Anonymous comments in the RG and UO Matters 05/31/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/anonymous-comments-in-the-rg-and-uo-matters.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Thrifty Oregon Psychologist Examiners still using Kitzhaber letterhead 05/30/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/thrifty-oregon-psychologist-examiners-still-using-kitzhaber-letterhead.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

News Roundtable: March 29, 2015

http://www.opb.org/radio/programs/thinkoutloud/segment/news-roundtable-march-29-2015/

Arizona State Hikes Tuition Dramatically, Yet Pays the Clintons $500,000 to Make an Appearance

http://libertyblitzkrieg.com/…/arizona-state-hikes-tuition…/

Around the O’s Jen McCulley reports on unanimous Senate vote for NCAA reform 05/28/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/around-the-os-jen-mcculley-reports-on-unanimous-senate-vote-for-ncaa-reform.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Reductions in FY16 Library Collections Purchases 05/29/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/reductions-in-fy16-library-collections-purchases.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Bill Harbaugh (Economics) to run for UO Senate President-Elect 05/29/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/bill-harbaugh-to-run-for-uo-senate-president-elect.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Chickens (HBO)

Bargaining XIII: UO administration proposes to cut the faculty’s real wages 05/28/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/bargaining-xi-union-to-counter-admins-64-chevy-van-proposal-today.html

UO Matters to cease publication, halt incessant public records requests & snark 05/27/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/uo-matters-to-cease-publication-halt-incessant-public-records-requests-snark.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

UO files $8.5M lawsuit over alleged Global Scholars Hall defects 05/28/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/uo-files-8-5m-lawsuit-over-alleged-global-scholars-hall-defects.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

I’m talking to him now. It’s dynamite. Come hear Bunsis at 6PM 05/28/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/uo-faculty-union-brings-back-bunsis-thursday-6pm.html

Another brave sexual assault survivor, and more UO institutional betrayal 05/28/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/another-brave-sexual-assault-survivor-and-more-uo-institutional-betrayal.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Walter Byers, Ex-N.C.A.A. Leader Who Rued Corruption, Dies at 93

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/28/sports/walter-byers-ex-ncaa-leader-who-rued-corruption-dies-at-93.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&smid%3D=tw-nytsports&_r=0

UO Matters to cease publication, halt incessant public records requests & snark 05/27/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/uo-matters-to-cease-publication-halt-incessant-public-records-requests-snark.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

New Non-Invasive Alzheimer’s Treatment FULLY Restores Memory Function

New Non-Invasive Alzheimer’s Treatment FULLY Restores Memory Function

Video: CAIR in the News

What it feels like to be stereotyped | The World

VP Holmes announces sole candidate for unfortunately titled “AVP for Sexual Assault” job 05/27/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/instead-of-firing-penny-daugherty-coltrane-to-hire-avp-to-do-her-job.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

The man who wouldn’t delete Kitzhaber’s emails, and a UO archives update 05/27/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/the-man-who-wouldnt-delete-kitzhabers-emails-and-a-uo-archives-update.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

More athletic corruption, big to small 05/26/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/more-athletic-corruption-big-to-small.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Clusters of excellence hiring 05/26/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/clusters-of-excellence-hiring.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

The Whistleblower Michael Rodgers has a secret: He’s the one who leaked Gov. John Kitzhaber’s emails. Here’s why he did it.

http://wweek.com/portland/article-24792-the_whistleblower.html



https://www.facebook.com/groups/justice4nadiasindi www.davefrohnmayer.com Please sign petition. https://www.change.org/petitions/a-g-eric-holder-sent-jeff-merkley-gov-john-kitzhaber-investigate-abuse-of-power-and-criminal-forgery-by-former-oregon-a-g-david-frohnmayer-and-lane-county-government#share

A brief history of “civility” and its abuses, ancient and current 05/26/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/a-brief-history-of-civility-and-its-abuses-ancient-and-current.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

The New Thought Police Why are campus administrators invoking civility to silence critical speech?

http://www.thenation.com/article/204481/new-thought-police?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

Senate meets Wed 5/27 on courses, awards, new grad programs, NCAA and UO history reforms 05/25/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/senate-meets-wed-527-on-courses-awards-new-programs-ncaa-reform-uo-history.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Law school spent $4.6M on scholarships this year, up from $300K in 2011 05/25/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/law-school-spent-4-6m-on-scholarships-this-year-up-from-300k-in-2011.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

RG reports on UO’s proposed health insurance plan 05/24/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/rg-reports-on-uos-proposed-health-insurance-plan.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

John Nash and wife die in NJ car crash 05/24/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/john-nash-and-wife-die-in-nj-car-crash.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Does UO have a strategic plan for Portland yet? 05/24/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/how-much-has-uo-pissed-away-in-portland.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

UNC-Chapel Hill announces receiving NCAA notice of allegations

http://uncnews.unc.edu/2015/05/22/unc-chapel-hill-announces-receiving-ncaa-notice-of-allegations/

UO faculty union brings back Bunsis, Thursday 6PM 05/22/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/uo-faculty-union-brings-back-bunsis-thursday-6pm.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

« Ombudsman McAllister delivers SOJC climate reportUO faculty union brings back Bunsis, Thursday 6PM » Congratulations! 05/22/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/congratulations.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

PAC-12 bosses make millions off unpaid athletes 05/21/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/pac-12-bosses-make-millions-off-unpaid-athletes.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Audit of athletic dept risks due this fall – and another cut to Duck subsidies? 05/20/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/audit-of-athletic-dept-risks-due-this-fall-and-another-cut-to-duck-subsidies.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Sonny Vaccaro – from teaching to Nike to Adidas to O’Bannon 05/20/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/sonny-vaccaro-from-teaching-to-nike-to-adidas-to-obannon.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

End

End

http://www.jeffmerkley.com/petition/end-too-big-to-jail/f/


https://www.facebook.com/groups/justice4nadiasindi www.davefrohnmayer.com Please sign petition. https://www.change.org/petitions/a-g-eric-holder-sent-jeff-merkley-gov-john-kitzhaber-investigate-abuse-of-power-and-criminal-forgery-by-former-oregon-a-g-david-frohnmayer-and-lane-county-government#share

Common Cause – Thank you for taking action on money in Oregon politics.

Common Cause – Thank you for taking action on money in Oregon politics.

I ran five times for public offices,2003  LCC Board, 2005 4J School Board,2008  Lane County Commissioner N.Seat,2010 City Councilor, and 2012 Lane County Commission!  Each time I was cheated and my name was not on the ballot. "Voter fraud". 

I've been unemployed since 2001.  I've lost my fully paid Condo, by fraud & forgery! None of the government official stopped this crime!

I filed with OSB and tried to hire an attorney to represent me. But no attorney would take my case! Since it's against public officials! 

I can't pay off my student loan. I don't have any decent income to live on!

NOW I left with no income, no job, no home & getting older. 

Dave Frohnmayer had blocked me from getting employed, after, he fired me from the UO. In 2005 I was hired to teach at OSU. The same thing happened to me I got fired, after two weeks!! 

We minorities groups have no voice, no power, and crimes are committed against us publicly by public officials

https://www.change.org/petitions/a-g-eric-holder-sent-jeff-merkley-gov-john-kitzhaber-investigate-abuse-of-power-and-criminal-forgery-by-former-oregon-a-g-david-frohnmayer-and-lane-county-government#share

Study: US is an oligarchy, not a democracy

http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-echochambers-27074746

UO Foundation Board tells staff to drop EWEB redevelopment scheme 05/19/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/paul-weinhold-was-planning-to-mortgage-uo-for-track-towns-losing-iaaf-bid.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

The big dog Phil Knight puts his mark 05/19/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/the-big-dog-phil-knight-puts-his-mark.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Senate Elections to resume 5/25 after software fix and nominee checks 05/18/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/senate-elections-to-resume-525-after-software-fix-and-nominee-checks.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Help UO Matters compile list of UO’s largest donors 05/18/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/help-uo-matters-compile-list-of-uos-largest-donors.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Desperate Dana Altman has players call season ticket holdouts – paid with NCAA student assistance funds? 05/17/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/ducks-give-faculty-and-staff-free-baseball-tickets-to-offset-millions-in-athletic-subsidies.html

Collateral consequences: Two words that give the rich, and only the rich, a pass for their crimes

Collateral consequences: Two words that give the rich, and only the rich, a pass for their crimes

Cited from: Collateral consequences: 2 words that excuse crimes of the rich http://nakedlaw.avvo.com/crime/collateral-consequences-two-words-that-give-the-rich-and-only-the-rich-a-pass-for-their-crimes.html#ixzz3aNB3Huw2



INEED! Dave Frohnmayer & his bank robber Bob Ackerman in Oregon!!

http://nakedlaw.avvo.com/crime/collateral-consequences-two-words-that-give-the-rich-and-only-the-rich-a-pass-for-their-crimes.html


https://www.facebook.com/groups/justice4nadiasindi

www.davefrohnmayer.com

Please sign petition.

https://www.change.org/petitions/a-g-eric-holder-sent-jeff-merkley-gov-john-kitzhaber-investigate-abuse-of-power-and-criminal-forgery-by-former-oregon-a-g-david-frohnmayer-and-lane-county-government#share

Fox News Freaks Over Swim Class For Muslim Girls

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0rmC_0egsw

Mr. Eugene Ified!

Mr Eugenified @eugenified 

UO spending $20 million to "elevate academic profile"?!? Why not just elevate academics & worry about the public profile later???

https://twitter.com/eugenified

Another Dead Banker – Morgan Stanley Trader Shows Up Dead

http://thedailycoin.org/?p=29264#sthash.x5DXUkzr.YDoljCrB.dpbs

Governor picks new Lane County judge | Local | The Register-Guard | Eugene, Oregon

Governor picks new Lane County judge | Local | The Register-Guard | Eugene, Oregon



https://www.facebook.com/groups/justice4nadiasindi

www.davefrohnmayer.com

Please sign petition.

https://www.change.org/petitions/a-g-eric-holder-sent-jeff-merkley-gov-john-kitzhaber-investigate-abuse-of-power-and-criminal-forgery-by-former-oregon-a-g-david-frohnmayer-and-lane-county-government#share

RG analyzes UO’s “What the if?” branding campaign, costs, and JH’s obsessive secrecy 05/15/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/rg-analyzes-uos-what-the-if-branding-campaign-costs-and-jhs-obsessive-secrecy.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

In The Know: Are Tests Biased Against Students Who Don't Give A Shit?

http://www.theonion.com/video/in-the-know-are-tests-biased-against-students-who--17966

UO slow to release records on its cutting-edge branding effort

http://registerguard.com/rg/news/local/32802614-75/uo-slow-to-release-records-on-its-cutting-edge-branding-effort.html.csp#.VVY_4OJNhmg.twitter

Triplett and Coltrane reject Senate legislation wholesale 05/13/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/triplett-and-coltrane-reject-senate-legislation-wholesale.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Bargaining XI: Union to counter Admin’s ’64 Chevy Van proposal today 05/14/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/bargaining-xi-union-to-counter-admins-64-chevy-van-proposal-today.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

New president asks for $250,000 pay cut 05/14/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/new-president-asks-for-250000-pay-cut.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Asking for Less

May 14, 2015 

By 

Kellie Woodhouse

Gregory Fenves was quite clear when he was offered seven figures to become the next president of the University of Texas at Austin: “$1 million is too high for a public university.”

That’s probably not the message his peers at Texas A&M University and the University of Houston want to hear, but Fenves thought it was one that would resonate with the Legislature and faculty members.

“It will attract widespread negative attention from students and faculty given the difficult budget constraints of the past five years,” he wrote about the initial $1 million offer. “With many issues and concerns about administrative costs, affordability and tuition, such a salary will affect the ability of the president to work with the Texas Legislature on matters important to the university.”

Fenves negotiated the offer down to $750,000 a year, plus $50,000 in deferred pay. He also asked for a smaller potential bonus, down from 12 percent of base pay to 10 percent.

“It's very, very unusual, especially with what's going on today with presidential salaries. They keep going up and up and up,” said James Finkelstein, a public policy professor at George Mason University who studies executive compensation in higher education.

Ray Cotton, a lawyer who specializes in employment contracts for college presidents, agreed that asking for less money in high-level salary negotiations is "extremely uncommon."

"It's both a symbolic gesture, and a financially significant gesture as far as he and his family are concerned," he said.

Fenves, currently UT-Austin’s provost, will assume office in June. Current President Bill Powers earns $624,000 in base pay and another $44,000 in additional compensation.

In all, Fenves will receive $800,000 in annual compensation, with the possibility of a $100,000 performance bonus each year.

“He’s not underpaid by any stretch of the imagination,” Finkelstein said. Fenves earns $407,000 as provost.

But the idea that a president negotiated his salary downward has captured attention since the Austin American-Statesmanreported on Fenves's pay on Tuesday.

Andrea Gore, the chair-elect of UT-Austin’s faculty executive committee and a pharmacology professor, said Fenves’s salary negotiations reflect an intimate knowledge of the financial constraints UT-Austin has experienced in recent years and the frustrations of faculty members.

“The motivation is to try to maintain really good relationships and to try to build bridges and try to mend some of the uncomfortable relationships that have been going on,” she said. “It can seem hypocritical for an administrator to take an enormous salary when people who are earning much lower salaries have not received significant -- even cost-of-living -- raises over the last several years.”

She continued: “He’s showing us that he gets it in a very quantifiable way.”

Powers, Fenves's predecessor and a nine-year veteran of the presidency, was at times criticized by the Legislature and the Texas governor for defending things like tuition increases, nonscience research and graduate programs that don’t bring in outside dollars, and affirmative action. The fraught relationship between Powers and UT-Austin’s Board of Regents and chancellor led to his ouster and the presidential search that produced Fenves.

Those tensions were likely top of mind as Fenves requested less money from the UT system.

“We think he’s showing leadership.” said Bill Hammond, the chief executive officer of the Texas Association of Business. Hammond has been a critic of perceived overspending among Texas higher education systems in the past.

“The cost of higher education is a major concern, and he’s playing his part in helping keep a lid on it,” he continued. “He’s putting his money where his mouth is.”

Fenves declined to comment for this article. The chairs of the higher education committees in both houses of the Texas Legislature did not respond to requests for comment.

Fenves, in a Feb. 28 email to Pedro Reyes, special assistant to University of Texas Chancellor Bill McRaven, said a base pay of $750,000 is a “highly competitive” salary, on par with compensation at other universities similar in scope and prestige to the University of Texas. He noted that University of Michigan’s new president, Mark Schlissel, former provost of Brown University, was offered a base salary of $750,000.

Fenves's email was a response to a terms sheet he was given as one of three candidates interviewed by the University of Texas Board of Regents.

Newly appointed Texas A&M University President Michael Young, who took office this month, earns $1 million in base pay and another $400,000 in additional compensation. McRaven earns $1.2 million in base pay and $400,000 in deferred pay and is eligible for bonuses. The president of the University of Houston's flagship campus, who also serves as the system's chancellor, earns $1.1 million in total compensation, according to the American-Statesman.

When A&M hired Young, system officials said he merited his $1.4 million compensation package because of his experience as president of the University of Washington and the University of Utah.

“It’s not about that Texas A&M’s [president] is making too much,” Hammond said, “it’s about that Greg was willing to make a very personal statement about the cost of higher ed.”

Young and officials at the Texas A&M system declined to comment for this article.

Hillary Hart, past chair of the faculty executive committee and a senior lecturer of engineering at UT-Austin, said that by asking for less money, Fenves is “sending a message about fiscal responsibility.”

“He just used the market prices for university presidents to figure out something that would be a competitive salary, without going above and beyond. Without blowing up the market,” she said. “People should ask when somebody is offered a salary and takes a salary: Is this fair? …Is this competitive or is it over-the-top?”

As an internal candidate, Fenves's knowledge of UT- Austin’s political climate and his understanding of faculty frustrations informed his decision to ask for less pay than initially offered. Both Gore and Hart said that while his request for less pay is refreshing, they wouldn’t have begrudged him a higher salary. After all, several public university presidents in Texas come with a $1 million price tag.

“When you get offered a high salary, it’s often the reaction to say, ‘OK, I’ll take it,'” Gore said. “We wouldn’t have given a second thought to him accepting a higher salary.”

Sometimes when an institution is freezing salaries, university presidents will forgo or defer their contractual raises. Some presidents regularly donate their annual raises to scholarship. Others have cut their salaries as they are about to announce big budget cuts, as was done during the 2008 recession. However, it’s very uncommon for a candidate to ask for less money up front, and not as a prelude to financial difficulty.

“This is an anomaly right now,” Finkelstein said. “I don’t think it’s going to be a catalyst for the larger conversation about executive compensation, and what’s fair and what’s reasonable.”

Eugene School District could have faced $443,000 price tag to fire Berman | Local | The Register-Guard | Eugene, Oregon

Eugene School District could have faced $443,000 price tag to fire Berman | Local | The Register-Guard | Eugene, Oregon





http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/justice-for-nadia-sindi

Senate to meet on policies, with new Pres Michael Schill to speak at end, reception 05/12/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/senate-to-meet-on-policies-with-new-president-schill-to-speak-at-end.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Schill to ‘engage’ at UO | Local | The Register-Guard | Eugene, Oregon

Schill to ‘engage’ at UO | Local | The Register-Guard | Eugene, Oregon

Diane Dietz interviews new UO Pres Michael Schill 05/13/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/diane-dietz-interviews-new-uo-pres-michael-schill.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Moffitt and Bronet delay OA raises 05/12/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/moffitt-and-bronet-delay-oa-raises.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Cheer up, things could be worse. Way worse. 05/12/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/cheer-up-things-could-be-worse-way-worse.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Death Investigation of Inmate From Baker Jail County Reveals Drug O.D. Salem-News.com

http://www.salem-news.com/articles/may122015/pantle-inmate-death.php

Corruption is Misuse of Power For the Own Benefit!! Dave Frohnmayer, Bob Ackerman & Oregon Government!!

"34. Corruption is misuse of power for the own benefit. The 1% earn a lot in this way.
Why have billionaires a wealth that is ten thousand or hundred thousand times more than the wealth of common citizens?
Because they misuse their power for their own benefit, they are corrupt.
Wages of common citizens have hardly improved in the last twenty, thirty years but the wages in the top of society have risen sharply. The number of billionairs doubled during the crisis. Why? Because of misuse of power for the own benefit, because of legalised corruption.
Why can the top of society (and especially the 1%) use money of commercial and public organisations for their private benefit? They call it expenses but they misuse their power to give themselves an extra benefit. Again legalised corruption.
The 1% and their political servants make laws that are favourable for them to get much more money than common citizens ever can get. They have legalised corruption to make their thefts accepted.
White washing of money from criminal activities is another side of corrupt behaviour. Not by criminals but by highly praised bankers and other financial experts. The production of drugs is in Afghanistan openly allowed and elsewhere hardly taken on. The profits from drugs are streaming to Western financial institutions controlled by the 1%.
Hardly anyone is prosecuted or judged because of misuse of power, because of corruption. The misuse of power remains unpunished for the small group at the top of society. The 1% make the laws that make their criminal behaviour accepted as normal and thus not criminal.
Corruption is one of the reasons that activists should use their energy to put pressure on the 1%. The top gets money on inhuman ways. It is one of the most important reasons that a great part of our world is miserable. Still more than a billion people do not know if they have the next day enough food to survive. Nearly ten million kids are still dying each year before they are five years old.
Without a decisive attack on the 1% the miserable existence of these common citizens continues. The extravagant life of the 1% and their servants increases even.
We have to attack the 1%.
Download freely chapter 19 “Corruption money streams from the 99% to the 1%. Corruption is a focus point for attacking the power of the 1%.” via 

http://members.chello.nl/jsteenis/Revolution19.htm.
Or download for free my latest book “How to make Revolution, developing the new Fourth People’s Power” from my site “Down with any elite”, 

http://members.chello.nl/jsteenis

https://www.facebook.com/groups/justice4nadiasindi www.davefrohnmayer.com Please sign petition. https://www.change.org/petitions/a-g-eric-holder-sent-jeff-merkley-gov-john-kitzhaber-investigate-abuse-of-power-and-criminal-forgery-by-former-oregon-a-g-david-frohnmayer-and-lane-county-government#share

Senate IAC invites survivor of alleged OSU football gang-rape to speak at UO 05/12/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/senate-iac-invites-survivor-of-alleged-osu-football-gang-rape-to-speak-at-uo.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Guest Opinion: Oregon mothers need much more than flowers

Guest Opinion: Oregon mothers need much more than flowers

Black Man Found Hanging From Tree In Georgia Draws State And Federal Investigators

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/11/roosevelt-champion-hanging_n_7260664.html?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000047

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/hattiesburg-police-remember-fallen-officers-benjamin-deen-liquori-tate-n357241

Turning Data into Civic Tools: Journalists, Coders, Students Collaborate in Portland

http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2015/05/turning-data-into-civic-tools-journalists-coders-students-collaborate-in-portland/

Former Interim Provost James C. Bean leaves for Northeastern job 05/11/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/former-interim-provost-jim-bean-leaves-for-northeastern.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

President Schill on campus to meet with students, faculty, admins, Gov. Brown 05/11/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/president-schill-on-campus-to-meet-with-students-faculty-admins-gov-brown.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Montana Supreme Court boots open-records appeal in Krakauer case on legal technicality By Frank LoMonte 05/08/15

http://www.splc.org/blog/splc/2015/05/krakauer-ferpa-appeal-dismissed

Faculty union General Membership Meeting Wed, 5-7, EMU ballroom 05/11/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/faculty-union-general-membership-meeting-wed-5-7-emu-ballroom.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

World's Toughest Job - #worldstoughestjob - Official Video

Professional atheist Sam Harris looks like an idiot in this email exchange with Noam Chomsky

http://www.rawstory.com/2015/05/professional-atheist-sam-harris-looks-like-an-idiot-in-this-email-exchange-with-noam-chomsky/comments/

Ducks give faculty and staff free baseball tickets to offset millions in athletic subsidies 05/10/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/ducks-give-faculty-and-staff-free-baseball-tickets-to-offset-millions-in-athletic-subsidies.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

County Commissioner Won’t Let Non-Christians Pray At Meetings, Tells Them ‘Stay The Hell Away’

http://www.liberalamerica.org/2015/05/09/county-commissioner-wont-let-non-christians-pray-at-meetings-tells-them-stay-the-hell-away/

In Lane County, Oregon, our commissioners and government are complicit with officials  -" Former A.G.Dave Frohnmayer and Rep.Bob Ackerman"- who committ crimes & fraud against Arabs/Muslims!!


https://www.facebook.com/groups/justice4nadiasindi
www.davefrohnmayer.com

Please sign petition.

https://www.change.org/petitions/a-g-eric-holder-sent-jeff-merkley-gov-john-kitzhaber-investigate-abuse-of-power-and-criminal-forgery-by-former-oregon-a-g-david-frohnmayer-and-lane-county-government#share

FINANCIAL ALERT: Michael Oppenheim Charged With Fraud

http://investordefenders.com/2015/04/financial-alert-michael-oppenheim-charged-with-fraud/

Pamela Geller calls on Obama to protect her after being ignored by FBI, Homeland Security Read more: http://www.bizpacreview.com/2015/05/07/pamela-geller-calls-on-obama-to-protect-her-after-being-ignored-by-fbi-homeland-security-202253#ixzz3Zl8UTGP2

http://www.bizpacreview.com/2015/05/07/pamela-geller-calls-on-obama-to-protect-her-after-being-ignored-by-fbi-homeland-security-202253

FGM

• Iftikhar Ahmad FGM is a revolting, barbaric practice. So is child sexual abuse. Have you bothered to ruthlessly suppress hat and prosecute sexual predators? Or do you just let them get away with it for years because of their upstanding positions in society? The issue is on a fault line between a number of sensitivities, it's going to provoke emotional reactions. FGM is sexual assault and should be treated as such. The poor children are coaxed into this barbaric procedure by the people they most trust - unaware of the long-term mental and physical consequences. There is no place for 'cultural sensitivity' when addressing this matter - anyone found guilty should be named and shamed.
  
  Is this not child abuse by the parents? Is there not a procedure in place to deal with child abuse by parents? Sharia has nothing to do with FGM. FGM predates Islam. As it's open season on Muslims and Islam, especially open season on Muslim women in Europe, the proportion of women children at risk is equivalent to the number of Muslim girls in Europe. FGM in the UK is a classic case of a politically correct public sector bending over backwards to accommodate blatant abuses of the person in the name of cultural and religious traditions.To destroy a girl's clitoris is to ruin their sex life for ever. That is a crime and there are laws that are good enough to deal with this. What on earth are the police doing? Sitting on their ar*es no doubt.  
  FGM predates Islam. It was supposedly first started in Pharaoh Egypt. Perhaps earlier. Islam does NOT teach it or support it. The Prophet Muhammad had 4 daughters and 9 wives and not a single evidence or testimony suggests any of them underwent anything like FGM or that they supported it. Islam does not permit mutilation of the body for rituals or customs or traditions, like prohibiting tattoos. FGM is wrongly associated with Islam. But so are many things. Ironically, the British empire was instrumental at destroying the one institution with the moral, political, and spiritual authority to end destructive and barbaric practices like FGM. 
  Keith Vaz, the committee's Labour chairman, said victims had been badly let down. "FGM is an on going national scandal which is likely to have resulted in the preventable mutilation of thousands of girls to whom the state owed a duty of care," he said. "Successive governments, politicians, the police, health, education and social care sectors should all share responsibility for the failure in recent years to respond adequately to the growing prevalence of FGM in the UK."Right 'cos we couldn't possibly point the finger at the cultures that do this kind of thing and protect those who do it with a conspiracy of silence, could we? What proportion of children are at risk of FGM compared to the proportion of children at risk of abuse generally?
  IA
  http://www.londnschoolofislamics.org.uk

  Like · Reply · 31 mins
• 

  Haroun Mogul http://youtu.be/Q5t9U9r9Kfs

Israeli soldier: ‘We bombed civilians for entertainment’ - Days of Palestine

Israeli soldier: ‘We bombed civilians for entertainment’ - Days of Palestine

WATCH: On Fox, Geraldo Rivera Compares Pamela Geller to Aryan Nation, Sk...

Chuck Triplett’s prior OUS hire also skipped affirmative action procedures 05/08/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/chuck-tripletts-prior-ous-hire-also-skipped-affirmative-action-procedures.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Six UO employees, including vice president, under investigation for alleged misconduct concerning rape case 05/08/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/six-uo-employees-including-vice-president-under-investigation-for-alleged-misconduct-concerning-rape-case.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Oregon student wins free-speech lawsuit against school, overturning discipline for critical Facebook posts

http://www.splc.org/article/2015/05/oregon-student-wins-free-speech-lawsuit-against-school-overturning-discipline-for-critical-facebook-posts?_h=79a16d7c-4e58-49e0-acef-7976d45bea81

Eugene board considers dropping suit over recordsThe decision would end a dispute with The Register-Guard regarding district emails

http://registerguard.com/rg/news/local/33063726-75/eugene-school-board-votes-to-explore-ending-legal-fight-with-newspaper.html.csp

Bargaining X: ? 05/07/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/bargaining-x.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Eugene 4J school board holds closed meeting about open meetings law violation records 05/07/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/harrang-long-gary-and-rudnick-too-transparent-with-potentially-incriminating-public-records.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Robin Hood in Reverse How universities force working-class students to pay thousands of dollars in hidden fees to athletic departments awash in red ink BY STAFF · MAY 6TH, 2015 · COVER STORY

http://citybeat.com/cincinnati/article-32706-robin_hood_in_reverse.html

Journalism students expose athletics subsidies for investigative reporting class 05/06/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/journalism-students-expose-athletics-subsidies-for-investigative-reporting-class.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Emerald reports on market segmentation in student rentals 05/06/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/emerald-reports-on-market-segmentation-in-student-rentals.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Truth-telling can replace public relations at UO 05/07/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/truth-telling-can-replace-public-relations-at-uo.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

UO Senate and Committee election list 05/07/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/uo-senate-and-committee-election-list.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

General Counsel finalist #4: Alison Kean 05/06/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/pres-coltrane-starts-search-to-replace-doug-park-with-real-general-counsel.html

Proposed UO Library privacy policy lets admins snoop through circulation records, Coltrane won’t release Walkup report 05/06/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/library-dean-adriene-lim-wont-let-ala-release-emails-or-letter-on-archives.html

« UO lost $1.5M on bowl games, and how many good students? Library Dean Adriene Lim won’t let ALA release her emails or letter on archives 05/05/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/library-dean-adriene-lim-wont-let-ala-release-emails-or-letter-on-archives.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

UO lost $1.5M on bowl games, and how many good students? 05/05/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/coltrane-leads-johnson-hall-old-guard-on-one-more-junket.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

ATM skimming

http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2011/july/atm_071411/image/atm-skimming-large-graphic

GC finalist #3 Keith Kutler googles it in 05/04/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/pres-coltrane-starts-search-to-replace-doug-park-with-real-general-counsel.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Nellie Bly's 151st Birthday

http://www.google.com/doodles/nellie-blys-151st-birthday

Acting Provost Frances Bronet to leave UO for Illinois Tech 05/05/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/frances-bronet-to-leave-uo-for-illinois-tech.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

christian bursted in tears after Yusuf Estes answered his question! Engl...

Israeli Hypocrisy: Saving Nepal, Destroying Palestine

Israeli Hypocrisy: Saving Nepal, Destroying Palestine

UO Board committees meet on health and counseling centers and student conduct 05/04/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/uo-board-committees-hold-surprise-meeting-on-counseling-center-and-student-conduct.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

UO Matters adds to “unlawful data release” with a FERPA violating retweet? 05/04/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/uo-matters-posts-confidential-faculty-personnel-records.html

RETRACTION of “unlawful release”: UO Matters posts confidential faculty personnel records online 05/01/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/will-big-duck-boosters-bail-out-helfrichs-pathways-fund-drive.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Will big Duck boosters bail out Helfrich’s PathwayOregon fund drive? 05/03/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/will-big-duck-boosters-bail-out-helfrichs-pathways-fund-drive.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Mike Gottfredson’s last act was appoint Tim Gleason as FAR. So how’s he doing on representing the faculty? 05/03/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/mike-gottfredsons-last-act-was-appoint-tim-gleason-as-far-so-hows-he-doing-on-representing-the-faculty.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Raw: Man Pepper-Sprayed, Detained in Baltimore

EUGENE SCHOOL DISTRICT Superintendent’s statement APRIL 30, 2015

http://registerguard.com/rg/news/local/33036524-75/story.csp?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed

UO drops $736K on legal and consulting payments in March and April 05/01/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/uo-drops-736k-on-legal-and-consulting-payments-in-march-and-april.html

UO Matters posts confidential faculty personnel records online 05/01/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/05/uo-matters-posts-confidential-faculty-personnel-records.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

#2: Doug Park for General Counsel? 04/30/2015

http://uomatters.com/2015/04/pres-coltrane-starts-search-to-replace-doug-park-with-real-general-counsel.html

Scam Jam focuses on prevention | Local | The Register-Guard | Eugene, Oregon

Scam Jam focuses on prevention | Local | The Register-Guard | Eugene, Oregon

Secret school emails released To avoid publicly evaluating and possibly firing Sheldon Berman, the Eugene School Board let the superintendent author his own exit By Josephine Woolington The Register-Guard APRIL 29, 2015

EUGENE SCHOOL DISTRICT

Secret school emails released

To avoid publicly evaluating and possibly firing Sheldon Berman, the Eugene School Board let the superintendent author his own exit

By Josephine Woolington

The Register-Guard

APRIL 29, 2015

"Eugene School Board members allowed Superintendent Sheldon Berman to come up with his own exit plan to avoid the release of a negative performance review, which one board member said could result in his firing, newly obtained records show.

Board members also said in emails last year that if they couldn’t successfully negotiate a departure agreement with Berman, they planned to make his evaluation public and hire an investigator to look into unspecified actions by Berman.

Further, emails between board members show that some members went to great lengths to avoid meeting publicly or even in a closed-door session, in potential violation of state public meetings law. Other emails show that one board member — Beth Gerot — said she would destroy some public records related to Berman’s evaluation. It is a violation of state law for a public official to destroy public records.

The new information is contained in records that the law firm representing the Eugene School District inadvertently sent to The Register-Guard. The district contends the records should be kept secret, but the newspaper’s general counsel, Wendy Baker, said the district has “no legitimate basis” for keeping the records secret, and that the newspaper is publishing them because “elected officials should be held accountable to their constituents and their community.”

The school district sued The Register-­Guard in Lane County Circuit Court earlier this year to avoid disclosing 12 pages of records that the Lane County District Attorney’s Office ruled it must release. The district hired the Eugene law firm of Harrang Long Gary Rudnick P.C. to represent it in its lawsuit. 

In the course of legal proceedings, the law firm last week sent the newspaper hundreds of unredacted emails regarding Berman’s job performance that The Register-Guard requested last year. The law firm also sent an unredacted copy of Berman’s self-evaluation, in which he gave himself a glowing review.

Berman announced last June that he was leaving the district after the current school year, citing “family circumstances.” Berman began his job as Eugene superintendent in July 2011. His three-year “roll over” contract was extended in July 2013 and would have expired in 2016; thus, he elected to leave one year early.

Berman’s announcement in June followed several months in which the board delayed its evaluation of his job performance. Board members never discussed Berman’s contract or job performance publicly. 

The emails obtained by The Register-Guard show that board members delayed public evaluation of Berman while they negotiated, sometime between April 2014 and late June 2014, an exit plan that would allow Berman to retain his job for an additional year to avoid damaging the district’s and Berman’s reputations.

The negotiations followed results from an employee survey — conducted by independent consultant Alison Lewis — that found serious concerns with Berman’s job performance. The emails do not shed much light on the nature of those concerns, but do indicate that concerns about Berman led to the resignation of at least two high-level district administrators. The consultant — who interviewed about 20 district employees — found that Berman struggled to manage employees, and some emails suggest employees feared repercussions if they spoke out. 

“I would suggest that it will be an independent investigation that will go beyond what we have heard from Alison (Lewis) because of the serious nature and fear of retaliation,” Gerot wrote on April 17, 2014, using her personal email account, in an email to Mary Walston’s personal email account. Walston was the board’s chairwoman at the time. 

“I would also suggest that we put the onus of an exit strategy on Shelley (Berman) to deliver by next Tuesday that doesn’t damage the district or him — I don’t believe we can wait until April 30 (the deadline the board gave itself to complete its evaluations of Berman). The ball needs to be tossed back in his court,” Gerot said.

“I would also suggest, if we are not able to successfully establish a negotiated exit strategy, that we will complete the evaluation and investigation, which will become a public record, a part of his personnel file, and negative. This could potentially mean termination for just cause.”

Gerot and Walston did not immediately return phone or email requests for comment on Tuesday. Berman also did not return a phone call or email message seeking comment. 

In its lawsuit against The Register-Guard, the district said disclosure of the emails would “inhibit” board members and Berman “from freely and frankly contributing to the free flow of information and ideas that is an indispensable ingredient in forging an effective multi-person policy-making body.”

The county district attorney’s office reviewed all the records and ruled that some of the records whited-out by the district could be kept confidential, including Berman’s self-review. But the 12 pages of emails should be disclosed, the district attorney ruled.

Steps to avoid meeting

Walston frequently used her private email account to communicate with other board members as well as with an attorney with the Luvaas Cobb law firm, which was hired by the district. Walston also called individual board members and sent them text messages to discuss Berman, thus avoiding a public or closed-door meeting.

Each board member was expected to complete an evaluation of Berman’s performance, but it’s unclear whether any members — aside from Jim Torrey — actually filled out the evaluation. Torrey also was the only board member who said in an email that he would publicly release his evaluation of Berman.

Torrey — who is the board’s current chairman — also said in an email that all board members’ evaluations are public documents.

Torrey said late Tuesday night that he would not comment further until first conferring with the school district’s attorney.

The Luvaas Cobb attorney — Erin Fennerty — outlined in a memo to board member Craig Smith on April 4, 2014, the ways that the board could terminate Berman under his contract. Board members could fire Berman if there was a mutual agreement, a discharge for cause, a disability, or unanimous consensus among board members, according to his contract. 

After outlining the criteria the board would have to meet for each possible route of termination, Fennerty recommended that the board tell Berman that the board “does not select the option of unilateral termination; the board does not wish to damage (Berman’s) reputation; the board would make a settlement offer” that he resign “June 30, 2014, for any reason he chooses to give” and that there would be no performance evaluation.

Fennerty also recommended that the board chair “sign a letter of reference that stresses the positive performance characteristics of Mr. Berman, which he (Berman) shall prepare, subject to revisions made by the District Board at its discretion.”

It’s unclear in the emails how the board reached agreement with Berman for him to work through the end of this current school year. The board never met in either a closed-door or public meeting to discuss the negotiations. 

Favorable self-evaluations

Berman completed a 13-page self-evaluation, in addition to a survey evaluation — both of which he requested be kept confidential. In both evaluations, he gave himself positive reviews and cited budget cuts as the root of most of the district’s fiscal and morale problems.

He also addressed some concerns that board members expressed to him, which he described as “very serious concerns and ones that both trouble and puzzle me.” 

“First, there is a growing sense that I do not apply the input I am receiving to decisions and am not inclusive of others’ opinions, and that I do not seem willing to let go of the direction I wanted to pursue, thereby creating an environment in which people do not feel part of the team,” Berman wrote.

Another major concern was that employees felt “overwhelmed and unsupported” when he implemented new programs, Berman said. 

Berman defended himself by listing pages worth of changes that he described as his “accomplishments” in the district, ranging from his role in the sale of Civic Stadium to his recommendation that the district create a common high school class schedule. 

In the evaluation, Berman compared his experience with that of the Obama administration in its response to the Great Recession.

“I would put our situation in the same category, although because of our budget constraints our relief effort is much closer to an austerity program than relief,” Berman wrote. “We are still in recession and the austerity and stress that go along with it don’t feel good to anyone.”

“A bit in denial”

In a text message to Walston on March 21 2014, board member Jennifer Geller said that “Shelley is a bit in denial.”

Walston sent Geller a text message on March 7, 2014, that read: “Jennifer, I know (there) was talk of an (executive, closed-door) session to discuss Shelley’s performance as a last item on Monday. I talked with (then-district chief of staff) Barb (Bellamy) and Craig (Smith) yesterday and we cannot see how we could have — at this point in time — the discussion we seem to want — under (Oregon Revised Statutes) exemption. Craig talked to Shelley — at Shelley’s request after last week’s review. Craig suggested Shelley call individual board members for feedback. The hope is that Shelley will listen and be able to count to 4,” referring to a board majority that could effectively end his employment.

According to the emails, Walston said she would sequentially telephone each individual board member to update them on the process of evaluating Berman. It is a violation of Oregon public meetings law for public officials to hold sequential private one-on-one discussions with a board majority in order to deliberate toward a decision, an Oregon Circuit Court judge ruled in 2011.

Gerot wrote to all board members on March 9, 2014, that the district’s consultant, Lewis, would meet with her, in addition to board members Alicia Hays and Geller, to “communicate verbally and without attribution” what the consultant learned through her interviews with district employees.

“She will then write a written summary, again without attribution, that will go to the entire board. Once she has written this, she will shred all documents related to the interviews,” Gerot wrote.

Gerot also described in the email the evaluation process for Berman.

After board members were to meet privately in May, Gerot said, “I will shred any written documents that I have.”

State law requires school districts to maintain personnel records — which include performance evaluations — for three years.

Board member Smith — an attorney with the Hershner Hunter law firm and who is the school board’s longest-serving member at 20 years — wrote to the district’s lawyer that he was using his private email account because he feared Berman had access to all the district’s emails.

“I may be too paranoid, but I have some concern that corresponding by email through (District) 4J may allow Shelley to access the communications. I have no reason to believe he would do so, but assume he has access to all emails on the system. Accordingly, I am using my personal email account here.”

Email josephine.woolington@registerguard.com .