Whoa - UND Student Senate Non-Confidence Vote

[Teeder11]

Lack of leadership at the top from Kelley and his minions to Faison at the Athletic Department.  Trying to sneak controversial decisions by everyone so that people cannot express their objections and/or concerns about said decisions.  That about sums it up.  Some people were critical of Ken Baker, but that was the last UND President I really liked.  I wish we could go back to that kind of leadership.

 

There are definitely some problems going on at UND. But your Reader's Digest synopsis of the root causes range from incomplete to one-sided to inaccurate. One could argue that "leadership" IS finally taking place on campus, albeit, it appears to be stemming from the Provost's Office (although, I would imagine it is at the behest of the president). The faculty are mad as hell because someone is actually saying "No" to them and actually holding their feet to the fire on certain -- not all-- issues. This doesn't sit well in the mamby pamby world of Ivory Tower liberalism, where decisions usually get made (and watered down) in the endless committee systems or through some kind of task force with the pretense of listening to all sides and making decisions that have everyone's buy in. BTW, there was no way they could NOT have used this kind of tactic with the Nickname issue and gotten away with it -- so that big elephant in the room is an anomaly here.

 

Another big issue at hand is that there's a clear move to reign in some of the traditional semi-autonomous divisions on campus -- that have preferred to do business in vacuums with no input from Twamley Hall -- but are the first ones to run to Twamley when they need a bailout from taxpayers. This has already happened at EERC and with the REAC building on campus.  Aerospace looks to be in the cross hairs now.

 

Not saying the administration has done everything on the up and up at all, because they have not -- not in the least.  I am saying that simple assertions and interpretations about the sausage that is being made at a public institution based on the rantings of one side may be good message board fodder, but there's a lot more to it. 

 

Finally, there are some people out there, who are critics of higher education, who IMHO should be welcoming some of the hard-line stances the UND administration has taken on certain cost-cutting matters. The faculty, who have never seen a public-funding plan they didn't like, may not be happy with it, but that should be your first clue that it might be a good thing.

[darell1976]

Library situation:

http://www.grandforksherald.com/news/local/3734308-chester-fritz-library-forum-gets-heated

9 percent said new or more books should be a priority.

 

Books in a library thats crazy talk.

[fightingsioux4life]

There are definitely some problems going on at UND. But your Reader's Digest synopsis of the root causes range from incomplete to one-sided to inaccurate. One could argue that "leadership" IS finally taking place on campus, albeit, it appears to be stemming from the Provost's Office (although, I would imagine it is at the behest of the president). The faculty are mad as hell because someone is actually saying "No" to them and actually holding their feet to the fire on certain -- not all-- issues. This doesn't sit well in the mamby pamby world of Ivory Tower liberalism, where decisions usually get made (and watered down) in the endless committee systems or through some kind of task force with the pretense of listening to all sides and making decisions that have everyone's buy in. BTW, there was no way they could have used this kind of tactic with the Nickname issue and gotten away with it -- so that big elephant in the room is an anomaly here.

 

Another big issue at hand is that there's a clear move to reign in some of the traditional semi-autonomous divisions on campus -- that have preferred to do business in vacuums with no input from Twamley Hall -- but are the first ones to run to Twamley when they need a bailout from taxpayers. This has already happened at EERC and with the REAC building on campus.  Aerospace looks to be in the cross hairs now.

 

Not saying the administration has done everything on the up and up at all, because they have not -- not in the least.  I am saying that simple assertions and interpretations about the sausage that is being made at a public institution based on the rantings of one side may be good message board fodder, but there's a lot more to it. 

 

Finally, there are some people out there, who are critics of higher education, who IMHO should be welcoming some of the hard-line stances the UND administration has taken on certain cost-cutting matters. The faculty, who have never seen a public-funding plan they didn't like, may not be happy with it, but that should be your first clue that it might be a good thing.

Bottom line: I don't like Kelley's leadership style.  He does everything he can to keep his fingernails squeaky clean no matter how sticky the issue, he runs and hides behind his staff and lets them do the dirty work and then he'll come out of hiding and proclaim to the entire world "Yep, the buck stops here!", when in fact it never even slowed down there.

 

EERC needed intervention, it was having problems that weren't being solved.  Aerospace is one of the most successful programs on campus, why does it need to be "in the crosshairs" at all?  They more than pull their own weight on campus.  Kelley wants to put a fair-haired boy into place that he can remote control from his office.

 

Any "waste of taxpayer money" is a result of all these new VP positions that Kelley seems to believe are absolutely necessary.  All he wants them for is to make it easier for him to micromanage everyone.  You will never get the best out of someone if you are breathing over their shoulder all the time.

 

And please don't make this political because when I come to work on campus, I don't see "liberal" or "conservative" or anything else.  I see a dedicated group of faculty and staff doing what they can to help students reach their goals and get off to a good start in life.  We are not "wasteful", "entitled", or "spoiled".  Faculty work as hard (if not harder) than all the self-professed working class heroes on this forum and in the hinterlands of the Midwest.  Same goes for the staff.

 

And one last thing, what do you have against Reader's Digest?

 

End rant.

[SWSiouxMN]

Books in a library thats crazy talk.

 

Its a dog eat dog world in there for study space... especially with an outlet.  More people would rather study in the Union than in the library for easy access to outlets, space, and food. 

 

Library war part 2....

[Teeder11]

Bottom line: I don't like Kelley's leadership style.  He does everything he can to keep his fingernails squeaky clean no matter how sticky the issue, he runs and hides behind his staff and lets them do the dirty work and then he'll come out of hiding and proclaim to the entire world "Yep, the buck stops here!", when in fact it never even slowed down there.

 

EERC needed intervention, it was having problems that weren't being solved.  Aerospace is one of the most successful programs on campus, why does it need to be "in the crosshairs" at all?  They more than pull their own weight on campus.  Kelley wants to put a fair-haired boy into place that he can remote control from his office.

 

Any "waste of taxpayer money" is a result of all these new VP positions that Kelley seems to believe are absolutely necessary.  All he wants them for is to make it easier for him to micromanage everyone.  You will never get the best out of someone if you are breathing over their shoulder all the time.

 

And please don't make this political because when I come to work on campus, I don't see "liberal" or "conservative" or anything else.  I see a dedicated group of faculty and staff doing what they can to help students reach their goals and get off to a good start in life.  We are not "wasteful", "entitled", or "spoiled".  Faculty work as hard (if not harder) than all the self-professed working class heroes on this forum and in the hinterlands of the Midwest.  Same goes for the staff.

 

And one last thing, what do you have against Reader's Digest?

 

End rant.

 

 

 

True... that was a low blow!!!!   Rock on!