new USM website --- check it out! - USM Forum -- Message Board

Date: Feb 7, 2006

new USM website --- check it out!

Date: Feb 7, 2006

Sure is an old picture of Uncle Bud.

Date: Feb 7, 2006

I don't know what to make of this. I do know Crockett and have found him to be a decent man with good values.

On a peripheral issue, I just have one observation:

When one "escapes" to a real university, one that is a player on the national scene, one rarely sees the sorts of incestuous, convoluted relationships one sees at a school like USM; i.e. Ms. Munn's husband working for Nicholson, Ginn being Ella Lucas's cousin. One of the problems that USM faces (and one that will be difficult to escape) is that it continues to be a rural school--and in many instances is a closed, isolated institution whose main constituency is the small surrounding area.

As an example, for a while it was trying very hard not to hire its own grads. People with master's degrees who wanted to keep their jobs went away. It also hired few adjuncts. That certainly has changed.

Date: Feb 7, 2006

Whoa! Hold on here -- something is wrong.

When you type "usmpride.com" into your browser address bar, you get an entirely different webpage, for gay/lesbian support at the University of Maine.

I'm not technically astute enough to understand what's going on here, but something definitely is not on the up-and-up.

BTW, I usually type in addresses rather than click on links.

Date: Feb 7, 2006

LVN, when I typed it in it went straight to it. Maybe you mistyped or something.

Professor Depree, be sure and get an FIA request to Doty regarding the promotion contract he recent authored for someone in the college. Everyone in the college needs to see what the new promotion requirements are.

Date: Feb 7, 2006

Now it does, although the page doesn't lay out properly.

Now if you'll excuse me, I make it a policy not to post on COB issues any more.
Where's that door? Outta the way . . .

Date: Feb 7, 2006

I clicked the link and it worked just fine. The idea that USM faculty should turn a blind eye to corruption, just because it is related to the CoB, is ridiculous. If you want fairness, you have to want it everywhere, not just in one or two pet colleges.

Date: Feb 7, 2006

Southern J, I'm not turning a blind eye. It's just that the COB issues are complicated, many of these postings involve personal animosities and other things that those of us outside that college don't "get." Their threads can become acrimonious and I have learned by being burned to stay the heck away from them. They manage just fine without me.

(Ok, I broke my own rule here, but I thought SJ was being unfair to me. So sue me.)

Date: Feb 7, 2006

And SJ, I'm not USM faculty, so no one really cares if I turn a blind eye to some issues.

Date: Feb 7, 2006

And SJ, I'm not USM faculty, so no one really cares if I turn a blind eye to some issues.

We don't care if you're USM faculty or not, LVN...we still think you rock!

I

LVN

Truth (who also doesn't post on COB threads unless LVN is there first!)

Date: Feb 7, 2006

(breaking my no-posting on COB threads rule just one more time...)

Wow, this info dates back to 2000...almost 6 years ago. Someone has a very huge ax to grind and has been grinding it for a long time, methinks!

Truth

Date: Feb 7, 2006

The year 2000 -- You're right on the money! Unfairness has been going on in the CoB for a long time. Doty had the opportunity to help right some of these wrongs, but he chose to ignore years of abuse. Instead, he was out looking for more opportunities to build his vita and shine his public image.

Date: Feb 7, 2006

I don't think I get it...one COB faculty member is claiming that a dept head inflated some performance evaluation information to support a raise or higher raise for another faculty member? How would the first faculty member have access to another's PA information?

Date: Feb 7, 2006

i'm not sure what you mean by PA, but i believe this faculty member filed a freedom of information act request, which was granted.

Date: Feb 7, 2006

PA = performance appraisal...sorry.

Ok...that explains how he/she might have gotten his/her hands on PA info of another faculty member...now the question that remains is....why???

Date: Feb 7, 2006

apparently, and this is from my reading of the website, the faculty member believes another faculty member was given an equity raise based on false information, and then efforts were undertaken to make sure that the request for a "formal" investigation was never acted upon.

Date: Feb 7, 2006

Since all salaries are in the USM budget book which is public information, I'm not too sure how you would expect one NOT to be able to know.

Sequence of events:

Faculty members A and B get an annual evaluation. Publicly available information strongly suggests that Faculty member A's evaluation is substantially lower than Faculty member B's. A gets a substantially higher raise than B according to the USM budget book.

Do you not think there should be more transparency in the evaluation system to either avoid giving an undeserved raise or correct an incorrect public perception regarding these two faculty members' achievements?

Date: Feb 7, 2006

although all salaries are in the budget book, which is public, it has been a long tradition (20 years) here for adjustments to be made after the budget book is published. some adjustments are legitimate (different job, additional responsibilities, and the like) but some are attempts to hide salary adjustments. people are less likely to look at the budget book with its addendums in January, for example.

Date: Feb 7, 2006

stinky cheese man wrote:

although all salaries are in the budget book, which is public, it has been a long tradition (20 years) here for adjustments to be made after the budget book is published. some adjustments are legitimate (different job, additional responsibilities, and the like) but some are attempts to hide salary adjustments. people are less likely to look at the budget book with its addendums in January, for example.

So, can you think of how I get around that?? I have a way.

Date: Feb 7, 2006

The fact that there is some level of institutional secrecy and story telling is all the more reason to out the corruption and not to whine about when it occurred. When most of the players are still the same, six years ago is very much like today. That is sad. Just imagine how much money has been diverted to personal use in all that time. That would be a nice raise pool for those of us doing the work rather than padding inflated salaries of those you are not doing much that can be identified, except interviewing for other jobs and bullying faculty and staff who cannot or will not fight back.

Date: Feb 8, 2006

WHOIS

Is this a surprise?

Date: Feb 8, 2006

So what really makes a difference in the issue is who the players are? Wrong. It makes no difference who is involved. The failure to right this wrong is a failure, no matter who initiates the request for inquiry.

The history of backroom dealing at USM has been chronicled on this board ad nauseum. This is just one example of the reward one can expect for illuminating such rancid behavior.

Date: Feb 12, 2006

More flattering news of Doty.

Date: Feb 13, 2006

As a former student, this makes me want to contribute to the University some time, like never.

Date: Feb 13, 2006

Tell me why someone would want to keep Harold Doty?

He is worse every time something else surfaces.

Please leave before something else tumbles out of your closet, Dr. Doty.

Date: Feb 13, 2006

Southern Justice wrote:

The year 2000 -- You're right on the money! Unfairness has been going on in the CoB for a long time. Doty had the opportunity to help right some of these wrongs, but he chose to ignore years of abuse. Instead, he was out looking for more opportunities to build his vita and shine his public image.

If readers don't know, Southern Justice is also poster who on another thread is arguing that it is just fine for someone to disclose what occurred in a University committee that is supposed to observe strict confidentiality. For this and some other examples of strange logic just take a look at Southern Justice's posts on the "Doty Attacks Faculty" thread.

I believe that most of the COB faculty who have been around for a long time would say there is more anti-organization behavior by a few faculty going back a long time than unfairness.

Date: Feb 13, 2006

perspective wrote:

I believe that most of the COB faculty who have been around for a long time would say there is more anti-organization behavior by a few faculty going back a long time than unfairness.

I believe you have it backwards. I think there is pro-organziation behavior by the few faculty who are beneficiaries of the booze account and other rewards directed by the "organization". The rest of us are the beneficiaries of nothing but abuse.

Date: Feb 13, 2006

Boozed out at COB wrote:

perspective wrote: I believe that most of the COB faculty who have been around for a long time would say there is more anti-organization behavior by a few faculty going back a long time than unfairness. I believe you have it backwards. I think there is pro-organziation behavior by the few faculty who are beneficiaries of the booze account and other rewards directed by the "organization". The rest of us are the beneficiaries of nothing but abuse.

Boozed out,

Southern Justice made a statement about COB history, which I (and I believe many other long-term COB'ers) would disagree with.

As for what is occurring now, that is another matter for you to sort out. Good luck and good boozing!

Date: Feb 13, 2006

What's the point about anti-organization behavior?

This message board was founded to foster anti-organization behavior! The benefits of anti-organization behavior all depend on whether you are a member of the establishment or the counterculture trying to affect change in the establishment.

Date: Feb 13, 2006

Laser Pointer wrote:

What's the point about anti-organization behavior? This message board was founded to foster anti-organization behavior! The benefits of anti-organization behavior all depend on whether you are a member of the establishment or the counterculture trying to affect change in the establishment.

Laser,

No Laser, this board was not founded to foster anti-organization behavior; it was founded to find a way to end anti-organization behavior.

Now, though, what we have are some faculty whose actions, however unethical, are considered justified if they hasten the departure of the current administrative structure.

We should be better.