Yet Another Rutgers Bombshell.

[Ozzie Nelson]

KnightBridge - To start, I want to express my appreciation for your contributions to the Boneyard. You write well, bring great insight into Rutger's women's basketball, and in the current instance, the University/New Jersey as a whole. I'm sorry that as an avid RU fan, you are having to experience what must be a really miserable post-season.

We all know that eventually these controversies will be done and over with, and that life at RU will go on, so perhaps the following is either/or moot or silly. But I'm wondering if you could address Rutger's incoming membership in the Big Ten. Is this something that in your opinion RU fans in general welcomed with open arms (did you?), and if so, are there any regrets? And any sense that some fans think that the university should withdraw its membership acceptance?

Because I live in Wisconsin and am a Badger fan as well as a Husky fan, Rutger's membership is of particular interest to me.

Isn't there a Rutger's Fan Board where this is discussed?

 

[cabbie191]

Isn't there a Rutger's Fan Board where this is discussed?

The only RU board I've seen is Scarlett Nation.com. The discussion there is very scant.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

The only RU board I've seen is Scarlett Nation.com. The discussion there is very scant.

On the women's board, scant. I assume not on the others (FB, MBB) but I don't read them. Where the serious discussion was apparently conducted was the pay board which my wife reads and reported to me blow by blow.

 

[msf22b]

Sunday

The Newark Inquirer wraps up the week and seemingly indicates that their interest in pursuing the story is waning.
Despite the title, not much really new…except for the unflattering picture of Ms. Hermann that heads the piece
Two tidbits:

The administration felt that the story of her coaching mis-adventure is more nuanced, implies that some of her students were "severally troubled."

Although this sniffs of 'blame the victim,' the absence of UTenn's administrative acknowledgement of the reported incident gives Rutgers lots of space to equivocate.

Also mentioned was the concern that a job offer at the U would be understood as something less than that if Ms. Julie was jettisoned.

A final tidbit was that the new AD's early week cancellations had to do only with the important domestic considerations of selling her house... and had no ulterior motives.

My impression is that the Star-Ledger is through.

There are potential loose ends that would take a lot of research. Is the UTenn admin lying about their selective amnesia and could a source be uncovered who would own up to that? And what is their motivation for doing that?

I think it's over and we'll never know.

 

[NickyNewark]

Geez if I'd have known it was gonna be that easy, I'd have applied for the job.

If you think your THAT qualified UConn might be interested in looking at your resume!!!I think Rutger's will be fine!!

 

[NickyNewark]

Isn't there a Rutger's Fan Board where this is discussed?

@Are you SERIOUS?Would you consider withdrawing your membership?Mr.MAGOO!

 

[NickyNewark]

Thursday

The Newark Star Ledger and the New York Post are still pursuing the Rutgers/Hermann debacle but without any significant news. Columnists from both papers voiced displeasure with the form and length of the so-called press conference.

Reading between the lines, there were two potential problems for the University

• 
  [ ]Jim Delan, the Big-10 commish noted (if not exactly criticizing) that the recent spate of bad news had dampened any good feelings and excitement that would normally occur in such an important move. His statement was restrained but covered his organization's behind if anything further goes amiss.
  [ ] It was noted that Ms Julie meets this very evening with a group of University heavy hitters. If for some reason the evening does not go well, it would not be surprising for support for her appointment to evaporate.

Length?And why does JH or RU owe time to those gossip mongering rag's?What's next?Some RU official once got caught in dirty underwear?I mean really Delany know's whose really pushing this "we lost the NY media market campaign"(ESPIN) and assured everyone there's no going back!These news rags "reporter's" are now getting paid by the hit's on their stories and realize no one want's to hear feel good stories!Wake up and think...who w/o an agenda cares?

 

[NickyNewark]

Scarlett - thanks for your response. I've also appreciated your contributions here! I absolutely expect that Rutger's membership status will be unchanged, and you're right - RU ought not be treated any differently than anyone else. All schools have their warts from time to time - witness the ban on our men's basketball team participating in last year's tournaments.

The one difference in this situation that seems to me to be somewhat unique is that these incidents have come to light just as a school is getting ready to join a conference, not while already a member. I was just curious how fans felt it in general about this.

@Cabbie,I hope my comment's on this thread don't sound rude as that's not my intention but the tone comes from what many RU fans think is a SL and ESPIN driven agenda for either in Newhouses (own SLer) case jealousy and loss of the NYC area market to the BTN by the other!

 

[Ozzie Nelson]

@Are you SERIOUS?Would you consider withdrawing your membership?Mr.MAGOO!

You need a nap.

 

[NickyNewark]

You need a nap.

Ozzie Nelson,did you know Ozzie was from NJ AND went to RU or aren't you the REAL Ozzie from Ozzie and Harriet?If you are welcome home and thanks for your original question's!Its nice to think my response touched a chord in Badger land!Now pardon me whilst I take a nap!

 

[meyers7]

Nicky, nicky, nicky.

If you think your THAT qualified UConn might be interested in looking at your resume!!!

Prolly not, I've heard they actually vet their candidates. (which would definitely disqualify me)

I think Rutger's will be fine!!

I'm sure they will. They are doing so well now. And with supporters like you.....what could go wrong.

 

[OneTrickPony]

No Nick Danger reference should go unappreciated...!

 

[msf22b]

Lenn Robbins of the Post (the other interested newspaper) puts this fascinating take on its end-piece.

She must always be watched because she has shown herself not to be trustworthy. And Rutgers must be watched because it has proven itself not to be transparent. Sadly, that’s how a lot of big-time athletic programs do business, big business, successful business.
Maybe Julie Hermann can bring an edge to Rutgers it has lacked. Maybe she’s the right person at the right time for the wrong reasons and wrong process.
Maybe.

 

[Icebear]

My biggest concern if I was hiring her would be her lack of honesty and tendency to stage her history.

 

[arty155]

...Wake up and think...who w/o an agenda cares?

- I care.
- My agenda is that of a NJ taxpayer: I want to support a state university system (Kean Univ, Rutgers...) that ensures strong graduate and undergraduate education is affordable for state residents. I want fellow voters and donors to continue to have a system worthy of their support.
- Incompetency in this contract award for $2.25M ($450K/5 years) undermines that.
- When the co-chairs of this process appear to deny timely access of vetting info to the search advisory committee and/or all the voting members, and when the co-chairs further appear to fail to provide time for adequate study and discussion of such background material... the effort of remaining conscientious staff is circumvented and wasted.
- What is far worse - it's not just co-chairs bungling the selection process, its then trying to sell (even to that same committee!) that the process was just fine.
- Yeah, I canceled my subscription to that that particular newspaper and its sensationalism a long time ago. But I doubt ESPN or any newspaper created Rutgers' internal email responding to the Co-chairs, which pointed to the heart of this problem:

"Please, let us not at this late date attempt to convince ourselves and the public that there was sufficient time to delve deeply into either candidates's documents ...
"With 13-15 committee members present at the interviews, and with each member needing to be given the opportunity to ask their own questions, and with Julie's interview starting more than 15 minutes late, there was little or no time to ask follow-up questions, or probe deeply ...
"Please let's not present this as any kind of exemplary process. Subsequent events have proven otherwise." [Ronald Garutti - member of the committee and the school's board of trustees]

- Its not the end of the world, or unique to Rutgers. When you improperly make a selection for competative contract award/competitive personel contract award, you simply stop and fix it. Lawyers are very good at pointing the best way in each particualr circumstance.
-If you do not, you have simply institutionalized incompetence. And everybody knows it.
- Until then, papers, TV, even sports websites will continue to point, to laugh, to resolve it is intollerable, to resolve it must not happen to them . They should.
-ESPN did not torpedo the school's reputation this time. It was an inside job.

 

[NickyNewark]

Good well thought out and researched post but growing up in Belleville and being born in Newark I used to love the SLer(even worked there AND the Newark News) before it fell by the wayside but Dr Barchi has no business trying to merge the med and dental school AND do a job he's unqualified for (Pres RU) too!Why couldn't they Christie let Barchi do what he's really there for AND put a permenant Pres in place?With all the waste in the political fiefdom's that N.J, has been as long as I can remember can't they afford too?A lot of people and fan's have been waiting for NJ and RU too return pride within the state and return to past prominence!But sir I enjoyed you post and obvious love and concern for your home State and mine!Thank you for taking the time and making my day!NJ needs more citizen's who care enough!...I agree also with your last sentence but they certainly fan the flame's!!

 

[NickyNewark]

Nicky, nicky, nicky.


Prolly not, I've heard they actually vet their candidates. (which would definitely disqualify me)


I'm sure they will. They are doing so well now. And with supporters like you.....what could go wrong.

@OH, maybe CVS could manage to go another year underperforming?I certainly hope not because I really like her but you asked!!

 

[NickyNewark]

- I care.
- My agenda is that of a NJ taxpayer: I want to support a state university system (Kean Univ, Rutgers...) that ensures strong graduate and undergraduate education is affordable for state residents. I want fellow voters and donors to continue to have a system worthy of their support.
- Incompetency in this contract award for $2.25M ($450K/5 years) undermines that.
- When the co-chairs of this process appear to deny timely access of vetting info to the search advisory committee and/or all the voting members, and when the co-chairs further appear to fail to provide time for adequate study and discussion of such background material... the effort of remaining conscientious staff is circumvented and wasted.
- What is far worse - it's not just co-chairs bungling the selection process, its then trying to sell (even to that same committee!) that the process was just fine.
- Yeah, I canceled my subscription to that that particular newspaper and its sensationalism a long time ago. But I doubt ESPN or any newspaper created Rutgers' internal email responding to the Co-chairs, which pointed to the heart of this problem:

"Please, let us not at this late date attempt to convince ourselves and the public that there was sufficient time to delve deeply into either candidates's documents ...
"With 13-15 committee members present at the interviews, and with each member needing to be given the opportunity to ask their own questions, and with Julie's interview starting more than 15 minutes late, there was little or no time to ask follow-up questions, or probe deeply ...
"Please let's not present this as any kind of exemplary process. Subsequent events have proven otherwise." [Ronald Garutti - member of the committee and the school's board of trustees]

- Its not the end of the world, or unique to Rutgers. When you improperly make a selection for competative contract award/competitive personel contract award, you simply stop and fix it. Lawyers are very good at pointing the best way in each particualr circumstance.
-If you do not, you have simply institutionalized incompetence. And everybody knows it.
- Until then, papers, TV, even sports websites will continue to point, to laugh, to resolve it is intollerable, to resolve it must not happen to them . They should.
-ESPN did not torpedo the school's reputation this time. It was an inside job.

@FWIW,I'd really hoped they'd hit a home run and examine SB's Priore closer or take a flyer on Delany's recommendation Frazier!

 

[arty155]

Dr Barchi has no business trying to merge the med and dental school AND do a job he's unqualified for (Pres RU) too!...

-I should clarify I'm actually a UConn grad raised in CT, stationed at Picatinny in 95 and retired here. So I cheer for UConn in everything first, but otherwise pull for the local schools & home teams... sometimes even the Devils, may Heaven forgive me.
- Thanks much for highlighting Dr Barchi's extraordinary scope of work possibly impacting his decision here. That entire perspective simply never occurred to me, nor would it have. Have always particularly enjoyed KB's RU insight from AZ, and now hope to see you both again on a happier thread. Thanks again.

 

[NickyNewark]

-I should clarify I'm actually a UConn grad raised in CT, stationed at Picatinny in 95 and retired here. So I cheer for UConn in everything first, but otherwise pull for the local schools & home teams... sometimes even the Devils, may Heaven forgive me.
- Thanks much for highlighting Dr Barchi's extraordinary scope of work possibly impacting his decision here. That entire perspective simply never occurred to me, nor would it have. Have always particularly enjoyed KB's RU insight from AZ, and now hope to see you both again on a happier thread. Thanks again.

It seem's living in NJ/NY for some reason no one is ever happy lol but when I moved to S.Calif I started to realize I liked the rain and change of seasons etc etc so sometimes you don't realize what you like until it isn't there anymore!! btw I loved California just growing up in the NE I realized home was where your heart is and I preferred snow every now and again to sand Ha ha!!

 

[NickyNewark]

My biggest concern if I was hiring her would be her lack of honesty and tendency to stage her history.

My concern is Robbins out of the blue concern for RU's well being ? Isn't he a tad paranoid?I've alway's thought him a bit of a flake and less than sincere!Len Kettle? Oh well,the beat goes on!!