tombigbeetiger 223 Posted July 16, 2006 Share Posted July 16, 2006 smoking gun is right here Who should you blame? ... The Drake Group -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is about money….big money. The athletic department has it, many other departments don’t. The academicians, who should be considered overworked, underpaid, under-appreciated, and under-budgeted were forced to get by with interim chairs during the “period of austerity†when Auburn transitioned the four years from President Muse to President Richardson. Quote: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "After Muse left, our administration turned into acting interims all over the place, and acting interims really can't do anything and don't want to talk about problems," Gundlach said. The Drake Group, a grassroots collection of college professors looking to reform big-time athletics, called for Auburn to allow for an independent investigation into Gundlach's claims. "Auburn University has a very, very strong reason (for) wanting to come out looking good in this," said David Ridpath, the director of the Drake Group. ….I have a huge amount of doubt when the NCAA and SEC investigate because they have a stake.†-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- www.al.com/auburnfootball/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/sports/115295510057360.xml&coll=2 And Gunlach and the academicians don’t have a stake? Is the Drake Group so full of themselves that they believe the average person doesn’t see the stakes. Of course the academicians have a stake – hundreds of millions of dollars are at stake. Budget funding for research projects, programs, and politically-controlled fiefdoms that are the prize of every department chair are taking a backseat to profitable programs like big-time sports. The Academicians thought the operating budgets and decision-making would improve following their attempt to use SACS to force the administration into action. It failed miserably. So now the faculty is trying a different approach, involving the academic version of the ACLU – The Drake Group. Don’t know who these guys are? This is where those “overworked, underpaid, under-appreciated, under-budgeted academicians†from universities with big-time athletic programs go running to get help in fighting their political battles for budget money ….. big money. The current Director at the Drake Group, Dr. David Ridpath, was the “expert†who spoke on behalf of Dr. Linda Bensel-Meyers in the Knight Commission investigation against the University of Tennessee. Remember Bensel-Meyers, the professor that brought charges against UT claiming that academic fraud was “institutionalized†at UT? Guess what….. she was the Director of the Drake Group at the time and remains a member of their Executive Committee. Bensel-Meyers wrote a paper purporting that athletic scholarships constituted payment for athletic services and, therefore, the NFL should be required to adopt their costs as a farm league, complete with insurance benefits. This is the type of radical viewpoint we’re dealing with in considering the agenda of Dr. Gundlach. The Drake Group has increasingly gone on the offensive, feeling the end justifies the means. In March of this year, Drake’s self-proclaimed “conscience of collegiate athletics,†DG’s Frank Splitt, wrote: Quote: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "The college sports entertainment business not only maintains a virtual stranglehold on America's institutions of higher learning, but also serves as a major distraction from their academic mission - undermining America's ability to face up to global realities." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Splitt was reportedly outraged when the APR scores were published and Auburn was listed at the top of public institutions. No doubt he had a conference call with Gordon Gee. In a May 9th 2004 letter written by NCAA President Myles Brand, he stated: Quote: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- " The Drake Group, consisting of a small number of faculty members with an eye for publicity, wants to end university support for intercollegiate athletics. They want to turn college sports into minor leagues for professional teams." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- article: Myles Brand quotes In the Bensel-Meyers case, Drake utilized their contacts at – you guessed it – the New York Times to leak sensitive information that was favorable to their agenda. The Drake Group also praises Vanderbilt’s Gordon Gee, stating that more academicians should emulate the example provided by Gee at Vanderbilt. Gee’s the one that abolished the athletic director position at Vanderbilt and is one of the ones that got his nose bent out of joint when Auburn released higher APR scores that the great Vanderbilt University. My personal opinion is that this is about Money. The Athletic department is getting a lot of it, a few other departments aren’t getting much of it at all. The capital funding committed by the University towards the athletic academic assistance center is a slap in the face to many departments that are starved for competitive levels of operating budget. For people like Jim Gundlach, it’s political harvest time. He was jilted, passed over for the promotion in favor of a less-tenured, less-published professor. Gundlach was embarrassed among his colleagues, humiliated among his peers, and his popularity among students was declining because of his attitudes towards them. Mr. Gundlach is the classic case of the disgruntled employee. Did he have a right to be disgruntled? …maybe. Was his contact with the NYT an attempt to be punitive? …. Most definitely. But he knows there is nothing the University or the Athletic department can do about it. He’s a tenured professor nearing retirement. If fans and alumni want someone to blame, it is not our neighbors to the east, it’s The Drake Group and their agenda to end intercollegiate sports. The Drake group would be better served to put an end to Title IX. That way, each sport would be required to stand on it’s own legs and the millions of dollars diverted to sports like Women’s Field Hockey could instead be used for university operating budgets. TDG will have the opportunity to discuss it since they’re holding their TDG 2007 Convention with a partner: "Girls & Women Rock: Celebrating 35 Years of Sport and Title IX" "Illegitimus non Carborundum" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
autigeremt 6,630 Posted July 16, 2006 Share Posted July 16, 2006 Great post!!!!!!!!!! I would have to agree with you on this! Several of the faculty have expressed a "concern" about the involvement of Drake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigermike 3,029 Posted July 16, 2006 Share Posted July 16, 2006 But it's so much more fun to blame the "bammerfarts". Good post and good info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CapstoneCAS 0 Posted July 16, 2006 Share Posted July 16, 2006 But it's so much more fun to blame the "bammerfarts". Good post and good info. 248339[/snapback] Im surprised anything would be "fun" right now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GalensGhost 0 Posted July 16, 2006 Share Posted July 16, 2006 But it's so much more fun to blame the "bammerfarts". Good post and good info. 248339[/snapback] Im surprised anything would be "fun" right now 248385[/snapback] I doubt they're "fun" in Tuscaloosa, but things are definitely fun in Auburn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Proud Tiger 4,261 Posted July 16, 2006 Share Posted July 16, 2006 But it's so much more fun to blame the "bammerfarts". Good post and good info. 248339[/snapback] Im surprised anything would be "fun" right now 248385[/snapback] Just thinking about seeing the thumb in November is so much fun I can hardly stand it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DKW 86 7,424 Posted July 16, 2006 Share Posted July 16, 2006 With all due respect, how then did WSJ, David Wasson, Cecil Hurt all get drug into this? Of Course PF never brought any of this up while throwing his arm out throwing softballs to Thamel. BTW, Thamel said he would publish anything any one came up with at any University. Want to take bets on when he goes to Alabama to investigate the 1 class/6hrs credit for 3-5 typewritten pages with Croyle and Closner? Dont hold your breath, it will NEVER happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GalensGhost 0 Posted July 16, 2006 Share Posted July 16, 2006 Withy all due respect, how then did WSJ, David Wasson, Cecil Hurt all get drug into this? Of Course PF never brought any of this up while throwing his arm out throwing softballs to Thamel. BTW, Thamel said he would publish anything any one came up with at any University. Want to take bets on when he goes to Alabama to investigate the 1 class/6hrs credit for 3-5 typewritten pages with Croyle and Closner? Dont hold your breath, it will NEVER happen. 248449[/snapback] Would you like for me to bring it up to him? It can be done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DKW 86 7,424 Posted July 16, 2006 Share Posted July 16, 2006 Hammer him with it. He will NEVER go to Turdtown, NEVER! G2, Thamel is a bought and paid for hit man. Maybe if WE take up an offering for him? How much does a smear piece on the frontpage of the NYT cost anyway? Who am I kidding, G2 you dont work for NYT affiliate. Nothing is going to happen. Life just does not work that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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