Sinquefield Donation Under Scrutiny

[Old guy]

Well Cheeseman there is always an inverse side to a coin. You are saying that your side is the one that holds everlasting truth and is destined to go to Heaven, and the other side just because it is not pleasing to your refined moral sensitivities is totally a lie and deserves Hell. Very convenient, where is freedom of speech, thought, and protection against discrimination of any  source? You my friend, should pull out  your $15 M and give a gift to SLU to endow a diametrically opposite endowed professorship.

And as far as a soul goes, what is it and what is its price? I think you are suggesting it is priceless. From my point of view and having gone through what I went in my life, there are a lot of things you have to do, like kissing ass, that leaves your mouth tasting like crap, but you have to do it. Of course, I assume you never ever demeaned yourself to the level of kissing ass. Oh, well you  superior human being, most of the rest of humanity does so. Most of the rest of humanity does so because they need their job, because they got children, mortgages, food to put on the table and  so on and so forth.  

[cgeldmacher]

I'm sorry, but I long for the days when someone could drop a big ass donation on a university and it gave him a little bit of pull with the dean.  Doesn't anyone remember Rodney Dangerfield in Back to School?  The donation to create the Thornton Melon's Tall and Fat School of Business got him into the university and onto the dive team.  That's the way it's supposed to be.  If it cost Rex an extra $35 million to the university's general fund to get his $15 million faculty position, then that was good negotiating on SLU's part.

[gobillsgo]

3 hours ago, NextYearBill said:

 

the teachers that were let go didnt have AAU rankings in HS 

They were all Crews recruits. 

[Glorydays2013]

Its funny to make jokes about staff who were laid off but if you know anything about how this school is run it is inefficient and understaffed. 

For example, they cut IT jobs by a significant margin and increased workload, then when they couldnt handle the workload they hired a private separate IT group and spent significant amounts on it. 

SLU's management is corrupt and political and does not help our school strive to the success it can be

[NextYearBill]

31 minutes ago, Glorydays2013 said:

Its funny to make jokes about staff who were laid off but if you know anything about how this school is run it is inefficient and understaffed. 

For example, they cut IT jobs by a significant margin and increased workload, then when they couldnt handle the workload they hired a private separate IT group and spent significant amounts on it. 

SLU's management is corrupt and political and does not help our school strive to the success it can be

yeeeeah yeeeah... i got my SLU degree, its worthless... cry me a river.... I just want the BBALL team to be in the tournament... care less about the other shite 

[cheeseman]

2 hours ago, Old guy said:

Well Cheeseman there is always an inverse side to a coin. You are saying that your side is the one that holds everlasting truth and is destined to go to Heaven, and the other side just because it is not pleasing to your refined moral sensitivities is totally a lie and deserves Hell. Very convenient, where is freedom of speech, thought, and protection against discrimination of any  source. You my friend should pull out  your $15 M and give a gift to SLU to endow a diametrically opposite endowed professorship.

And as far as a soul goes, what is it and what is its price. I think you are suggesting it is priceless. From my point of view and having gone through I went in my life, there are a lot of things you have to do, like kissing ass, that leaves your mouth tasting like crap, but you have to do it. Of course, I assume you never ever demeaned yourself to the level of kissing ass. Oh, well you  superior human being, most of the rest of humanity does so. Most of the rest of humanity does so because they need their job, because they got children, mortgages, food to put on the table and  so on and so forth.  

I never said any such thing - I will respond to you at the level you deserve - F-ck Y-ur S-elf!  

[Old guy]

2 hours ago, cheeseman said:

I never said any such thing - I will respond to you at the level you deserve - F-ck Y-ur S-elf!  

Oh, Mr. pure spirit and clean soul, him with the anxieties about getting SLU's soul soiled for accepting dirty money that does not meet higher moral ideas, you are getting rough now!  This is great, this means you found that hidden somewhere you actually have some vestigial ba_ls! So, you kissed ass after all, like the rest of us. The problem appears to be that you came out of the experience considering yourself superior to us lower people, is it not? I say so because you have expressed your lofty concerns about the purity of the soul of the University... Why don't you agree that the money gift is a great thing for SLU and cut out the crap about soiling the priceless soul of the University by accepting the money. 

 

[Clock_Tower]

A few comments:

1.  Give me a break.  A lot of donors, whether individuals or foundations, set criteria for the endowed chair they establish. Imagine the horror of SLU hiring and maintaining a few professors on campus who are not liberal democrats.  Maybe SLU might actually inch toward diversity of thought.  Now that's a novel idea on a college campus.

2.  SLU needs to establish a Faculty Reading List:   Evergreen College - what not to do.

3.  "If SLU sells its soul for money...?"  How many souls does SLU have?   b/c Fr. Biondi already sold SLU's soul to obtain the TIF a few years ago.

4.   In hindsight, I wish Sinq. had, instead, conditioned the $50 million donation upon cleaning house/layoffs of the angry, bitter and closed-minded Title IX staff.

 

[willie]

40 minutes ago, Clock_Tower said:

A few comments:

1.  Give me a break.  A lot of donors, whether individuals or foundations, set criteria for the endowed chair they establish. Imagine the horror of SLU hiring and maintaining a few professors on campus who are not liberal democrats.  Maybe SLU might actually inch toward diversity of thought.  Now that's a novel idea on a college campus.

2.  SLU needs to establish a Faculty Reading List:   Evergreen College - what not to do.

3.  "If SLU sells its soul for money...?"  How many souls does SLU have?   b/c Fr. Biondi already sold SLU's soul to obtain the TIF a few years ago.

4.   In hindsight, I wish Sinq. had, instead, conditioned the $50 million donation upon cleaning house/layoffs of the angry, bitter and closed-minded Title IX staff.

 

I wish Rex would have given the 50mil to the basketball program. 

[billikenfan05]

28 minutes ago, willie said:

I wish Rex would have given the 50mil to the basketball program. 

Could have built a baseball “stadium” and renovated hermann

[cheeseman]

15 hours ago, Old guy said:

Oh, Mr. pure spirit and clean soul, him with the anxieties about getting SLU's soul soiled for accepting dirty money that does not meet higher moral ideas, you are getting rough now!  This is great, this means you found that hidden somewhere you actually have some vestigial ba_ls! So, you kissed ass after all, like the rest of us. The problem appears to be that you came out of the experience considering yourself superior to us lower people, is it not? I say so because you have expressed your lofty concerns about the purity of the soul of the University... Why don't you agree that the money gift is a great thing for SLU and cut out the crap about soiling the priceless soul of the University by accepting the money. 

 

This my last response to you Sheldon.  If you had bothered to read my posts you would see that I never said SLU should turn the money down.  What I said was that there had to be way to accept the money and meet everybody's concern.  I still stand by my response to you Sheldon.

[billiken_roy]

8 minutes ago, cheeseman said:

This my last response to you Sheldon.  If you had bothered to read my posts you would see that I never said SLU should turn the money down.  What I said was that there had to be way to accept the money and meet everybody's concern.  I still stand by my response to you Sheldon.

sheldon.....Ha!

[Pistol]

https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/education/sinquefield-will-have-no-say-in-hiring-faculty-or-directing/article_d09763b8-4abc-5c2d-b472-c47a64ca271d.html#tracking-source=home-top-story-2

Rex will have no say in hiring faculty, and the business school dean says the director is a staff position, not faculty. Seems like faculty concerns about who this director is - i.e. faculty or not - were valid.

There are also concerns because research proposals being voted on by a four-person panel - the Sinquefields, the director, and Ken Olliff (SLU's research director) - and they have the ultimate ability to approve and reject proposals, so there are worries about what they'll approve and reject. I wasn't aware of this format initially, and it seems a little odd - "Here's all this money for research, but on the condition that every proposal comes before us for approval". Olliff says he's hopeful they won't object to any proposals.

[Old guy]

Cheeseman why do you call me Sheldon? Is this a refined insult?

[Bills_06]

26 minutes ago, Pistol said:

https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/education/sinquefield-will-have-no-say-in-hiring-faculty-or-directing/article_d09763b8-4abc-5c2d-b472-c47a64ca271d.html#tracking-source=home-top-story-2

Rex will have no say in hiring faculty, and the business school dean says the director is a staff position, not faculty. Seems like faculty concerns about who this director is - i.e. faculty or not - were valid.

There are also concerns because research proposals being voted on by a four-person panel - the Sinquefields, the director, and Ken Olliff (SLU's research director) - and they have the ultimate ability to approve and reject proposals, so there are worries about what they'll approve and reject. I wasn't aware of this format initially, and it seems a little odd - "Here's all this money for research, but on the condition that every proposal comes before us for approval". Olliff says he's hopeful they won't object to any proposals.

Maybe it's just me but I don't find him wanting approval to be that odd.  As Olliff basically said, donors get worried when they give money that it will be used in ways other than they intended it to be used for so wanting to see approval seems smart to me.  They could tell him it will be used for research, use only half of it and then use the other half for something else and he would have no say with SLU using his money that way?   Now if he starts rejecting valid proposals that go through their process for no reason I get concerns being raised then but the odd part to me is that faculty is complaining about a 50 million donation marked for research being used before the process of how it will be used even starts. 

I am with Scott Martin, the chair of the chemistry department who was quoted in the article, people should be more positive on the fact they got a 50 million dollar donation for research and stop looking for the negatives immediately on something that is a positive for the school.  

[Pistol]

51 minutes ago, Bills_06 said:

Maybe it's just me but I don't find him wanting approval to be that odd.  As Olliff basically said, donors get worried when they give money that it will be used in ways other than they intended it to be used for so wanting to see approval seems smart to me.  They could tell him it will be used for research, use only half of it and then use the other half for something else and he would have no say with SLU using his money that way?   Now if he starts rejecting valid proposals that go through their process for no reason I get concerns being raised then but the odd part to me is that faculty is complaining about a 50 million donation marked for research being used before the process of how it will be used even starts. 

I am with Scott Martin, the chair of the chemistry department who was quoted in the article, people should be more positive on the fact they got a 50 million dollar donation for research and stop looking for the negatives immediately on something that is a positive for the school.  

Yeah, I think overall it's a positive and I'm hopeful that they won't be rejecting many proposals, but it still struck me as unusual. Unless maybe I'm wrong and more big-time college donations for research have donors actively involved in approving projects - does anyone know?

It seems more common for big donations to be used on capital projects like buildings, and donors slap their names on it and their involvement is usually limited to a board of trustees position or something along those lines.

I like that the donation is for an ongoing thing like research but I think it's also natural that there are concerns that the donor will have a hand in approving each proposal to come through - or more specifically that he and his wife and direct appointee make up 3/4 of the proposal screening group.

[billiken_roy]

1 hour ago, Old guy said:

Cheeseman why do you call me Sheldon? Is this a refined insult?

old guy you dont know who "sheldon cooper" is?

[Old guy]

Roy, I did not have a TV set until after I was married, I have no idea who Sheldon Cooper is. 

[drkelsey55]

6 minutes ago, Old guy said:

Roy, I did not have a TV set until after I was married, I have no idea who Sheldon Cooper is. 

Check your local listings for "Big Bang Theory" not an old show.

[Box and Won]

4 minutes ago, drkelsey55 said:

Check your local listings for "Big Bang Theory" not an old show.

Or just Google it orwhateverwhogivesashiteaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh

[Old guy]

Just did. Hey guys If you don't have a TV until past 30, you never see a need to watch it. For me it is a flat piece of plastic and glass that sits int he family room and catches dust. My wife watches things like the Tennis shows, baseball, and movies. We both watch the Bills games when we can get them, and that is that. Oh, and yes we watched the Game of Thrones episodes when they come out on DVD. 

[billiken_roy]

i am just sitting here laughing.   it is  2018.   and tv.... oh like box said, "orwhateverwhogivesashiteaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh"

[billiken_roy]

oh and old guy, one last thing.  sheldon cooper is one of the greatest tv characters ever created.   it is close to unbelievable that you dont know who sheldon is (and this comes from a guy that doesnt watch regularly "big bang theory").   a lot of MBM guys have said you are not real and i have always said you are.   but man this makes me take pause and wonder.   

[RiseAndGrind]

5 minutes ago, billiken_roy said:

oh and old guy, one last thing.  sheldon cooper is one of the greatest tv characters ever created.   it is close to unbelievable that you dont know who sheldon is (and this comes from a guy that doesnt watch regularly "big bang theory").   a lot of MBM guys have said you are not real and i have always said you are.   but man this makes me take pause and wonder.   

The hottest take this board has ever seen?

[Quality Is Job 1]

9 minutes ago, billiken_roy said:

oh and old guy, one last thing.  sheldon cooper is one of the greatest tv characters ever created.   it is close to unbelievable that you dont know who sheldon is (and this comes from a guy that doesnt watch regularly "big bang theory").   a lot of MBM guys have said you are not real and i have always said you are.   but man this makes me take pause and wonder.   

I don't know jack about Sheldon Cooper, either.  I'm not a big TV watcher, though I'm a big fan of the Star Trek franchise and have most of it on DVD.