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I started sending by sending a personalized letter to the first few people, but it'd take days at that rate. I'm just going to try my best to come up with something that addresses the report and the recent actions of Dr. Watts.

That said, I truly feel this is our best shot for now. If the board appoints another insurgent, we can just do it over again until they begrudgingly accept we only want people here that care about the whole university.

Or rather than doing that, we could just have them make a resolution that says we will not let any future leaders be forced upon us that do not have the interests of the entire university and all its departments at heart?

(12-02-2014 08:45 PM)EnviroBlazerD Wrote:  Or rather than doing that, we could just have them make a resolution that says we will not let any future leaders be forced upon us that do not have the interests of the entire university and all its departments at heart?

They don't have that kind of power.

I know it can't be done, but I would really like to be able to ask Dr Watts under oath what he was asked by BOT leaders during his interview about terminating UAB football and other sports if he got the job. (Yes, I know that neither SACS nor the NCAA has that kind of power)

What's the point of firing Watts now? He did what he was brought in to do. Whoever is picked to follow him will continue the job of dismantling everything not med school related.

The point is not letting this stand.

(12-02-2014 03:21 PM)USAFBlazerFan Wrote:  Another response (and it was forwarded to all faculty senate members by the author):

"Anybody who thinks you can’t overestimate the importance of “branding” should have been ousted long ago (along with the consultants who ginned up the statement)."

That's fantastic to have received the responses you did. Hopefully something can come from this.

I received one response from one professor (which went to everyone) that basically said they are educators first and that we are not big enough to compete with UA and AU. It was a very good letter - he just disagrees with me. I appreciate his response though.

Please write - this should be our next step.

(12-02-2014 09:17 PM)BTR Wrote:  I received one response from one professor (which went to everyone) that basically said they are educators first and that we are not big enough to compete with UA and AU. It was a very good letter - he just disagrees with me. I appreciate his response though.

Wow. I didn't realize we were asking to compete with those two schools. I figured there would be some of the educator first type replies, but when there is nobody left to educate, that may be difficult to do.

(12-02-2014 09:17 PM)BTR Wrote:  I received one response from one professor (which went to everyone) that basically said they are educators first and that we are not big enough to compete with UA and AU. It was a very good letter - he just disagrees with me. I appreciate his response though.

Apparently AU can't either as they lose money just as 90+% of other football programs do

(12-02-2014 09:18 PM)blazers9911 Wrote:  

(12-02-2014 09:17 PM)BTR Wrote:  I received one response from one professor (which went to everyone) that basically said they are educators first and that we are not big enough to compete with UA and AU. It was a very good letter - he just disagrees with me. I appreciate his response though.

Wow. I didn't realize we were asking to compete with those two schools. I figured there would be some of the educator first type replies, but when there is nobody left to educate, that may be difficult to do.

It was a medical side person.

Even so... Be professional and recognize that not everyone will agree. That is ok.

You can pretty well expect the east side to back Watts in great part. The undergrad side needs to shell him though.

How is this for a medical side response?

Quote:As originally from Italy, where sport and education are totally separate, I might be somewhat missing how critical UAB football is for UAB but let's face it... even if enjoying going to Legion Field, having a season subscription, to be competitive we needed investments that the UA system was not going to support. Ever. Legion Field is way pass its expiration date and the crowd, although improved, still way too small for such a wide place like the Birmingham Greater Area. I am at UAB for 17+ years and it was always a struggling program. UA and Auburn are just too big, and we are not an independent institution able to take off on its own. We have not enough political strength to be able to detach from the UA system.
It is over, whenever we like it or not. Now what we need is not to get into votes or no confidence, protests, cutting our donations, lawsuits... what we need is to force the UAB administrators to keep their words that they will invest in the remaining sports and the additional ones that they needed to add to remain in the NCAA. Most likely we will be kicked out of the C-USA - their bylaws require having a football program. The first thing is to be sure we join a conference that can be the best for our remaining sports, that we often forget we have and that truly excel both academically and in competition. After that, get the best students athletes we can get, improve our facilities, support them all the way. This will sustain our undergraduate program even better than now, as we develop competitive teams at the national level and grow stellar athletes in track and field, golf (as we already did), etc.
Will what happened today affect negatively UAB recruitment, donations, image of the university at the national level? Of course, perhaps beyond our worst fears and for quite some time, and dramatically all the students, staff, coaches etc... directly or indirectly associated with the football program, but let's not forget... we are educators first. Sure, we are bitter, even more by the way they behaved, hiding behind a consulting firm for something that probably was decided long ago, but we need to move on. Our students expect us to get over this and focus on what WE CAN DO NOW to recover from this blow, starting right now. Rising hell if our administrators fail to keep their promises is what, as Senate, we can for sure do. It is part of our job description.

That doesn't look like someone who is just loving Watts... Not necessarily my opinion, but I respect his opinion.

If this is supposed to be the type of person who is supporting Watts... I hate to see what the director of the honor's program would say :)

I think I'll send old Ray a copy of this book.

http://www.amazon.com/Kristi-Dosh/e/B00E...76&sr=1-17

(12-02-2014 11:34 PM)BTR Wrote:  How is this for a medical side response?

Quote:Our students expect us to get over this and focus on what WE CAN DO NOW to recover from this blow, starting right now.

And that is exactly what we're asking you to do: Vote No Confidence in Ray L. Watts.

For those not familiar with academia, it's not like the real world where employees are, well, employees. Faculty have special powers dating back 1,000 years; it's more like a guild than a business. A No Confidence vote doesn't literally require Watts be removed, but does make it impossible for him to continue. No university president to my knowledge has ever survived one for long.

There can be no confidence in a leader who requires jack-booted thugs to protect him from 90lb cursing alumni cheerleaders.

At the very least Watts' existence will be a constant reminder of what was done. His mere presence will keep the fire burning. Replacing Watts' dims the flame. The new guy would be viewed as not responsible. That being said, I expect Watts will not be UAB president this time next year either because the animosity will be so great that he can't get anything done, he just resigns as part of the grand plan, or to relieve some of the pressure.

(12-03-2014 12:36 AM)WesternBlazer Wrote:  At the very least Watts' existence will be a constant reminder of what was done. His mere presence will keep the fire burning. Replacing Watts' dims the flame. The new guy would be viewed as not responsible. That being said, I expect Watts will not be UAB president this time next year either because the animosity will be so great that he can't get anything done, he just resigns as part of the grand plan, or to relieve some of the pressure.

I think this is correct though it may be much sooner than a year. I don't know how the man will be able to go about daily life around town. Whether a person is a UAB fan or not he has made no friends in this city for the damage he has done to the whole school and city. He better hope he can still remember medicine because I think his career in academic administration is nearing an end.