Fuck John Carvalho

[Kaos]

I'm sick of this guy.  Fuck him.  Why in the hell would he drag this back up?  Auburn = UAB.  Fuck this clown.  I hate his ass. 

http://www.al.com/opinion/index.ssf/2014/12/comparing_auburn_jetgate_to_ua.html#incart_river

As the UAB Faculty Senate Tuesday announced a no-confidence motion in President Ray Watts to be debated at a special meeting in January, my mind went back to a similar mess at Auburn my first year on faculty: the 2003 Jetgate scandal that resulted in the resignation of President William Walker (among others) -- and a no-confidence vote from the faculty.

For Watts, trouble emerged from his decision to eliminate the UAB football program -- a decision made without faculty input and based on a flimsy consultant's report that seemed to confirm a decision already made.

For Walker, trouble emerged when he led a November 2003 secret trip to Louisville to talk to then-head coach Bobby Petrino about replacing then-head coach Tommy Tuberville.  The story on the trip was broken by Jay Tate of the Montgomery Advertiser, and likewise shattered Walker's presidency.

Much has been written about the Jetgate situation.  One parallel between Auburn and the UAB situation is that in both cases, the Faculty Senate would convene to consider a vote of no-confidence against the president.

The Auburn faculty senate met fairly quickly, on Thursday, Dec. 11, to debate a motion demanding Walker's resignation in view of the embarrassing news reports.  In this case, the meeting was open to the public and the media, and Walker answered questions publicly. Complete minutes for the Dec. 11, 2003 meeting are still available -- yet another testament to the openness of the process.

Watts, on the other hand, has been spared a public Faculty Senate grilling so far -- instead, he apparently met with faculty members Monday in an "impromptu" meeting that was closed to the public.  My hope is that the meeting in January will be open to all interested members of the UAB community.

I still remember hanging out in the sound room in December 2003; it was about the only place left.  Faculty, students, and staff, in questioning Walker, would make statements, often savage, in advance of their questions. 

In some cases, the speakers would return to their seats even as Walker was answering, as if the statement and not the question was the focus.

Two days before the meeting, Auburn's accrediting agency, SACS, had placed the school on probation for excessive trustee influence in day-to-day university matters, particularly athletics.  Many felt that Walker had forfeited moral authority in leading the university through such a crucial process.

In the end, urged by Faculty Senate chairman John Mouton, the faculty voted 42-27 against calling for Walker's resignation.  They did, however, vote in favor of a no-confidence motion by a 37-31 vote (a move Mouton also spoke out against), with five abstentions.  A motion to censure passed unanimously.

By the next month, however, Walker would resign on Jan. 16, 2004, two days after meeting with Gov. Bob Riley, who also acted as chairman of the Auburn Board of Trustees. Dr. Ed Richardson, former state superintendent of education, would come in on an interim basis until a presidential search could be conducted.

Granted, what happened at UAB is far more tragic: the loss of a football program and the effects it has on not only the university community, but also the individual athletes and coaches who find their lives turned upside down.

That a university president like Watts would make the decision in the way that he did -- Faculty Athletics Representative Frank Mussina was not even consulted -- is truly an indictment of his leadership style and deserves more than the glossing-over apology he offered in his statement.  No university president should ever make such an important decision in such a unilateral manner.

It would seem insincere and definitely appear glib and flippant to assure the UAB community that everything will turn out OK by using Auburn as a parallel.

Things did get better for Auburn: Less than a year after almost being fired, Tuberville led his team to an undefeated season, though Auburn was deprived of a chance for a national championship.

However, in late 2003 we did not face the elimination of our football program, and that is a huge difference.  If the football team cannot be restored, perhaps faith in UAB's leadership can. 

Whether this can happen under Watts -- whose actions in this process show decision making skill far below his position and pay grade -- is doubtful.

Still, the process of debating this needs to happen in a more open and candid manner than Watts provided UAB with his football decision.  Let's hope this happens in January, as it did in Auburn in December 2003.

 John Carvalho is Associate Professor of Journalism, School of Communication and Journalism in Auburn University. You can follow him on Twitter @John_P_Carvalho.

[WiregrassTiger]

Give peace a chance.

[Snaggletiger]

Give peace a chance.

While we're sitting on a fence

[WiregrassTiger]

While we're sitting on a fence

-100
All we are saying, is give peace a chance
Everybody's talking about, revolution
 Evolution, masturbation, flagellation

[Snaggletiger]

-100
All we are saying, is give peace a chance
Everybody's talking about, revolution
 Evolution, masturbation, flagellation

-104
Pretending our hearts are in the right place
But, your face shows a trace of hypocrisy.
Don't tread on me
Now you can see
Make love not war.

[Townhallsavoy]

Non sequitur much? 

What surprised me the most about the article was the end where it said he teaches at Auburn.  I assumed that he was a bammer that got hired along the way, but nope, he graduated from Auburn too.

[WiregrassTiger]

-104
Pretending our hearts are in the right place
But, your face shows a trace of hypocrisy.
Don't tread on me
Now you can see
Make love not war.

-250
I started this with John Lennon in mind. Not the homoerotic boy band stuff that you apparently think is great. And the song title "Rest in Peace" is a long way from Give Peace a Chance. Just because that line is in the song does not mean that it's any less gay.

You are way out of bounds on this one and do not know what you are talking about.

[smooth_operator]

You are way out of bounds on this one and do not know what you are talking about.

That isn't a requirement on the X

[Snaggletiger]

-250
I started this with John Lennon in mind. Not the homoerotic boy band stuff that you apparently think is great. And the song title "Rest in Peace" is a long way from Give Peace a Chance. Just because that line is in the song does not mean that it's any less gay.

You are way out of bounds on this one and do not know what you are talking about.

-251
I hear they're making a biopic about the life of John Lennon.  Anyone know when the shooting starts?

What would you find if you dug up Lennon's body? 4 slugs and a dead Beatle

What's rich, ugly and sleeps alone?  Yoko Ono

What did Yoko say when John got shot?  Ono Ono Ono

Yeeeeeeeahh bitch.  Lennon smack. Now that's Extreme.

[WiregrassTiger]

That isn't a requirement on the X

Toshay. But it gets annoying sometimes when people spout off big internet talk on here being a wiseass and veering off of the thread subject.

It took me forever to get Chizad banned but I'm still working on some others.

[smooth_operator]

Toshay. But it gets annoying sometimes when people spout off big internet talk on here being a wiseass and veering off of the thread subject.

It took me forever to get Chizad banned but I'm still working on some others.

Wait... Did something great happen while I was away having a life??

[Catphish Tilly]

Non sequitur much? 

What surprised me the most about the article was the end where it said he teaches at Auburn.  I assumed that he was a bammer that got hired along the way, but nope, he graduated from Auburn too.

I'm typically ok with John. He has a fairly interesting twitter account and is a pro Auburn guy but yeah, this is a strange attempt at drawing a parallel.

[Snaggletiger]

I'm typically ok with John. He has a fairly interesting twitter account and is a pro Auburn guy but yeah, this is a strange attempt at drawing a parallel.

The two cases are eerily similar.  Almost identical.  You know, one President was trying to hire a new coach.  The other shut down a football program.  Coincidence?  You decide.

One President had a vote taken to see if they would call for his resignation.  The other...well, they haven't voted on anything yet. Oooooo.....you're getting goose bumps, aren't you.

At one school, SACS put them on probation.  At the other....um....I didn't see anything exactly referencing SACS...but they MIGHT be involved and we just haven't heard.  Do I need to go on?

[GH2001]

- Infinity to all you lame asses.

But only Bill Clark will really understand that deduction since he is the only one who can count to inifinity. And back.

[Saniflush]

Wait... Did something great happen while I was away having a life??

Well I'm not sure great but we found out some things.....

1) We do not have a trophy case here at the X

2) We have more of a wall

3) Chad was added to it

[djsimp]

Well I'm not sure great but we found out some things.....

1) We do not have a trophy case here at the X

2) We have more of a wall

3) Chad was added to it

They met Mr. Mayhem.

[Snaggletiger]

They met Mr. Mayhem.

What does Allstate have to do with any of this?

[djsimp]

What does Allstate have to do with any of this?

What does Jake have to do with any of this?

[Saniflush]

What does Jake have to do with any of this?

Jake is at State Farm

[GH2001]

Jake is at State Farm

Well, she's a guy so.....