Stupidity may be inherited, but ignorance is a personal choice.

This is the forty-second post in an ongoing series as we file Missouri Sunshine Law (RSMo 610) requests and investigate the non-renewal of the contract of University of Central Missouri President Aaron Podolefsky. Links to previous coverage are below the fold. BG and MB

Greg Hassler, the radio announcer and part owner of a radio station who has a thing about a tree, spoke at length on live radio yesterday about his new found larger market media notoriety:

….Greg Hassler: Hey, have you read the paper lately?

Marion Woods: You’re, you’re fired up. [laughter]

Greg Hassler: I, I guess. Have you read any of the papers lately?

Marion Woods: I did.

Greg Hassler: Did you read the Kansas City Star?

Marion Woods: I did. I did, I [inaudible] to see that, as a matter of fact.

Greg Hassler: Well, you know I.

Marion Woods: You were mentioned.

Greg Hassler: I’m kinda getting some [inaudible], I was up, my understanding is the Kansas City Star article that, uh, uh, talks about Wesly pulling a possible donation from the university is gonna be reprinted in the Daily Star Journal today. I haven’t seen.

Marion Woods: You heard that?

Greg Hassler: I heard that maybe today or, or tomorrow it’s, remains to be seen, but, uh.  I, you know, I don’t know, it’s a, uh, it’s unfortunate I think. I mean I, I mean if that’s actually the case that he is pulling that because of, of me that’s, uh, I don’t, you know, I feel bad. [crosstalk]

Marion Woods: [inaudible][crosstalk] responsibility.

Greg Hassler: Uh, yeah, I. You know, my comments that I’ve made I’ve said many times I’m not, I was not anti-Semitic, I’m not anti-Semitic, I mean, um. It’s unfortunate. [crosstalk]

Marion Woods: I can vouch for that. [crosstalk]

Greg Hassler: It’s unfortunate that it, that it’s come to this. It, it’s interesting how, how much media play this has gotten on the Kansas City Star web site. The story was the biggest story of the day. They had over one hundred responses on the web site.

Marion Woods: To that story.

Greg Hassler: [inaudible] They did. And most of them are, are very positive, a lot of them have different. And these are people on, from the outside looking in that also believe that it’s not anti-Semitic, I mean, what’s going on down there? And one guy says I’m not gonna give my money to the university anymore I’m gonna give it to KOKO radio. [laughter] I mean there’s left wing crazies, I mean, there’s all kinds of people out [crosstalk] there, different types of things.

Marion Woods: Oh, yeah.

Greg Hassler: And then last night’s, at eight o’clock, nine-eighty KMBZ news talk out of Kansas City donated a full hour, the Darla Jaye show, a full hour to, uh, to their article.

Marion Woods: Really.

Greg Hassler: And they had, they had callers calling in from around. It, it was a great show, uh, we are going to replay that show here on fourteen-fifty KOKO, it’s from an outsider, a third party that knows nothing about the University of Central Missouri, knows nothing about how Aaron Podolefsky did not get his contract renewed by the Board of Governors. Doesn’t know anything about me, doesn’t know anything about Wesly, and her thoughts and her comments on what she read in the newspaper and callers in the Kansas City area. It’s probably gonna be tomorrow once we get that whole show put together. Her producer has e-mailed it, uh, to us. She made a lot of great points and the very first point that she made, she goes, you know, this Wesly guy who lives in Denmark, this, you know, he’s Dutch, lives in Denmark. How does he even hear about this from a little radio station in Warrensburg, Missouri? First, her first point was there’s no way that’s an anti-Semitic comment. It’s just not.

Marion Woods: Yeah.

Greg Hassler: And then, their second point is, how does he hear about that? And she goes I can only assume that, uh, the president, Aaron Podolefsky told him, either played him a recording or told him about it. And, uh, probably not sure if that should even have been done. But, anyway, it’s [crosstalk]…

Marion Woods: That’s only an assumption on her part. [crosstalk]

Greg Hassler: That’s only an assumption on her part, I mean you got, kinda draw the lines [crosstalk]…

Marion Woods: Yeah.

Greg Hassler: …but, you know, two and two together. Uh, but it’s a great show and we, uh, hope to have it on tomorrow, it’ll probably be about forty-five minutes of great radio listening. It involves our area, it involves the university, it involves me, it involves, uh, a lot of, lot of people. [inaudible] And there’s also, there’s a facebook page already started in support called Hassler’s posse, I think that’s what it’s called. [laughter] I just got that this morning. Uh, people understand what’s going on around here.

Marion Woods: Yeah.

Greg Hassler: It’s not me being anti-Semitic.

Marion Woods: Yeah.

Greg Hassler: I’m not the problem. No question about that. The problem’s gonna leave in June. That’s the problem. And it’ll be gone soon, we just have to wait. Okay.

Marion Woods: Sports is next.

Greg Hassler: Mules and Jennies [laughter] basketball tomorrow night….

We’ve got to start somewhere.

1. Dutch people are from The Netherlands. The city of Maastricht (you know, the tower thingy on campus, next to the football stadium) is in the Netherlands. Benoit Wesly is from the Netherlands. Benoit Wesly is Dutch.

2. Denmark is a different country than The Netherlands. They don’t even share a border. People who didn’t sleep through all of their classes tend to know that.

3. KMBZ talk radio probably does not have as wide a listener demographic as some would think. Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck?

4. “…It, it was a great show, uh, we are going to replay that show here on fourteen-fifty KOKO, it’s from an outsider, a third party that knows nothing about the University of Central Missouri, knows nothing about how Aaron Podolefsky did not get his contract renewed by the Board of Governors. Doesn’t know anything about me, doesn’t know anything about Wesly, and her thoughts and her comments on what she read in the newspaper and callers in the Kansas City area….”

Because people who don’t know anything or any of the facts always have the best insights on the issues of the day. The republic is further gone than we all thought. We should have seen it coming.

5. “…there’s a facebook page already started in support called Hassler’s posse…”

Someone thought it was a good idea to ask people to join a public group that thinks this is all okay?:

Greg Hassler: …The University of Central Missouri. End of an era.

Marion Woods: Uh, huh.

Greg Hassler: Aaron Podolefsky. Out. We’ve talked about it for a long time….

….The, the thing that really upset me, that kind of got [garbled] going originally was, for years there was a Christmas tree lit at Selmo Park. Remember that?

Marion Woods: Yep.

Greg Hassler: Drive by. He stopped that. I mean I think every religion should be able to celebrate, uh, in their own way, but, I mean we do live in Warrensburg, Missouri. This is America. You know. Let’s bring that back. How ’bout that?

Marion Woods: Wasn’t that the Christmas tree at the quadrangle?

Greg Hassler: No, there was also one at Selmo Park.

Marion Woods: Oh, okay.

Gregg Hassler: In the, in the yard, area there, so. I mean, I don’t know, it’s jus… It, it was a bad fit from the get go. It’s, it’s over…

That’ll tell us something if it gets a million followers.

6. So, the President of the University of Central Missouri Board of Governors, Richard Phillips, “thought we had the whole thing turned around”. Given the content of this latest radio broadcast, it’d be safe to say that isn’t the case.

7. “…How does he even hear about this from a little radio station in Warrensburg, Missouri?…”

“…And, uh, probably not sure if that should even have been done….”

Uh, if there’s no problem with the content of your October on air statement than you shouldn’t have a problem with people hearing or reading about what you said.

A cautionary tale – you can really develop those essential critical thinking skills if you don’t sleep through your entire school career.

Our previous coverage of the issue:

Three steps behind, and to the right (January 25, 2008)

Three steps behind, and to the right, part 2 – a microcosm of our universe (September 21, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement”? (October 15, 2009) (transcript of a portion of the live radio broadcast)

It wasn’t just about a tree (October 21, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement?”: I heard it on the radio (October 21, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement?”: let’s not get cut out of the will (October 22, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement?”: $87.75 will get you one sheet of paper (October 23, 2009)



“A Gentleman’s Agreement?”: They’re not playing hardball, they’re playing cat and mouse  (October 23, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement?”: a cola and some scoreboards (October 24, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement?”: a few more pieces of the puzzle? (October 28, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: your silence means consent (October 29, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: let’s not get cut out of the will, part 2 (October 30, 2009)

Old media irony impairment (October 30, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement?”: I heard it on the radio, part 2 (October 31, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: where everybody knows your name (October 31, 2009)

Methinks that someone is paying attention! (November 2, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: Bond, Stadium Bond (November 4, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: where everybody knows your name, part 2 (November 4, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: I heard it on the radio, part 3 (November 5, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: nothing succeeds like success (November 6, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: your Friday news dump (November 6, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: nothing exceeds like excess (November 7, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: a grade for Accounting 101 (November 7, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: there ought to be a law (November 8, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: there’s gotta be a contract around here somewhere (November 9, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: there ought to be a law, part 2 (November 10, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: Garbo speaks! (November 12, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: the Kansas City Jewish Chronicle (November 13, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement”? Follow the money and it reveals the timeline (November 14, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: the new president search consulting contract (November 18, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: a march on a cold and rainy day (November 18, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: raise their voices (November 19, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: great moments in radio reporting (November 21, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: Oh, my! (December 3, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: It’s simple, really… (December 5, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: I do truly care about the success of our students (December 6, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: “…a wonderful relationship there we’re really proud of…” (December 7, 2009)

Oh brother, it’s time to convene another panel on blogger ethics… (December 8, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: a lesson on how not to attempt damage control (January 26, 2010)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: a lesson on how not to attempt damage control, part 2 (January 28, 2010)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: welcome to the party… (February 1, 2010)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: welcome to the party, four months late, part 2 (February 2, 2010)

This is the thirty-second post in an ongoing series as we file Missouri Sunshine Law (RSMo 610) requests and investigate the non-renewal of the contract of University of Central Missouri President Aaron Podolefsky. Links to previous coverage are below the fold. BG and MB

On Wednesday, November 17th a letter to the editor signed by seventeen local ministers appeared in the Warrensburg Daily Star-Journal, apparently in reaction to a radio broadcast and its aftermath:

…In an increasingly diverse and changing community, which challenges all of us to examine our basic commitments to human rights and religious freedom, and in light of recent public conversation and countless private conversations about the role of individual religious faith in the leadership transition at UCM, the clergy of Warrensburg feel compelled to add our voices…

…We, the undersigned clergy of Warrensburg churches, affirm our conviction that our community is and shall continue to be a place where persons of all faiths are welcome…

For others, still, though – qui tacet consentire videtur.

Our previous coverage:

Three steps behind, and to the right (January 25, 2008)

Three steps behind, and to the right, part 2 – a microcosm of our universe (September 21, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement”? (October 15, 2009) (transcript of a portion of the live radio broadcast)

It wasn’t just about a tree (October 21, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement?”: I heard it on the radio (October 21, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement?”: let’s not get cut out of the will (October 22, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement?”: $87.75 will get you one sheet of paper (October 23, 2009)



“A Gentleman’s Agreement?”: They’re not playing hardball, they’re playing cat and mouse  (October 23, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement?”: a cola and some scoreboards (October 24, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement?”: a few more pieces of the puzzle? (October 28, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: your silence means consent (October 29, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: let’s not get cut out of the will, part 2 (October 30, 2009)

Old media irony impairment (October 30, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement?”: I heard it on the radio, part 2 (October 31, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: where everybody knows your name (October 31, 2009)

Methinks that someone is paying attention! (November 2, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: Bond, Stadium Bond (November 4, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: where everybody knows your name, part 2 (November 4, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: I heard it on the radio, part 3 (November 5, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: nothing succeeds like success (November 6, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: your Friday news dump (November 6, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: nothing exceeds like excess (November 7, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: a grade for Accounting 101 (November 7, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: there ought to be a law (November 8, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: there’s gotta be a contract around here somewhere (November 9, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: there ought to be a law, part 2 (November 10, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: Garbo speaks! (November 12, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: the Kansas City Jewish Chronicle (November 13, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement”? Follow the money and it reveals the timeline (November 14, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: the new president search consulting contract (November 18, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement”?: a march on a cold and rainy day {November 18, 2009)

This is the tenth post in an ongoing series as we file Missouri Sunshine Law (RSMo 610) requests and investigate the non-renewal of the contract of University of Central Missouri President Aaron Podolefsky. Links to previous coverage are below the fold. BG & MB

We’ve been curious about the overt hostility toward University of Central Missouri President Aaron Podolefsky expressed by a personality on KOKO radio:

[from a September 18, 2009 broadcast]

…Greg Hassler: …Before we talk about that though I want to briefly mention a, uh, article that was in the, uh, Daily Star-Journal yesterday about, uh, the faculty support of Aaron Podolefsky, the President at the University of Central Missouri, uh. Nice article, it really was, but it was kind of an opinion piece ,ah, posing as a news story. And that’s okay, sometimes, you know, a paper will lean a little left, push their agenda. That’s what you get with the Daily Star-Journal, and that’s fine.  That’s nothing wrong with that. That’s okay, if you choose to…[crosstalk]

Marion Woods: Newspapers do that, don’t they?

Greg Hassler: That’s what they do. That’s fine, but, here at KOKO morning Hassler and Woody…[crosstalk]

Marion Woods: We have, we have ours, too, though.

Greg Hassler: We like to, uh, present both sides of the story and let you make your decision. Fair and balanced.

[laughter]

That’s what we do, isn’t it?

Marion Woods: You stole that from somebody, didn’t you.

Greg Hassler: I, I did. [laughter] I did. Anyway, here’s the deal. We’re not gonna spend a whole lot of time on this. Just want to let everybody know that, you know, that it was said a hundred and twenty-six signatures, over half of the tenured faculty. That’s all it said in the article. That’s just great. But that’s, there, there’s a lot more to it than that. Out of four hundred and twenty-one faculty only two hundred and fifty maybe are tenured, so they’re only talking about a very small percentage of the faculty. So, it sounds like, wow, over half the faculty. It’s not the case. Four hundred twenty-one faculty  So, one twenty-six out of four twenty-one and then you gotta figure in professional staff that work there and support staff. Professional staff, of course, they’re the leaders of their departments. The support staff, they make the University strong. You gotta count those guys in there. They’re employees, too, right?

Marion Woods: Yeah.

Greg Hassler: So now you’re talkin’ one thousand plus employees. So if yah, if yah look at the numbers, you know, if you’re just talking faculty alone twenty-nine percent faculty approval, maybe. Seventy-one percent disapproval or didn’t vote. And if yah figure in everybody you’re only talking about an eight percent approval rate versus ninety-two percent disapproving or not voting. And you know it, would you feel intimidated if somebody came up to you and asked you to sign a petition in support of your boss at the work place? That would…[crosstalk]

Marion Woods: Just a little.

Greg Hassler: Yeah. That would, I don’t under, that’s, that’s crazy. It really is and that makes for really, uh, a good work environment, I’m sure. But anyway, the bottom line is this, the University is a major employer in our community, the most recognizable asset in our community and if it falls or fails or weakens so does our community. So you have to have good leadership at the University. And who that leader should be, that is strictly up to the Board of Governors. That’s their job, that’s what they, if they think Aaron’s doing a great job, sign him up.

Marion Woods: Yup.

Greg Hassler: I mean his contract ends June two thousand and ten, give him a five year deal. If they don’t think he is, bring somebody else in that does. I mean, in, in a perfect world, and the hierarchy is, you know, the faculty in, you know, they educate our youth. You know, professional stuff do, uh, run their departments, support staff make the University strong and the Board of Governors decides who the President of the University is. That’s, that’s the deal. Uh, I mean, Podolefsky’s tried to find another job.  He really has. And I asked you this question earlier today. Have, you’ve been here a long time.

Marion Woods: Yep.

Greg Hassler: Have you seen the University like this ever before? You got a President who’s trying to find another job but can’t, trying to hold on to the one he has, causing conflict in the University, has faculty saying he’s great, you have faculty saying he’s not great. It’s tearing it apart. It really is. And this is where the Board of Governors, it’s now, it’s now time for them to step in and, and clean this mess up. [crosstalk]

Marion Woods: Do something.

Greg Hassler: One way or the other.

Marion Woods: Yeah, do something.

Greg Hassler: I mean, you’ve been here. Have you seen anything like this before?

Marion Woods: No, I haven’t.

Greg Hassler: I haven’t either. Anyway, hopefully, uh, you can take a look at, uh, articles that are written or things that we say on the radio and use your own common sense and make your own decisions.

Marion Woods: Yeah.

Greg Hassler: That’s all we’re saying.

Marion Woods: Okay.

Greg Hassler: And also, you know, I talked about the seventy-two percent of the, uh, approval rating in the community. That was that on-line poll that they did on the Internet. That, you can’t count that.

Marion Woods: No.

Greg Hassler: You can’t.

Marion Woods: Not really.

Greg Hassler: No, you can’t. Anyway, so, grain of salt. Right?

Marion Woods: Um, hmm.

Greg Hassler: Fair and balanced. Make your own decisions.

Marion Woods: [laughter]…

The content is similar to an unsigned editorial posted on the radio station web site.

Since the radio station has a contract [pdf] with the University to broadcast intercollegiate athletic events is it possible that this hostility from the station might have something to do with others’ perceptions about President Podolefsky’s support or lack thereof for athletics?

A little bird sent us the following information from a chart in the Chronicle of Higher Education from August 1, 2008 [A10]:

Top Spenders in Sports Recruiting

DIVISION II

…U. of Central Missouri

Recruiting Expenses 2006-7: $148,600

Recruiting Expenses 2001-2: $49,000

Percentage change, 2002-7: [+]203%

…Median for all Divison II

Recruiting Expenses 2006-7: $28,000

Recruiting Expenses 2001-2: $19,100

Percentage change, 2002-7: [+]36%

…Sources: U.S. Department of Education; Chronicle Reporting

[emphasis added for clarity]

Well, that certainly looks like a trending increase during a portion of Aaron Podolefsky’s time at the institution. And it’s certainly quite a bit more than the median amount spent by all other Division II institutions.

We then received a budget summary [pdf] of athletics expenditures from FY 2006 to FY 2010:

Athletics Summary [see the “budget summary” pdf above for the complete spreadsheet which was made available to us]

FY 2006

Total Adjusted Budget $5,384,833

Net Carryforward $41,480

YTD Actual-Expenditure $5,569,532

Year-end Available Balance ($184,699)

Carryforward Surplus/(Deficit) $53,134

FY 2007

Total Adjusted Budget $5,843,379

Net Carryforward $53,134

YTD Actual-Expenditure $5,804,972

Year-end Available Bal
ance $38,407

Carryforward Surplus/(Deficit) $31,916

FY 2008

Total Adjusted Budget $6,255,735

Net Carryforward $31,916

YTD Actual-Expenditure $6,367,952

Year-end Available Balance ($112,216)

Carryforward Surplus/(Deficit) ($112,093)

FY 2009

Total Adjusted Budget $6,249,238

Net Carryforward ($112,093)

YTD Actual-Expenditure $6,345,556

Year-end Available Balance ($96,319)

Carryforward Surplus/(Deficit) ($142,209)

FY 2010

Total Adjusted Budget $5,930,362

Net Carryforward ($142,209)

[emphasis in original]

Something happened in 2007. We intend to find out just what that was.

Our previous coverage:

Three steps behind, and to the right (January 25, 2008)

Three steps behind, and to the right, part 2 – a microcosm of our universe (September 21, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement”? (October 15, 2009) (transcript of a portion of the live radio broadcast)

It wasn’t just about a tree (October 21, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement?”: I heard it on the radio (October 21, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement?”: let’s not get cut out of the will (October 22, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement?”: $87.75 will get you one sheet of paper (October 23, 2009)



“A Gentleman’s Agreement?”: They’re not playing hardball, they’re playing cat and mouse  (October 23, 2009)

“A Gentleman’s Agreement?”: a cola and some scoreboards (October 24, 2009)