More to Come

After being plagued with computer issues for about a year, I am happy to announce that I am back online, ready to continue updates in the quest to save higher education. More to come in the near future.

An E-mail from Bart Gordon

I just received this e-mail from Bart Gordon:

Dear Wendy,

Thank you for sharing your support for funding for the MTSU Philosophy Department. I appreciate hearing from you on this important issue.

Growing up in Middle Tennessee and as a third generation MTSU student, I understand the vital role the university plays in our community. I am pleased to hear how the university has positively influenced your life. In February, I supported the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. As the funds become available to state governments and federal grants across the country, it is my hope that MTSU will benefit from this legislation to avoid cutting programs. Know I will support full funding for MTSU as we continue our work in the 111th Congress.

Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts on this matter. Please do not hesitate to contact me again on this or any other issue.



Stay in touch,

BART GORDON
Member of Congress

Last Week's Student Forum

Last Thursday afternoon, MTSU President Sidney McPhee held an open forum for students to ask questions concerning the budget cuts. You can read about it here. I was unable to attend the forum, but I would like to make some comments based on what I have read and heard (from credible sources).

This was the only student forum, so I am discontent with the one-hour time frame of the forum. McPhee's presentation was 40 minutes long, leaving only 20 minutes for questions. He also claimed he was hosting an event in his home that evening and could not stay after the scheduled time. What convenient scheduling, and I can only assume the president chose this time for the forum.

From accounts I have read on the forum, he was again evasive with his answers, and he again spoke to students as though their concerns were due to them being misinformed and no the concners of adults who had read the recommendations and still had concerns.

I also feel I must address the students as well, as this has stirred up quite a bit of controversy (see the above article for specifics). While I agree that this perhaps was not the best way to get a message across, I also acknowledge why students feel this was the only way to be heard. McPhee has repeatedly demonstrated that he does not value student input, and he readily dismisses concerns students have about the budget cuts.

Could this be seen as disrespectful? Of course. Could McPhee's attitude toward students be seen as disrespectful? Definitely. We are fighting against each other because no one seems to be able to figure out how to work together. I don't want a fight, but I certainly won't back down if one is presented. I would much rather sit in a room and talk about the issues, but my attempts to set this up have been ignored. These students actually got an audience with McPhee, so I guess that must have been less than satisfying.

I will refrain from commenting further until I give McPhee adequate time to respond to my questions. Here is the e-mail I sent him today:

President McPhee,

I am currently updating my blog to reflect comments and observations on the student forum held like week, and I would appreciate your comments so that I can include your viewpoint. From what I have gathered, the main concerns students had are as follows:

1. Why was the forum only an hour, with such limited time for students to ask questions? Why wasn't it scheduled at a time when you could have devoted a larger portion of the forum to addressing student concerns?

2. Students have commented that your usual answers involve telling students to read the recommendations. This gives students the impression that you believe most of them are simply uniformed and would not object otherwise. What would you say to students who have read the report and find these remarks dismiss their concerns?

3. Why do you think the turnout was as low as it was? Do you believe it can be attributed to the many students who leave Thursday because they do not have Friday classes? Do you believe students do not care? Do you believe students have given up on voicing their concerns?

4. I, and others, have heard that as president there are certain perks you have, including a personal chef for your wife. Are these statements true, or are these rumors put forth to stir controversy? If they are true, would you be willing to forgo these benefits until a more financially appropriate time?

Finally, I have a question for you, and I do hope you answer it:

If you must make cuts that affect academic programs, are you willing to make a statement, confirmed in writing and signed, that these are cuts are a one-time decision in a time of crisis and that the university will take steps to better plan for the future to avoid such problems in the years ahead?

I thank you for your time and consideration, and would greatly appreciate a phone call or e-mail reply.

Sincerely,
Wendy K. Caldwell

I have sent McPhee an e-mail requesting he address the main c

Answers from Gebert

I think the viral threat is over, and I am happy to resume posting. I received a response from Kaylene Gebert today. I grow fonder of her each time we communicate. If all administrators took the time to actually read and respond to concerns, our universities would be in much better shape.

She addresses a few of the concerns I have, and she left the option open to submit more. If anyone reading this has concerns of their own, feel free to leave them as a comment, and I'll be sure to include them.

Here is her response:

Dear Wendy,
I have been behind in responding to email. It's been a busy time. Yes,
athletics will be taking cuts as well. Parking fees are part of an auxillary.
That is, the parking enterprise, including fees and building lots, etc. is
"self-sufficient" and is not supported by state dollars.
The cuts, etc. are a part of the state budget. Please understand that we must
cut $19.3M. That is a huge sum and will not be met by parking or ticket fee
increases.
I will be glad to respond to your suggestions by email.
Best wishes,
Kaylene

Updates Coming Soon

I aplogize for not updating as regularly lately. I have been dealing with computer and Internet issues this week. My Internet is working again, but I am having some serious malware/spyware issues with a possible Trojan horse virus. Once I have that remedied, I will resume more frequent posting. Thank you for following this site. I look forward to posting on the Lyceum and forum.

Students Challenge McPhee at Forum

I was unable to attend the forum today, but I have been anxiously awaiting the outcome. The Daily News Journal posted a story recapping the event on their Web site. You can read it here

Stay tuned for a post concerning yesterday's Applied Philosophy Lyceum - it was great!

Student Forum Could Lead to Rallying Cry

The Daily News Journal ran an article today about a plan to call for McPhee's resignation at today's student forum, scheduled at 4 p.m. I certainly didn't want to ruin the element of surprise, so I waited until now to post it. Check out the story here.

Special thanks to Kristin Hall for sending me an e-mail with the link.