After two postponements, the open forum at RU that is supposed to explore state-mandated budget cuts is finally scheduled for this afternoon at 3:30 p.m.
According to RU Today, a periodic e-mail newsletter sent to faculty, staff, and students, “President Penelope W. Kyle will host a forum today to discuss legislation passed by this year’s session of the General Assembly that will affect RU and the impact of the state-mandated budget reductions on the university. The forum will be from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in Bondurant Auditorium, Preston Hall. President Kyle will be joined by Provost Wil Stanton and Associate Vice President for Finance and Administration Evelyn Wilson. All members of the RU community are invited.”
The initial announcement of the forum back in February said, “Open discussion is encouraged and a question-and-answer period will be provided.” On Tuesday, Kyle posted a Web site that accepts suggestions regarding budget concerns.
“To ensure we include as many voices as possible in this critical discussion, we have also created a website, http://provost.radford.edu/budget_ideas/ that will allow you to share your views and ideas,” Kyle said in the e-mail announcement. “This data will be collected and reviewed by the Office of Institutional Research. As we continue to learn the extent of our challenges, and as you think of new and innovative solutions, please use this online tool to provide us with your best thinking. We ask that you do so by April 15.
The combination of the Web site and the omission of a stated Q&A session in RU Today had some faculty, staff, and students this morning wondering if the forum would only address pre-screened questions that had been sent to the Web site.
University spokesperson Michael Hemphill in an e-mail this morning addressed those concerns. “The RU community will be given the opportunity to ask questions related to the budget,” he said.
In the past week, groups such as Students Advocating Liberal Arts (SALA) and Demand Excellence At Radford (DEAR) have been formed with the primary concern being changes, or more specifically cuts, in academic programs. Both groups have rallied supporters to attend today’s meeting on the RU campus. It should be noted, though, that the focus of the open forum will be the state-mandated budget cuts.
“Today’s forum has consistently been advertised as a budget forum, not a forum on the academic program review,” Hemphill said via e-mail.
In addition to the 3:30 p.m. meeting, yet another previously postponed forum will be taking place on campus. According to RU Today, “The Student Government Association will host a forum to discuss campus wellness facilities from 4 to 5 p.m. in the Bonnie Auditorium. The panel will include Norleen Pomerantz, vice president of student affairs; Robert Lineburg, athletics director; and Matt Williams, president of the SGA. A Q & A session will follow.”
Some RU students have been displeased that the fitness facilities in the refurbished Dedmon Center, upon its reopening this year, have been placed off limits for all students who are not part of officially recognized Radford NCAA teams. The exception has been the swimming pool, which offers limited hours of use to RU students.
Students interested in budget and fitness facilities will have to choose which forum to attend, as the budget forum is from 3:30 to 5 p.m. and the fitness facilities forum is from 4 to 5 p.m.
Tim W. Jackson is Editor of the New River Voice.
8 responses so far ↓
1 WageSlave // Mar 26, 2009 at 9:45 am
I think the academic program review is budget related…since they keep telling us the budget is why they are cutting programs. What I would like to know is if RU was directed by Richmond to cut the budget by 15%, and then federal stimulus money replaced 10%, why are we continuing on the slash and burn across campus?
2 cynthia // Mar 26, 2009 at 11:25 am
Would we have had one without the other? Are the expedited reviews not being sold to us as a response to budget cuts? Will something please be revealed!!!!! This incessant duplicitousness is driving me mad!!!!
3 Curious leadership // Mar 26, 2009 at 4:27 pm
This forum was a complete farce, and to call it “open” was grossly misleading. The tough questions were faithfully weeded out, offering President Kyle and Provost Stanton narrowly focused, specific, and generally useless, questions.
And yet… there were some revealing insights. While I missed the real fireworks at the very end (hopefully someone else can discuss that), the early question on “should I feel insecure about my job” revealed a stunning elitism in Kyle. First, she echoes her opening remarks, essentiall “listen, you’re lucky to have a job at all… you’re fortunate to be at Radford.” But then, she makes a hopeless attempt that she feels our pain, telling us that she too has had to cut back on her spending. Right. That must be painful Penny.
4 Kyle // Mar 26, 2009 at 5:53 pm
I was at the “Open” Forum on the budget. In the opening remarks, Penny, for lack of a better name, specifically said that she was only going to answer questions that dealt with the budget, as though the future of over seventeen Majors and Minors would not effect the budget at all. S.A.L.A., or Students Advocating the Liberal Arts, made quite a showing at this forum. They were going to put forth questions that would have put Penny on the spot, however, in order to ask a question, one had to write down the question, then turn it in to an attendant who would take it to someone else who then chose the questions that President Kyle would answer. Farce is too easy a word. At the end, the students and faculty were so fed up that they all got up and left, once it became readily apparent that Kyle was not going to answer any questions that actually mattered to the people present. One of the students stood and yelled, “Why aren’t you answering the questions that matter?” Another said, “This is an OPEN forum.” The comments continued as students and faculty left the auditorium. Thank you, Penny “Pincher” Kyle.
5 Thomas // Mar 26, 2009 at 9:13 pm
Near the end of the forum the question was asked “Recently, the position of Vice Provost has been created, this position receives a salary equal to 8 adjunct professors. How can this be justified in this economic downturn.” The question was sidestepped by Kyle by her merely stating what a Vice Provost does. Several in the audience called out “Answer the question!” which was ignored. Later, the question was asked “why are you screening questions?” to which Kyle replied “I have the microphone here, I decide which questions to answer.” Immediately, almost all of the students, and much of the faculty stood up and left the forum in a show of disgust for this “open” forum
6 Cynthia // Mar 26, 2009 at 10:29 pm
I sat in the front row surrounded by S.A.L.A pin wearing students. Provost Wilbur noticed us and said he was proud of us for liking liberal arts. When the question was asked could students be involved in the budget process, Pkyle began to gush about the potential for business students rich contributions. As the idea began to take hold she began to babble about getting the business school to create classes for their students. She also sideswiped employees who voiced an interest in being involved in the budget with, “I seem to remember that the people were uncomfortable talking to their supervisors about things. Partcularly women having difficulty asking their male supervisors for inclusion.” What? Are you kidding?
In the end Penelope was badly behaved. She clutched the mike nervously as the students became more vociferous. And in a tight lipped snarl she said to us “I choose the questions. Not you.” The kid next to me jumped up and lit out of there. I followed. One of my beloved faculty said, “She doesn’t spend much time in front of the classroom does our tenured Business Professor.”
7 Deb Pugh // Mar 27, 2009 at 7:46 am
I am a graduate of RU’s graduate program. I used to recommend RU to my students. I spoke with a former student who is currently at RU, and he told me that he is planning to transfer to a school with a “better reputation.” I wonder, what should I say to my current students?
8 WageSlave // Mar 27, 2009 at 7:55 am
I wish they would stop referring to Gene Carson as the registrar. He IS NOT the registrar. He was hired as interim registrar and the only reason he is here is because he is a friend of Pomerantz.
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