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Machen shouldn't get bonus
By VINCENT GAGLIANO
So UF President Bernie Machen got almost $300,000 in bonuses from the UF Foundation right before Christmas. It was approved by the UF Board of Trustees.
But has he been naughty or nice this year? Let's check Santa's list.
He failed to meet his goal of making UF a top-10 public school - in fact, UF regressed on the list. He helped raise tuition without immediate benefits. Even his Florida Tomorrow fundraiser failed to address the debt UF faces.
But has he been naughty or nice this year? Let's check Santa's list.
He failed to meet his goal of making UF a top-10 public school - in fact, UF regressed on the list. He helped raise tuition without immediate benefits. Even his Florida Tomorrow fundraiser failed to address the debt UF faces.
Don't forget, he gets his reward on top of bonuses for his car and his retirement, among other things.
In other lines of work, his reward wouldn't make sense. Why pay a fast-food worker extra cash for missing work half the time? Should a doctor get a bonus if his treatment made patients worse? Maybe a lawyer should get a new Corvette if he loses an important case.
So why give a university president more than a quarter of a million dollars if he hasn't even achieved his own goals? He should get a lump of coal under the tree.
In the long term, giving him so much money for so little effort sends the wrong message. If we're cash-strapped, why do the trustees have enough to spoil their president? Will the tuition increase Gov. Charlie Crist approved bring back the Bright Futures stipend that the Florida Legislature cut due to budget shortfalls?
I guess we'll have to wait until next year to see if university leadership changes its mind about giving the president such a big bonus. But at least the decision to give Machen all that money wasn't a unanimous vote. For a trustee who has a college named after him, Al Warrington means business.
There are a number of ways that $300,000 could be put to better use while still rewarding hard-working people. For example, 4,000 high-achieving students who receive 100 percent Bright Futures could be reimbursed the $75 they lost when the Florida Legislature made budget cuts.
Imagine what that would do for grades if the program remained in effect for extended periods of time. Students would put in a much greater effort in their classes if it resulted in more free textbooks. Speaking of which, good luck on final exams.
Vincent Gagliano is a sophomore majoring in physics. His column appears on Wednesdays.
In other lines of work, his reward wouldn't make sense. Why pay a fast-food worker extra cash for missing work half the time? Should a doctor get a bonus if his treatment made patients worse? Maybe a lawyer should get a new Corvette if he loses an important case.
So why give a university president more than a quarter of a million dollars if he hasn't even achieved his own goals? He should get a lump of coal under the tree.
In the long term, giving him so much money for so little effort sends the wrong message. If we're cash-strapped, why do the trustees have enough to spoil their president? Will the tuition increase Gov. Charlie Crist approved bring back the Bright Futures stipend that the Florida Legislature cut due to budget shortfalls?
I guess we'll have to wait until next year to see if university leadership changes its mind about giving the president such a big bonus. But at least the decision to give Machen all that money wasn't a unanimous vote. For a trustee who has a college named after him, Al Warrington means business.
There are a number of ways that $300,000 could be put to better use while still rewarding hard-working people. For example, 4,000 high-achieving students who receive 100 percent Bright Futures could be reimbursed the $75 they lost when the Florida Legislature made budget cuts.
Imagine what that would do for grades if the program remained in effect for extended periods of time. Students would put in a much greater effort in their classes if it resulted in more free textbooks. Speaking of which, good luck on final exams.
Vincent Gagliano is a sophomore majoring in physics. His column appears on Wednesdays.
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July 2nd, 2009 CorrectionThe UF-Georgia football game is held annually at the Jacksonville Municipal Stadium. The contract for the game is between UF and the city of Jacksonville. An article in Tuesday’s paper stated otherwise. |
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Andrew Meyer wrote on Dec 5, 2007 9:49 AM:
" Learn about and denounce The Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007 before it passes in the Sentate. "
J wrote on Dec 5, 2007 11:21 AM:
" "Students would put in a much greater effort in their classes if it resulted in more free textbooks." Yeah right. If free tuition doesn't make students work hard then how is a paltry $75 going to do it? The success of business like Smokin Notes and Tutoring Zone show just how hard UF students like to work and how not strapped for cash they are. If they want to save some money how about taking your own notes and studying your own book instead of paying someone else to do it for you? "
Constipated Monk wrote on Dec 5, 2007 2:06 PM:
" Look, the guy's name is Bernie. BERNIE, for christ's sakes. He deserves a little kickback just because he's went through his entire life with one of the worst names in our language. And he looks like the Grinch. "
Yup Mr Clean wrote on Dec 5, 2007 5:44 PM:
" Mr Clean is right you need to stick to physics, because you obviously have no clue about fiscal policy. "
The Stallion wrote on Dec 5, 2007 11:19 PM:
" Ballsy column, you Alligator guys need raises - guess beer money will have to do. "
Jessica wrote on Dec 6, 2007 5:28 AM:
" well you know an HMTL document of Dr. Machen's curriculum vitae is available fo your perusal and in the description it mentions the president will take full responsibility for the blah blah academic blah blah financial blah blah ad other important stuff
it was all interesting reading now If UF was a horse and one way of telling the health of a hose is looking at its teeth and Dr. Machen is a Dentist and all---what part of UF would be its teeth ??? and if Dr Machen were to look at UF's teeth what would /should he be looking at? "
A. Nonymous wrote on Jan 4, 2009 9:23 AM:
And here we are, well over a year out and just as "the powers that be" wanted it, this entire incident has become a distant memory, the actions of the police rubber-stamped by the FDLE (was there any doublt?) and it's back to business as usual, the utterly wrong actions of the organizing group ACCENT and UPD notwithstanding. The low-average IQ paid thugs acted like good attack dogs at the behest of corporate droid-in-training Max Tyroler.
Kerry didn't have to come to answer questions but he did. Apparently ACCENT saw their job as ensuring he didn't have to answer anything that wasn't a softball. You know, so as not to embarrass UF. Well that sure worked like a charm. Kerry later stated he could have handled the situation and that he had never seen a spectacle like that in his entire political career. Yeah, UF certainly left an impression on him.
Tyroler ignored Kerry's wishes who stated specifically that he was willing to engage Meyer. That was the critical issue. Meyer made no threats against Kerry, he was loud but was certainly coherent and he had been given the floor.
Okay, he didn't follow all the protocol of their little staged tea party. Kerry himself was a bit of an "agitator", a "bratty" young man who defiantly spoke out against the establishment, after having been part of their war machine. And he got heat for it. He was stating what he thought needed to be said. Do you think a combat veteran and senator can't handle a heated exchange with a college kid?
And you're wrong - the so-called "debate" between Meyer and Kerry didn't get heated, it was never given a chance to get started. "