© NCSU Student Media 2009
Benton Sawrey
The saga of Mary Easley and her job at the University continues to get more and more muddied by the day.
Even after her departure she continues to drag N.C. State through the dirt in the realm of public relations.
The situation jetted past a point where a clean solution could easily be determined as bad memories and confusing contract policies create more distrust between the University community and its leaders.
With the recent revelation of Larry Nielsen’s proverbial three-yearlong golden parachute, it adds another twist to the debate in regards to waste at the University.
First, we’re paying Mary Easley an exorbitant sum to run a non-existent center and now we’re paying a tiered provost salary for three years to someone on tap to teach one class and do some research.
As per the pattern of the Easley situation, no one in the administration seems to know why Nielsen is getting a three-year retirement package.
The pay agreement between Nielsen and the University would be bad enough under normal circumstances. In these tough economic times, the agreement is magnified even more by the fact that the University is staring an 18-percent funding cut square in the face.
Granted, Nielsen’s extra pay won’t cover the whole gap in funding, but I bet it’d buy supplies needed for science courses to meet or cover the cost of a few class sections that have been cut in various colleges.
What’s scarier is the unknown in this situation.
I shudder to think about what each and every administrative contract entails in terms of benefits and pay should one step down or be fired.
On top of that, it is truly amazing how no one seems to have clarity on contractual issues such as Nielsen’s.
This breeds cynicism from students, faculty, and alumni alike.
When students are asked to pony up more in tuition, how eager will they be with the prospect that it’ll be funding the golden parachute of a fired administrator?
When alumni are asked for donations, how many more second thoughts do you think will be given in lieu of the recent mismanagement of personnel?
Students though, don’t have a choice on whether or not to donate funds to the university.
This situation has and will continue to reverberate through the entire system and hopefully it’ll result in some people reconsidering the way things are run at this school.
It is my hope that the University will develop a bottom line and that Nielsen and Oblinger don’t become scapegoats – but rather serve as a wake up call for a detrimentally wasteful policy.
I hope that the entire system of doing things is changed and that the University can begin the long painful process of cleaning up after this disaster.
Send your thoughts on golden parachutes to letters@technicianonline.com.