The unofficial online home for fans of the UAB Blazers. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

Now we're connected in two ways. For those of us at ETSU, we know the pain you all are going through. Fans, players, students, alums, administrators. Anything you guys need, you should contact @bringbackbucfb on Twitter. The handler of that account was instrumental in helping get it back on campus along with Dr. Jerry Robertson.
From me personally, I'm so sorry you have to experience this. I wouldn't wish this on anyone (Except for maybe the University of Alabama-Tuscaloosa).
Don't give up the fight, Watts isn't going to be there forever. Just have your ducks lined up and don't let it die. Be ready with a new president to fight for it. Get it back. You can do it. If ETSU can, you can.
Anyways, here's the article. http://elizabethtonstar.tn.newsmemory.co...=099bcd355

Good article. Thanks for the support.

Thanks.

Thank you for your support. First we have to drive Watts off. The problem is that the same Board of Mistrustees that just knifed us will choose his successor.

Watts out of office then we start on the board. Watts' arrogant attitude, lack of sympathy, and go it alone style of management will be his undoing. As a public education administrator, one cannot act like a corporate CEO.

(12-08-2014 04:32 PM)Doktyr X Wrote:  Watts out of office then we start on the board. Watts' arrogant attitude, lack of sympathy, and go it alone style of management will be his undoing. As a public education administrator, one cannot act like a corporate CEO.

Corporate CEOs don't act like that, either. At least not the good ones.

(12-08-2014 02:22 PM)Buccaneerlover Wrote:  Now we're connected in two ways. For those of us at ETSU, we know the pain you all are going through. Fans, players, students, alums, administrators. Anything you guys need, you should contact @bringbackbucfb on Twitter. The handler of that account was instrumental in helping get it back on campus along with Dr. Jerry Robertson.
From me personally, I'm so sorry you have to experience this. I wouldn't wish this on anyone (Except for maybe the University of Alabama-Tuscaloosa).
Don't give up the fight, Watts isn't going to be there forever. Just have your ducks lined up and don't let it die. Be ready with a new president to fight for it. Get it back. You can do it. If ETSU can, you can.
Anyways, here's the article. http://elizabethtonstar.tn.newsmemory.co...=099bcd355

Thank you!

(12-08-2014 04:50 PM)Smaug Wrote:  

(12-08-2014 04:32 PM)Doktyr X Wrote:  Watts out of office then we start on the board. Watts' arrogant attitude, lack of sympathy, and go it alone style of management will be his undoing. As a public education administrator, one cannot act like a corporate CEO.

Corporate CEOs don't act like that, either. At least not the good ones.

Glad you added that qualifier...I can attest that there are bad ones that do this on a grand scale. I had to deal with it at my former job - he insisted on using NDAs and noncompete agreements to try to force his employees to stay at the company at less than market wages, then relocated (at HUGE expense) the entire company from three different locations (all paid for and rent free) to one (at well over a million dollars per month in rent). Imagine how surprised he was when the products were terrible and the talent eventually left...eventually he "resigned" after a visit from the real powers in Amsterdam. Now he's busy wrecking another company up in NY.

Unfortunately, what usually happens here is the company (university) gets set back years or worse, and the instigator of the trouble (CEO/president) floats away on a golden parachute with a few years of "experience" on the resume, all set to land at another job where new damage can be inflicted.

Sad but true.

When I wrote that, I should have been clearer; university presidents cannot make blanket decisions (good ones don't) due to the nature of governance in most schools. Most have a standing defacto agreement to shared governance with faculty senates, alumni groups, and students councils within that school. He does not have to consult with them, but traditionally most do when it comes to a big decision. On the surface, he operates with the consent of the governed. Ignore this step at your peril.

Quote:“For years at UAB there was incredible leadership with my dad as the AD and you had very strong presidential support,” Bartow said. “Even under the pressure of the board and wanting UAB to be an extension center, you had incredible leadership with a strong backbone to make it work, make it happen.”

(12-08-2014 05:18 PM)ATTALLABLAZE Wrote:  

Quote:“For years at UAB there was incredible leadership with my dad as the AD and you had very strong presidential support,” Bartow said. “Even under the pressure of the board and wanting UAB to be an extension center, you had incredible leadership with a strong backbone to make it work, make it happen.”

You've got to give to your foundation. Have the money there. Yearly reunions, golf outings, speakers. You guys have four times the resources ETSU has, and it took us 11 years, and we had to fight part of our faculty, and the local paper. It took way too many Facebook comments and real, factual data as to why you don't throw the baby out with the bath water to get it done, but it can be.
The biggest thing you guys could do is play the race card. The negative impact on minority enrollment on a school without football is huge. And don't let those clowns use international students to boost that number. Show the decline in African American enrollment in the short, mid, and long term on the university.
Three names to watch out for and if these people are even mentioned for positions down there, threaten absolute mutiny.
Paul Stanton
Dave Mullins
Barbie Breedlove

Dave and Barbie have a ton of "experience" being ass kissing yes people that really don't have the competence to run a department, but were allowed to. If it's even rumored they're in Alabama, raise hell. And a lot of it.
Our situations aren't that different. Reading all the articles, the talking points, that farce of a report. It was almost plagiarism from 2003. All those years ago you guys took one of ours, and best I remember he became a pretty good player down there (name escapes me). While I wished we didn't have to return the favor, I hope our staff can and will.
Keep fighting, scratching, clawing, politicking, getting the facts out there. Have your hell raisers, but have the folks that take a softer approach.
And it's time to get the Alumni to pass a resolution for a vote of no confidence for that bastard Watts.