Honesty is the best policy.

Good riddance, asshats.

[Edited on June 8, 2009 at 11:41 PM. Reason : 2]

6/8/2009 11:38:57 PM

One of my friends was a Chancellor's Aide last year...here are his thoughts. Warning: [words] (I sure as hell haven't read it) but since this is the Lounge, some of you people might read it.

Quote :

"This note goes out to anyone who has been convinced by the Raleigh News&Observer that everyone who has, and will be resigning, from top positions at North Carolina State University has done wrong. Over my last year at NCSU, I was selected from among 200+ applicants to fill one of 7 open slots for the Chancellor's Aide program. In this program, I got the chance to meet and become friends with Dr. Jim Oblinger, Dr. Larry Nielsen, Mary Easley, and the members of the board of trustees. To say that I only know the surface of these administrators is 100% accurate. I only was given a glimpse and a short chance to get to know these people. But I can also assert, with the exception of very few people here on Facebook, that I know them better than you. So at least, hear me out on this. When you get to know the group of people that are running our great University, you learn two things. On: They are all friends, and they are all friendly. Two: They have a great deal of influence and knowledge in the NCSU community. As a student, I never felt that they were "disconnected" from the happenings of student life at NCSU. Quite the contrary, they often informed me about pressing issues in Student Government and fun events coming up on campus. And as a person, I never once felt that anyone was victimizing, manipulating, or scheming for their personal gain within the NCSU administration. Everyone always pulled for the better good. The resignation of Dr. Nielsen, Mr. Campbell, and Dr. Oblinger only reinforces my claim that they are committed to preserving excellence and dignity at NCSU. Now, my feelings don't say anything about the facts. The N&O has been more than happy to show you the recently released letters, documents, and salary statistics surrounding Mrs. Easley's appointment and Dr. Nielsen's "transitional" package. Mrs. Easley wasn't the best-qualified person for the position directing the Millennium Seminars at NCSU. The best qualified person to bring in high-profile names, such as Bill Clinton, would have probably been a former US President (ironic). But, Mrs. Easley did a plenty good job bringing these speakers to NCSU. I'm sure she also had more good names to come, prior to the cancellation of the seminar series. I went to two Millennium Seminars, and both were well-conducted. After the first MS I attended, I had dinner with Mrs. Easley, and I had the chance to talk with her about her position for well over an hour. Yes, it seemed strange at first that she had an "executive appointment" in the Provost's Office. However, after getting to know her, I would back her position at the University any day. She not only cares about what she's doing, but she works hard at it and does a good job. If that's not "fully-qualified" for the position, I hope they can find someone better who is. She doesn't leave her post now because she believes in and stands by her work. As for Dr. Oblinger and Dr. Nielsen, NC State has lost two fantastic administrators and leaders with their resignation. Both of these men are completely committed to the better welfare of NCSU, and they are also committed to their friends and business contacts. I hope that no one reading this would willingly reject a helping hand to a friend in need. Mary Easley did not need that job. But McQueen Campbell, Dr. Nielsen, and Dr. Oblinger all needed someone to lead a position for the Millennium Seminar and the other duties, so they came to a friend with special contacts and abilities. At the end of this, when their life's work and careers have been destroyed by the media hoop-la, can you blame them for trying to help each other? Maybe a quiet exit from Mrs. Easley, without increased benefits for a "transitional" period (as in Dr. Nielsen's case), may have been the best and most ethical solution to this whole matter. Either way, none of these resignations were truly necessary in the first place, had it not been for the media outcry over some $2 million in the state budget. If the media is really so worried about this insignificantly small, but arguably unnecessary, item in our state's spending, I hope they can find something better to gripe about next time. This is a penultimate example of muck-racking. For crying out loud, executives of failing financial firms in this country just robbed our national government, and every US taxpayer, out of hundreds of millions of dollars for corporate bonuses. THAT warranted the media hub-bub that followed. This situation, which was always in good intent for a good cause, was never anything to get excited about. Overall, all I say is: don't be so quick to judge. None of them are thieves, they are just politicians. The people at the top of NC State have a lot of money and power, and they give jobs to people they trust. Usually, those people just happen to be their family friends. It's a shame that the N&O blew this whole thing out of proportion, once again bestowing needless shame upon NCSU for the second time this year (Free Expression Tunnel paintings). It's also unfortunate that it's costing many good leaders at NCSU their jobs. From what the media portrays, it may look like crookery. But I know these people personally, and they are not crooks. They were, and still are, just helping out their friends. If you think that's foul-play on your taxes' tab, I invite you to: 1.) Recognize the benefits and accomplishments of these leaders and Mary Easley, and then weigh those against the cost of their employment by the State. I think that most of the thousands of students who saw Bill Clinton speak at NCSU would agree that Mary Easley's job was justified. I also think that Dr. Oblinger and Dr. Nielsen worked for a fraction of what they could have been paid for their abilities outside of a public institution--and the benefits they helped develop at NCSU couldn't have been done otherwise. 2.) Work your own way to the top without your friends helping you out. Everyone gets to the top by grabbing an outstretched hand. Welcome to the marriage of capitalism and government, my friends. My deepest apologies, as a taxpaying citizen and alumnus of NC State, go out to Dr. Oblinger, Dr. Nielsen, Mr. Campbell, and Mrs. Easley. I wish I could also apologize on behalf of the public, who have been spoon-fed all this drama by the N&O and other media outlets. It's not anyone's personal fault for listening to the media. It is all our faults for buying into their drama-hype."

6/8/2009 11:44:50 PM

stopped reading when I got to this

Quote :

"None of them are thieves, they are just politicians. The people at the top of NC State have a lot of money and power, and they give jobs to people they trust. Usually, those people just happen to be their family friends."

6/9/2009 12:13:46 AM

Quote :

"From what the media portrays, it may look like crookery. But I know these people personally, and they are not crooks. They were, and still are, just helping out their friends."

I mean, I'm sure they're not evil people or anything, but they fucked up. They knew the proper procedures and rules, but for whatever reason they didn't follow them. And when people starting asking questions, they tried to brush everything under the rug.

Just because they're nice people doesn't mean they shouldn't face the consequences of their actions.

6/9/2009 12:22:03 AM

the N&O will eventually cause the destruction of this university

hopefully they will go bankrupt before that happens

6/9/2009 12:31:49 AM

the N&O has knocked NCSU down dozens of times and we always get back up again

this time will be no different



[Edited on June 9, 2009 at 12:40 AM. Reason : stop panicking]

6/9/2009 12:37:53 AM

Quote :

"From what the media portrays, it may look like crookery. But I know these people personally, and they are not crooks. They were, and still are, just helping out their friends."

Reminds of those lines from O Brother Where Art Thou...

CRONYISM!

NEPOTISM!

RAWR RAWR RAWR!

They didn't do anything wrong, they just promoted their friends into highly paid positions and violated university policy while ignoring any ethical considerations along the way.

6/9/2009 12:41:52 AM

Yeah, why's everyone so upset about that? We all just need to relax.

6/9/2009 4:09:59 AM

Quote :

"One of my friends was a Chancellor's Aide last year...here are his thoughts."

After reading what your friend wrote, I hope he never gets into a position of power

6/9/2009 5:36:15 AM

Quote :

"the N&O has knocked NCSU down dozens of times and we always get back up again"

I don't know if using Jimmy V helps your cause much.

We STILL haven't gotten back up from that one.

6/9/2009 7:25:39 AM

Quote :

""None of them are thieves, they are just politicians. The people at the top of NC State have a lot of money and power, and they give jobs to people they trust. Usually, those people just happen to be their family friends.""

ahahhaha. that is being a politician. peter, your friend may be a fool.

these people got caught in a scandal involving breaking of university policies and pulling some good ol boy shit. I'm fairly certain the appointment of Mary was less than honorable, her skyrocketed paycheck was ridiculous, and the downfall of the rest is just. If you get caught funneling millions worth of the university's dollars towards your friends, it may cause a problem or too.

Furthermore, knowing that all of these admins + the board of trustees approved all of this just goes to show me that they were all complicit in the dealings and all are guilty of breaking university policy.

Furthermore, my beef with these "high-ups" is partly due to their enabling characters like Tom Stafford, who has done nothing but squash student traditions, wishes, and needs. If these people actually cared, like Peter's friend said, they would have stopped stafford long ago.

[Edited on June 9, 2009 at 7:45 AM. Reason : .]

6/9/2009 7:44:07 AM

I, too, am a good person. Pay me 300k a year plz.

6/9/2009 8:33:31 AM

Quote :

"The people at the top of NC State have a lot of money and power, and they give jobs to people they trust. Usually, those people just happen to be their family friends."

Can we just entitle that whole little statement "In Defense of Cronyism"? I mean really...no I don't think they're crooks, and I'm sure they all were valuable to the university (Nielsen more than the other three in my opinion), but they all fucked up and deserve to go down for it.

Quote :

"At the end of this, when their life's work and careers have been destroyed by the media hoop-la, can you blame them for trying to help each other?"

See, the problem is that "trying to help each other" was what caused this scandal in the first place. The News & Disturber is no friend of NCSU; we all know that. However, this isn't a smear job a la Jimmy V--this is an honest-to-goodness scandal that was shed light on in the course of their investigating Mike Easley's shady dealings. We can sit here and discuss if they would have gone easier on the involved parties if it happened at UNC, or if anti NC State bias played a factor in the way in which it was reported, but there turned out to be substance, quite a lot of it, to their accusations. That's a news outlet doing their job correctly.

6/9/2009 9:14:49 AM

I, too, am a good person. Pay me 300k a year plz.

6/9/2009 11:19:26 AM

Quote :

"To say that I only know the surface of these administrators is 100% accurate."

Quote :

"But I know these people personally"

Quote :

"Yeah, I remember grinding my feet on Eddie's couch."

http://www.ncsu.edu/about-nc-state/chancellor/staff-and-units/chancellors-aides.php
ETA: Job descrip for a Chancellor's Aide.

[Edited on June 9, 2009 at 11:22 AM. Reason : []

6/9/2009 11:21:07 AM

Quote :

"2.5 minimum GPA is required"

only the best of the best

6/9/2009 11:26:17 AM

Quote :

"...had it not been for the media outcry over some $2 million in the state budget. If the media is really so worried about this insignificantly small, but arguably unnecessary, item in our state's spending, I hope they can find something better to gripe about next time."

Do you know how many non-administrators you can pay with that amount of money? That's 20 associate professors. That's about 100 TAs. With the University looking at an 18% budget cut, that kind of money equals the livelihood of many families. The University can't abide cronyism when the jobs of staff and faculty are on the line.

6/9/2009 11:36:11 AM

Quote :

" he (Bob Jordan) called Oblinger, 'the best chancellor the school's ever had'"

http://wunc.org/programs/news/archive/NDD0609NCSU_RESIGN.mp3/view

Seriously? Better than, for example, John Caldwell? This coming from the new chair of the Board of Trustees?

Who, if you'll recall, was chair of the search committee that installed Oblinger in the first place back in 2004?

http://www.popecenter.org/clarion_call/article.html?id=1408

I'm not saying Oblinger should be tarred and feathered, but this kind of pandering bull crap emphasizes cronyism and reduces the credibility of whatever leadership is left at the university.

6/9/2009 1:20:33 PM

6/9/2009 1:52:05 PM

im not going to read that article full of nothing else other than excuses and intentional misinformation


they fucked up, GO STATE


o and btw, Jimmy V is calling us a bunch of amateurs, hell show us how to really be crooks and actually BEAT the rap

[Edited on June 9, 2009 at 2:13 PM. Reason : f]

6/9/2009 2:12:18 PM

ThePeter, probably would have been good to actually have read that before posting it, he's hardly impartial and it shows, just because they are 'good people' and he is 'good friends' with them.

He does have a point that no-one gets to any good position without connections and friends on the inside, it's all about 'who you know,' but that doesn't change the fact that it is still the 'good-old boys' network with the whole UNC system being basically run by failed local politicians in one respect or another.

I've never liked Mike Easley, but it was transparent from day one that there were some strings getting pulled when Mary got that job of all people. And personally I think the 'Millenium Speaker Series' was a huge joke and waste of money in the first place.

Of course he's going to try and defend his 'friends' when something like this happens, nobody's saying they are monsters or don't care about the university, but that doesn't change the epic ethical failures that went on throughout the process.

[Edited on June 9, 2009 at 2:29 PM. Reason : ]

6/9/2009 2:28:52 PM

Quote :

"I think that most of the thousands of students who saw Bill Clinton speak at NCSU would agree that Mary Easley's job was justified."

I have zero experience booking special lectures for a university, but I can't imagine booking
Clinton was any more difficult than calling whoever books his appearances and saying, "ok, we have the money, when is he available."

6/9/2009 2:59:25 PM

hmm, no, probably him being close friends with the Easleys had more to do with it

And I, for one, really fucking enjoyed that event.

Fuck Easley.

but for Oblinger getting the can, that was unnecessary. bitch made him call his bluff.

6/9/2009 4:40:07 PM

Let's not overlook Clinton being a Democrat and Democrats making a big push to turn NC from a red state to a blue state. He didn't even get paid to come and speak here.



Also:
...
But it's unclear from the records and interviews whether it ever was as big or as difficult as billed. Easley sometimes picked up the phone and ordered a speaker from an agency.
...
http://www.newsobserver.com/2972/story/1559849.html

6/9/2009 4:58:25 PM

Quote :

" The University can't abide cronyism when the jobs of staff and faculty are on the line."

These people have been entrusted with public money, public assets, and public policy. Cronyism and corruption is unacceptable, regardless of how big or how small.

Quote :

"http://www.ncsu.edu/about-nc-state/chancellor/staff-and-units/chancellors-aides.php ETA: Job descrip for a Chancellor's Aide."

LOL, what a joke.

6/9/2009 6:04:35 PM

Quote :

"ThePeter, probably would have been good to actually have read that before posting it, he's hardly impartial and it shows, just because they are 'good people' and he is 'good friends' with them."

Yeah, probably . At least it got people talking. I didn't post it trying to defend one position or the other anyway, I think the whole situation is fucked up especially considering how much could have been funded (scholarships, student work, research) with this stupid nonsense.

^I kinda agree that the Chancellor's Aide thing is pretty ~, having no purpose other than to give personal ball rubbers to the Chancellor, but it does allow those students a look into the highest ranks of what goes on around here.

6/9/2009 6:22:09 PM