UO

Quiz:

Which of these did the Eugene planning department require a conditional use permit (CUP) for?

The Dharmalaya Meditation Center, straw bale backyard shelter for quiet retreats:

The UO's 12,500-seat basketball arena, at roughly $250 million, the most expensive arena ever built with plans for games, rock concerts and other mass events almost every weekend:

Answer:

The Eugene planning department required a CUP for the meditation center but not for the huge arena. Both decisions were thrown out on appeal by a hearings official. Now the arena requires a permit and the meditation center does not.

Strange.

Did the city of Eugene get bad legal advice on this? The city doesn't have any attorneys on staff. It gets almost all its legal advice from the private law firm Harrang Long Gary Rudnick P.C.

Harrang Long's president is Bill Gary. Gary served with his friend UO President Dave Frohnmayer as his top deputy when Frohnmayer was Oregon attorney general.

In the past , Gary and his firm have denied any conflicts of interest between the private firm's work for the city and private clients.

Pres. Clinton will be at the UO EMU Ballroom tonight (Monday), May 12 - 8:15 p.m.

Barack Obama spoke to a cheering crowd of roughly 5,000 at the UO on Friday night.

Here's a link to audio of his speech with video clips of the rally.

UO President Dave Frohnmayer has announced that he will resign by the summer of 2009.

Here's an email he sent out to UO faculty and staff this morning:

Dear Colleagues:

Today I formally notified Chancellor George Pernsteiner and Governor Ted
Kulongoski of my intention to retire as President of the University of
Oregon at the conclusion of the 2008/09 academic year. It has been a
great privilege to work with truly stellar faculty, staff, students and
alumni for nearly a decade and a half. I intend to return to teaching and
other assignments after I step down in summer, 2009.

I have given extended notice of my decision to allow ample time yet this
quarter and through the summer for a smooth search and transition process.
I have the utmost confidence that a presidential opportunity at this
internationally recognized institution will draw the attention of the
finest academic leaders. In recent days I have conferred with faculty
leaders to assure that our campus dialogue about immediate needs and
future priorities can command our focused attention in the next year.

It has been nearly twenty years since a full-fledged presidential search
has taken place for this campus. We are armed with the results of many
important perspectives, such as our recently concluded decennial
accreditation self-study, our Campaign Oregon strategic plan, and the
campus profiles that have been thoughtfully prepared for provost,
vice-presidential and dean searches. Nonetheless, the forthcoming search
process will provide a healthy period of reflection and engagement as the
university develops plans for a major leadership transition.

As you may know, the State Board of Higher Education conducts presidential
searches. I have spoken with the Board leadership to gain assurance that
our strongest and best voices will be heard. I expect that the Chancellor
will meet with faculty leadership in the near future to map out next
steps, and I hope that our campus engagement will be broadly based.

I am eternally grateful for the literally thousands of you who have
brought joy, energy and inspiration to the work of the university. You
have endured sustained economic privation; collaborated thoughtfully on
new initiatives; worked ceaselessly to improve our teaching and research;
greeted students, their families and the larger community with warmth and
good spirit; made our buildings and grounds places of serene beauty; and
celebrated the achievements of each other with an enduring sense of pride
and community. Lynn and I are grateful beyond measure for the many acts
of kindness in our times of family loss and grief and in moments of shared
pride for the university.

We endeavor always to improve even more. I look forward to working with
you in these next months.

Warmest wishes,
Dave Frohnmayer

UO big wigs have been taking a lot of hits in the media recently for kowtowing to the almighty swoosh.

On April 16 the Oregonian reported that the UO had evaded state anti-corruption laws to hand the contract for the basketball arena—the most expensive public building in state history—to a Nike subsidiary and Nike related contractor and architect without a competitive or public bidding process.

On April 20, Oregonian columnist Steve Duin wrote that under President Dave Frohnmayer, "This public university has, on any and all questions about the arena, suddenly adopted a code of secrecy worthy of the KGB."

On April 23, Willamette Week awarded Frohnmayer its "Rogue of the Week" award for "hiding the ball" when it comes to Nike, the arena and the state's public records law.

Who's making all these decisions at the UO? Frohnmayer is helped by three "retired" UO vice-presidents who recently got a big pay increase by converting their full time jobs to half time, according to numbers in an Oregonian story last month.

The paper reported that John Moseley, Lorraine Davis and Dan Williams all recently retired but were hired back as half time contractors. According to numbers in the story, Williams earned $162,800 before he retired. After retirement he earned PERS at about 83 percent of salary or, by our estimate, about $135,000. Frohnmayer then hired him back to work at the UO half time for $100,000 a year, according to the Oregonian. So in retirement working half time Williams earns a total of about $235,000 a year, a 44 percent raise over what he earned working full time.

For Moseley the raise works out to 35 percent or a total of $285,000 in post "retirement" salary, by EW's calculations. Davis got an estimated 33 percent raise for going half time, a total of $222,000 a year in post retirement pay.

These three Frohnmayer cronies working half as much for almost half more pay are now among the highest paid public officials in the state. By comparison, the Governor's salary is $93,600.

Wow, no wonder the UO has a hard time getting funding from the Legislature. Of course Frohnmayer or his princely paid assistants won't pay the price for the public esteem swooshing out of the institution. It will be some kid busing tables for tuition.