Dispatches from the land of little information
First year students arrive in about a month. The Colbert show was cancelled. Many many unanswered questions remain about the whole mess. Below are more detailed updates.
The Cavalier Daily published an editorial Monday July 21 about the radio silence from the BOV. “Simply put, stakeholders from all corners of the University have been left in the dark about the most basic and straightforward mechanics of what happened and what will happen going forward.” They summarize the unknowns. Who responded to DOJ? What guarantees did DOJ give the University after JR resigned? The Cav Daily editorial team and reporters are doing great reporting and writing. And in so doing they invite the wrath of powerful people with no scruples and lots of money. Journalism friends please give these kids good jobs.
Fourteen Deans sent a letter that languished for a couple of weeks. (it may still be languishing) They deans invited collaboration from the BOV and made it clear that they write in their capacity as leaders responsible for the Academic life of the University. They stressed that the current uncertainty threatened donors, faculty recruitment, student education etc.. Perhaps ironically, they sent it on July 4.
Scott Beardsley, Dean of the Business school did not sign. I’ve heard whispers that he is a likely pick for the interim President. I have ZERO EVIDENCE OR OFFICIAL INSIDE KNOWLEDGE ON THIS. He is already the 8th highest earner at UVa, so he’s paid enough to deal with the sh%$%4 sh%$%$. Also the BOV named a terrace after him at their June 6 meeting so they like him more than they like most people who work here.
Dr. Melina Kibbe (medical school) did not sign. She stepped down about ten days later. She has been embroiled in a nasty battle that peaked with in September with 128 faculty from UVa physicians group signing a letter of no confidence in Kibbe and Dr Craig Kent. Kent resigned after a $4 million dollar outside investigation. They used Williams and Connolly, not McGuireWoods. The resignation came after the February 25 BOV meeting. Note that this was not Jim Ryan’s finest moment. His response to the medical school faculty professed disappointment in the medical school faculty, accused them of having, “besmirched the reputations of not just Melina and Craig. Instead, through some of their allegations, they have unfairly—and I trust unwittingly—cast a shadow over the great work of the entire health system and medical school.” He noted that the letter represents 8-9% of the faculty at UVa. That’s about the percentage of dissatisfied med school faculty across the country. He had to walk this back later. I include this to reiterate that Jim Ryan was not a flawless President nor was he the kind of President that always took the side of faculty/students.
40 Uva faculty and staff signed a letter published in the Cavalier Daily. “As members of the Jewish community living in the wake of the Aug. 11 and 12, 2017 attacks, we know what it feels like to hear men with torches chant “Jews will not replace us.” We have good reason to take antisemitism seriously as a threat to diverse forms of Jewish life here and around the world. But we stand opposed to using the pretext of protecting Jewish members of the University community as justification for dismantling the very systems designed to include and protect Jewish faculty, students and staff.” In other words, we know what antisemitism is, this stuff the DOJ is talking about it is not it, do not wreck democracy and higher education in our names. Note the very small number of Jewish faculty and staff we have here. Note that UVa taught Eugenics until the 1950’s. In 1927 the Dean of the college wrote that, "In my opinion, the University will have to set some limit to the number of Jews to be admitted, giving preference of course to those who are citizens of Virginia.” So there’s plenty of antisemitism to content with but the people who supposedly care about it now for the most part fundamentally uninterested in the safety of Jewish students, faculty and staff.
The BOV has opened a nomination website. It is not anonymous, and you have to have a netbadge to nominate. They will have “listening sessions.” I see no evidence that collaboration and transparency. Maybe nominate Colbert?
Student council called for more transparence. They did not vote for no confidence in the BOV. They want five students on a search team, and they want transparency. One student felt such a vote would be performative and dangerous. ““The Faculty Senate is burning bridges with the Board of Visitors. You don’t bite the hand that gives you food,” said the student.
The Campaign against George Mason continues. The Office of Civil Rights started their assault four days after Jim Ryan’s resignation. On July 1 OCR notified President Gregory Washington that it was opening an antisemitism investigation. He is the school’s first Black President. The conservative City Journal condemned the President. The law school is named for Scalia and they have a professorship in free-market economics. Marc Short, former chief of staff to Mike Pence, is one of their new BOV members. Eighty-one Jewish faculty signed a statement that begins like this, “We are Jewish faculty at George Mason University who condemn an attack on our university community and our GMU President that is quickly intensifying under a false, racially divisive, and deeply cynical claim of combating anti-Semitism.”
The Steven Colbert show was cancelled last week. His wife graduated from UVa in 1985 and they were seed donors for the Miller Arts Scholars He gave the valedictory address in 2013 and noted that he had been rejected from UVa in 1984. He loves the secret societies as they are sexy. “But of course the greatest figure associated with U.Va. is your founder, Thomas Jefferson – TJ, Prez Tommy Jeff, the freckly anti-federalist, Louisiana purchase, old Bible slicer, or as most Americans know him, the inventor of the six-inch wooden cypher wheel.”