavior puzzling
When a department is closed at a MnSCU college or university, there's a procedure that's supposed to be followed. Part of that procedure is meeting with "the appropriate constituencies, including faculty, students and the community."
When the Aviation Department was terminated at SCSU, President Potter didn't follow that procedure. Based on this article in the SCSU Chronicle , a different procedure was followed in picking a new athletic director:
Daniel J. Schumacher, Josh Fenton, Heather L. Weems were the three finalists for the athletic director position at SCSU. An open forum was hosted by the SCSU athletic department on Wednesday.
The forum was open to everyone in St. Cloud. Finalists had their own forum in the different rooms and at different times at Halenback Hall. Each forum lasted 50 minutes. SCSU's staff, alumni and public had a 30 minute question and answer session with the finalists on each forum.
The first thing I thought of was a question. Why wasn't this procedure followed prior to shutting down the Aviation Department? Shouldn't the community have been entitled to ask President Potter, Provost Malhotra and Dean DeGroote? Shouldn't community leaders have had their input considered before a decision was made? Shouldn't terminating a jobs-producing program be given the same consideration, if not more consideration, as hiring SCSU's next AD?
The forums finished at 4:50 p.m. Those who attended had the chance to evaluate each finalist and returned their feedback by by 12 p.m. on Thursday to the President's Office.
Community leaders didn't get the opportunity to voice their opinions on the Aviation Program's closing. It's fair to ask whether that's because President Potter didn't want to hear the community's input on whether he should terminate SCSU's Aviation Department. It isn't a stretch to think that he didn't because many of the people who contribute to SCSU are big supporters of the Aviation Department.
It's a sad day when the community has greater input opportunities in hiring SCSU's AD than they had when deciding which programs to close. That's what poor prioritization looks like.
President Potter is losing control of the campus. There are issues swirling that are beyond his control. That's likely to affect his administration going forward. If President Potter doesn't quickly address these issues, he'll lose credibility with civic and business leaders.
Tags: Earl Potter , Halenbeck Hall , Community Input , Athletic Director , Aviation , MnSCU , SCSU
Posted Monday, March 19, 2012 4:19 PM
Comment 1 by Nick at 19-Mar-12 07:08 PM
My website http://www.savescsuaviation.com/ is nearly ready to go to the major newspapers and TV stations in MN and a few in WI. Still have to put a video in there, change the favicon (icon in the address bar), and have to have SCSU Aviation Alumni post in the guestbook what track of aviation that they went for, where they work right now, and why the SCSU Aviation Department helped them get the job that they currently have. Once those things happen, I will send the website and have the major newspapers in MN and WI, and the major TV stations in MN run a story about the SCSU Aviation Program. And btw, all of the city council videos are up!!!
Response 1.1 by Gary Gross at 19-Mar-12 08:53 PM
Thanks Nick.
Comment 2 by Bob J. at 20-Mar-12 09:11 AM
I counted nine grammatical and spelling errors in the first three paragraphs and photo cutline at the link. In addition to having well-documented problems with institutional control, someone at SCSU needs instruction in basic writing skills.
Good catch, Gary.
Photo ID doesn't have bipartisan support?
DFL politicians consistently say Photo ID doesn't have bipartisan support. It's true that Photo ID doesn't have bipartisan legislative support. That doesn't mean rank-and-file Democrats don't support Photo ID. It just means DFL politicians aren't listening to their constituents.
Rep. John Benson is the latest DFL politician making the claim :
Democrats argued against inserting political policy in the constitution. "Constitutional amendments ought to be bipartisan. This one is very partisan," said Rep. John Benson, DFL-Minnetonka.
I wrote here that Photo ID has bipartisan support:
Party affiliation - Yes, 92% of Republicans support voter ID. So do 76% of independents: and 59% of those wingnutty Democrats in Minnesota, too.
With near-unanimous support amongst Republicans and three-fourths of independents, it's impossible to claim this constitutional amendment doesn't have bipartisan support. Even 60% of DFL voters support Photo ID.
If politicians recite the DFL's Photo ID chanting points, they'll lose credibility with independents, the people who decide elections.
Paul Thissen's behavior won't play well with independents, either:
The mood of the hearing grew unusually tense, particularly when House Majority Leader Matt Dean, R-Dellwood, ended the debate and called for a vote. House Minority Leader Paul Thissen, DFL-Minneapolis, urged Dean not to cut off the discussion.
"Representative Thissen, we've been discussing this amendment for 45 minutes," Dean said.
Thissen later told Dean that he thought it was interesting that he was suppressing debate on a measure to suppress voting.
Rep. Thissen isn't a man of integrity. He's a punk, a partisan obstructionist and a saboteur . He isn't honest.
Rep. Thissen knows that Photo Id doesn't suppress voting. That's another DFL myth about Photo ID. It doesn't have a basis in fact. If they had proof, they wouldn't rely on allegations.
It's time to call Rep. Thissen out. Where's the proof that Photo ID suppresses voter turnout? Where's the proof that shows state and county governments can't get drivers licenses or state ID cards to seniors, minorities and young people?
Don't forget that allegations, whether they're made by the Secretary of State's office, by DFL activists or somebody else, aren't proof.
In 2009, the DFL leadership pushed for limiting debate on bills, both in committee and on the floor. I watched that debate. Rep. Thissen didn't lift a finger to speak out against those limitations. In 2009, Rep. Thissen fully supported silencing the minority.
If the DFL continues to ignore the vast majority of Minnesotans, that's their option. Republican legislative candidates won't hesitate in highlighting the DFL's willingness to put their special interests first , their constituents last .
This paragraph is troubling:
But the effort to forge a bipartisan voter ID compromise hasn't gained much traction. After Gov. Mark Dayton vetoed a voter ID bill last session, Republicans have made it a priority to take the issue to voters this fall. Dayton cannot veto a constitutional amendment.
The important thing to remember in this fight is that DFL politicians don't want to do the right thing. In this instance, doing the right thing is doing what the vast majority of Minnesotans want.
Compromise isn't a virtue if there's overwhelming support for legislation. In this instance, an overwhelming portion of Minnesotans want Photo ID. If anyone should move, it's the DFL. Why should the GOP move when they're on the 76% side of a 76-18% issue?
If the DFL wants to be stubborn about Photo ID, they should prepare to pay the price for their obstructionism.
Tags: Photo ID , Mark Dayton , John Benson , Paul Thissen , DFL , Matt Dean , Polling , MNGOP , Elections
Posted Tuesday, March 20, 2012 11:21 AM
Comment 1 by Chad Q at 20-Mar-12 04:59 PM
I believe voter turnout has gone up in states where voter ID has been made law. Voter suppression is just a red herring the DFL is trying to make stick because they know their days of ballot box stuffing will be over.
What are seniors and other on medicare going to do now that they have to provide a photo ID to obtain care? Will Eric Holder and the DOJ sue the feds? I think not.
Rules Committee debate on Photo ID gets contentious
During yesterday's Rules Committee hearing on HF2738, DFL Rep. Norton asked some questions that HF2738 Chief Auther Rep. Kiffmeyer answered. Here's a partial transcript of their exchange:
REP. NORTON: As I looked at the bill, it seems to me that, if you show up same day voting, you're going to have to be verified if you don't have photo ID. How will that happen?
REP. KIFFMEYER: In regards to same day voting, first of all, there will be a very strong voter education effort, mailings, hotlines, working with Catholic Charities, Lutheran Social Services. I'm confident that if this passes the voters, that we will enact it in a bipartisan fashion to make sure that we are inclusive to get every single voter to get them the ID. I'm confident, Rep. Norton, that we will work together to do that, that there will be no disenfranchisement.
REP. NORTON: Mr. Chairman, the question still hasn't been...If a person comes and wants to vote on the same day and they do not have ID, how will you make certain that we will continue with that strong voter turnout? What will the process be for that voter?
REP. KIFFMEYER: In regards to that, starting first of all with the voter education campaign, making it very clear concerted effort. If, after all of that, if on election day, they still do not have their voter ID, they will be able to cast a provisional ballot.
REP. NORTON: That is a concern to me and a concern to many voters who want their vote counted on the day of the election.
Rep. Norton's last statement is troubling. Provisional balloting has been federal law since 2002. HAVA, aka the Help America Vote Act, received overwhelming bipartisan support :
A bill to require States and localities to meet uniform and nondiscriminatory election technology and administration requirements applicable to Federal elections, to establish grant programs to provide assistance to States and localities to met those requirements and to improve election technology and the administration of Federal elections, to establish the Election Administration Commission, and for other purposes.
Vote Counts:
YEAs: 92
NAYs: 2
Not Voting: 6
A substantive U.S. Senate bill that gets 92 votes has strong bipartisan support. The only senators voting against HAVA were Chuck Schumer and Hillary Clinton. Even Mark Dayton voted for provisional ballots. The system has been in place since the 2004 election. It's been praised by Republicans and Democrats alike. Why would Rep. Norton have a problem with provisional ballots?
In going through the audio for the Rules Committee hearing, Rep. John Benson's statement jumped off the page. Here's what he said:
REP. JOHN BENSON: Just a comment first. Constitutional amendments should be bipartisan and so I think that's one of the biggest problems I have. We have a proposal here which is very partisan and usually, constitutional amendments have more broad support.
That statement is infuriating. Photo ID has overwhelming bipartisan support. It just doesn't have broad bipartisan legislative support. That's a major distinction that can' be ignored.
It's a major distinction because rank-and-file Democrats support the bill by a 59%-41% margin. In fact, as I wrote here , Photo ID has overwhelming support across the political spectrum:
Party affiliation - Yes, 92% of Republicans support voter ID. So do 76% of independents: and 59% of those wingnutty Democrats in Minnesota, too.
I've said it before and I'll repeat it again. If the DFL wants to ignore their constituents while obeying their special interest masters, that's their right, at least until the next election.
The most contentious moment in the hearing came when Rep. Thissen threw a hissy fit. Here's that exchange:
REP. THISSEN: I did want to follow up on one answer you gave previously. Ccan you just tell me -- I don't need alot of sentences, just kind of short answers that answers the question -- what on an ID -- what's going to be on an ID that's going to be on the poll book that Rep. Norton is talking about? ... So I'm wondering what you're expecting to see that isn't going to be in this electronic poll book with pictures because you've kinda said "Well, it's different." I'd just like you to explain it to me, and you don't have to use alot of words. I just want to know what you're looking for in addition to what's in this poll book that's going to be on an ID.
REP. KIFFMEYER: First of all, a photo alone is an unreliable...
REP. THISSEN: It's not photo alone...
REP. DEAN: Rep. Thissen, Rep. Kiffmeyer is trying to answer your question. If you would simply allow her to answer your question with the respect she deserves, Rep. Thissen...
Rep. Thissen's spoiled brat routine is getting tiresome. Most importantly, it's mostly a contrived act. It's time Rep. Thissen started acting like a leader, not a high school punk.
Tags: Photo ID , Matt Dean , Rules Committee , Mary Kiffmeyer , HAVA , MNGOP , Paul Thissen , John Benson , Kim Norton , Voter Fraud , DFL , Elections
Posted Tuesday, March 20, 2012 3:40 PM
Comment 1 by J. Ewing at 21-Mar-12 07:57 AM
Seems to me that voters who "want their vote counted on election day" would make sure they have the proper ID. End of discussion. And I am disappointed that Ms. Kiffmeyer didn't point out that you must have valid photo ID to register and vote same day under current law.
Comment 2 by Gary Gross at 21-Mar-12 08:50 AM
Jerry, During the hearing, Rep. Kiffmeyer mentioned that. I just didn't include it in the article.
Comment 3 by Bob J. at 21-Mar-12 02:52 PM
"It's time Rep. Thissen started acting like a leader, not a high school punk."
Just a note .. I won't follow any place Thissen "leads".
Comment 4 by eric z at 21-Mar-12 04:11 PM
When is she going to put Ralph's bill in the hopper? Oh, wait, ALEC is not pressing bill texts in that arena. She's more to do than resurrect Ralph's wonder. She has to keep ALEC happy.
Comment 5 by Gary Gross at 21-Mar-12 05:45 PM
ALEC is a boogeyman. Yes, they've written sample texts of bills on various issues but it isn't like the MNGOP legislators take their marching orders from the Koch Brothers or ALEC.
If I understand it correctly, legislators can subscribe to ALEC, then read their articles & access ALEC's legislation.
Comment 6 by J. Ewing at 21-Mar-12 06:00 PM
Anybody that thinks "electronic poll books" even "with photos" needs to answer two simple questions:
1. Given that one can get onto the poll books today with no identification whatsoever, and in fact someone else can register you or some nonexistent person, what makes you think that electronic poll books are any improvement whatsoever?
2. How do you think people are going to get their photos into this electronic poll book, and how would that be any different than having to get a photo ID?
The Aviation Gospel according to President Potter
Over the past 18 months, I've written about the different stories President Potter has used to rationalize his shutting down the Aviation Department. Thanks to a new website, (Check it out here .) we now have President Potter in his own words on video. Here is President Potter in his own contradictory words:
According to President Potter's Convocation Address in August, 2007, President Potter remarked how the Aviation program had positioned itself on the "national radar" with its unique on-site labs at Twin Cities corporate flight departments. By December, 2010, President Potter had changed his opinion of SCSU's Aviation program:
POTTER: Accreditors had noted the deficiency of the curriculum and, for two years, no progress was made."
That statement is especially noteworthy because the AABI accreditors didn't get to the SCSU Aviation Program offices until July, 2009. Their report wasn't issued until August, 2009. That means only 16 months lapsed between AABI's report and President Potter's statement.
Anyone who's been in management knows that something as dramatic as closing a major department knows the closing will be documented 9 ways to Sunday. They'll dot their I's and cross their T's. If AABI had noted the deficiency of the curriculum, they wouldn't be off by more than half a year. They would've cited it in months, days and hours.
When you're in management, documenting things like that is vitally important because of the litigious society we live in.
I made a Data Practices Act Request for all e-communications between AABI and either President Potter, Provost Devinder Malhotra or Dean DeGroote. I didn't see any emails from AABI, the accrediting organization, to President Potter, Provost Malhotra or Dean DeGroote that criticized the curriculum.
There certainly wasn't a string of emails between AABI and President Potter, Provost Malhotra or Dean DeGroote saying that the curriculum wasn't improving.
Adding to President Potter's credibility difficulties is President Potter's quote in the Star Tribune:
We have very fine students in a strong program that we can no longer afford.
That quote was published in a May 26,2011 article by Tony Kennedy. The trail of contradictory statements doesn't stop there. On August 15, 2011, President Potter spoke at a St. Cloud City Council study session. Here's what he said then:
It was not a judgment that it was a poor program; it was a successful program.
A pattern has emerged, a pattern that shows President Potter saying mostly positive things about the Aviation program in public but negative things about the program when speaking to a campus audience.
President Potter can't have it both ways. He can't claim that those statements don't contradict each other.
The First Amendment protects President Potter's right to say these things. It doesn't protect his credibility, however. That's only protected by President Potter consistently telling the truth.
If President Potter continues to tell one thing to one group of people and another thing to other groups of people, President Potter's credibility will be irreparably damaged.
Tags: Earl Potter , Aviation Department , Devinder Malhotra , David DeGroote , Data Practices Act Requests , Accreditation , AABI , SCSU , City Council , STrib , Academia
Posted Wednesday, March 21, 2012 11:56 AM
Comment 1 by eric z at 21-Mar-12 04:07 PM
Flip flopping like that he could work on Romney's campaign.
Does SCSU have the problem the TC campus has, the old boys at the top with their hand out for handouts?
When I see tuition rising through the ceiling and student loan burdens non-dischargeable, and then slush funding at the top among role model folks, it galls.
Comment 2 by Gary Gross at 21-Mar-12 05:42 PM
Eric, Hop on into this. Yes, there's alot of good-old-boy-gladhanding happening. I've been told by U of M students about buildings built on the U of M campus with the equivalent of general fund money.
It wasn't that these buildings were important to improving student achievement. Several were built, I'm told, as Taj Majals to remember insignificant administrators. These administrators think that the buildings are part of their legacies. Meanwhile, tuitions keep rising, students accumulate excessive amounts of student loan debt. That doesn't sound like living the American Dream to me.
That's corruption by most people's standards, though not by these administrators' standards. I've always said that "there's no such thing as acceptable corruption."
We might disagree on the definition of corruption but if we see it, we report it.
Comment 3 by Patrick Mattson at 21-Mar-12 06:15 PM
The SCSU ISELF building fits into the category of feeding the current administrators' legacies - $45 million plus $14.5-million Wick addition and the $13.6-million renovation of Brown Hall. In 5 years brick and mortar will not be as relevant and the administrators will be long retired. $73.1 million dollars and my educated guess is they will not be fully utilized.
Comment 4 by Jethro at 21-Mar-12 09:07 PM
GAME OVER! If you are good, you may be able to defend a record of flip flopping on 2 or maybe 3 issues. However, the video clearly showed Potter flip flopping on 8 or 9 issues. What reasonable defense could any person in the same position use to overcome that many issues in a plausible defense? "I am sorry...I have been undergoing an intensive, regimented therapeutic program for my meth addiction so I wasn't thinking clearly for the last several years."
Response 4.1 by Gary Gross at 21-Mar-12 11:39 PM
Jethro, I couldn't agree more. What's more galling is that President Potter was supposed to follow a procedure mandated by the MnSCU Board of Trustees. Procedure 3.36.1 Subpart B to be precise:
1. Closure. Closure of an academic program must be approved by the chancellor. Approval will only be granted under the following circumstances:
•The closure is requested by a system college or university, and the chancellor determines that the documentation provided supports closure,
•The chancellor determines that closure is warranted, or
•The academic program has not been reinstated following a suspension.
The academic program closure application must be documented by information, as applicable, regarding
1.academic program need,
2.student enrollment trends,
3.employment of graduates,
4.the financial circumstances affecting the academic program, system college or university,
5.the plan to accommodate students currently enrolled in the academic program,
6.impact on faculty and support staff,
7.consultation with appropriate constituent groups including students, faculty and community,
8.alternatives considered, and
9.other factors affecting academic program operation.
A closed academic program cannot be relocated, replicated or reinstated.President Potter didn't document any of those mandated things. When it was reported to MnSCU, Larry Litecky, who's now conveniently retired, said that President Potter had met the criteria to their satisfaction. This wasn't based on any objective criteria. It was based on Litecky's willingness to bail President Potter out.
Comment 5 by Jethro at 22-Mar-12 12:46 AM
Does anyone think there are any "common themes" when it comes to the problems that are swirling across the SCSU campus like a hurricane?
http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/news/2012/02/22/opinion-scsu-has-shown-commitment-disunity-among-students-staff-and-faculty-color
Dr. Saffari's response: There is an assistant vice president for university marketing and communication who is principally responsible for developing marketing plans/initiatives. For the second time, the administration continues to spend significantly to hire external consultants to do what that office must be able to achieve, a practice that is becoming more common at SCSU. The hiring of California Earthbound Marketing Firm (one of several recently hired consultants, costing the university about $500,000) is just an example, especially during tough budget cuts and scarce resources.
Do you get the impression that Dr. Saffari, former Associate VP of Enrollment Management, started asking too many tough questions of the SCSU administrators? Spending close to the tune of a cool half-million dollars for an out of state marketing firm got what kind of results for the taxpayers?
Comment 6 by Gary Gross at 22-Mar-12 01:16 AM
Jethro, I don't think the Saffari firing was racist but I think it's quite possible he was terminated because President Potter doesn't like getting questioned.
IMO, President Potter's decisionmaking stinks. What type of university president ends a program that's training pilots at a time when experts are predicting a worldwide pilot shortage for each of the next 15-20 years?
What type of university president keeps open a Masters Degree program in Social Responsibility that helps graduates become (get this) government workers & community organizers?
Is that the right priorities? I don't think so.
NFL Commissioner Goodell punishes Saints, ends Saints Injury for Hire system
Earlier today, NFL Commish Roger Goodell lowered the boom on the New Orleans Saints for their bounty program and for their lying to league investigators.
Talking about a bounty program is a silly euphemism that doesn't tell the whole story. What the Saints operated was an injury for hire program, funded in part by players, like Jonathan Vilma, and by then-Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams.
As a result of Commissioner Goodell's ruling, Saints coach Sean Payton is suspended without pay for the 2012 season. That will cost Payton $8,500,000, his salary for 2012. That'll get his attention.
Gregg Williams, by contrast, is suspended indefinitely. It's likely that he's coached his last game in the NFL. What team owner will accept that type of risk, that type of scrutiny?
That's assuming Williams will eventually be re-instated. While that's likely, that doesn't mean that the NFL won't insist on close scrutiny of his defenses.
Saints GM Mickey Loomis got an eight game suspension without pay while Saints assistant head coach/linebackers coach Joe Vitt was suspended six games without pay.
Commissioner Goodell will issue his ruling on the 22-27 players allegedly involved in the injury-for-hire scandal after the NFLPA completes its investigation into the players allegedly involved.
For his family's sake, I hope Jonathan Vilma has set aside a year's worth of savings because he'll likely be suspended without pay for a year.
Commissioner Goodell did exactly the right thing in handing out these harsh penalties. Frankly, he would've been justified in meting out harsher penalties but these penalties are stiff enough to discourage other teams from engaging in injury-for-hire programs.
What's possibly most troubling is the list of QBs who were targeted with financial bounties: Aaron Rodgers, Brett Favre, Cam Newton and Kurt Warner. The Saints weren't just out to hit players hard. That's football.
They were out to end or severely damage players' careers. In Favre's and Warner's instances, the Saints' hits did end Hall of Fame careers. That isn't acceptable.
Hopefully, this will stop the NFL's worst PR nightmare. While the NFL can't prevent all injuries, they have an affirmative responsibility to penalize teams that operate injury-for-hire systems.
Tags: New Orleans Saints , Suspensions , Sean Payton , Mickey Loomis , Joe Vitt , Gregg Williams , Injury for Hire , Jonathan Vilma , Fines , Draft Picks , NFL , Roger Goodell , Brett Favre , Kurt Warner , Hall of Fame , Aaron Rodgers , Cam Newton
Posted Wednesday, March 21, 2012 7:38 PM
Comment 1 by Bob J. at 22-Mar-12 11:05 AM
No loss of first round draft choices and they get to keep that big silver thing they won. Good, but not quite good enough, especially to fans.
Comment 2 by walter hanson at 22-Mar-12 03:54 PM
Bob:
Did Jose C when he was talking about steroids ever say that Oakland should return all of it's title including the 1988 division championship which denied the Twins a chance to defend their world series title.
And who do you give the superbowl title to then the Colts who they beat or the Vikings because they were denied the chance to win it by the Saints cheating not to mention the refs who did rig the game for the Saints that day?
Walter Hanson
