The Rutgers Basketball Fiasco

Some of you may be aware that I am an alumni of Rutgers University having received a Master's and Ph.D degree there many years ago. The recent events there concerning the basketball coach has been very troubling to me, since the Athletic Director, Tim Pernetti, who had to resign because of this incident in view of the public relations fiasco that ensued. Mr. Pernetti has done a great job with the athletic program since he has been there bringing a winning football team that is now in the Big Ten conference starting with the 2013 season. Also, their ladies basketball program has also been among the top in the nation in recent years.

For years I have been courted by their alumni fundraising people for a major gift to the University. Some fundraiser staff have even visited me in Florida and I attended a gathering of Florida alums at the Ritz-Carlton sponsored by the University a few years ago. I eventually decided against awarding a gift to the school primarily on what I learned about the leftist political activities of the faculty and administrators and the large number of anti-American speakers that were invited to the school and the complete absence of the opposing view. In the past, I had made small gifts that were earmarked for the excellent chemistry and microbiological departments reseach programs.

Recent events at the school are symtomatic of what I learned about during my research and what is going on at many of our fine universities around this nation. So I recently wrote the following letter to Robert Constant, the young Alumni fundraiser staffer who had visted me several times in Florida:

Hi Robert:

 

I think you can see from the recent series of events at Rutgers, why I have been very reluctant to respond to your efforts at fundraising for the University. It is not only the political bent of the faculty and staff in their continuing support of leftist causes and Jihadist front organizations that sponsor speakers with anti-American and anti-Semitic views, but the utter ineptness of the administrators who now run the place.

 

 The fact that Tim Pernetti, the AD, has to fall on the sword for Dr. Barchi for not doing his job, is an embarrassment. Pernetti's resignation letter clearly conflicts with the President's version of events. Why Barchi maintained an arm's length attitude about the event when it originally occurred and didn't even view the video, is total incompetence and reflects on the trustees as well for poor judgement in the hiring of such people. The Penn State lesson surely illustrated that internal cover-ups never turn out well.

 

This house needs a complete overhaul with a more balanced political and academic viewpoint where political correctness is not the guiding force in making decisions about faculty, speakers, or HR issues. This is why I told you that I can no longer relate to this University anymore. I hope that Governor Christi takes an assertive role in bringing it back to what it used to be; a proud American university with faculty and administrators that support American values!

 

George

 

George Ahearn, MS, Ph.D.

Class of '59, '60

Naples, FL