With this new school year, Ohio University will begin a new chapter in its history. For the first time a black man will assume the position of university president here at OU. The hiring of Roderick McDavis is not only a historic act; it clearly demonstrates the university's commitment to its own evolution and its desire to be a trendsetter among Ohio colleges and universities. While this will to evolve is admirable -not to mention correct, as McDavis was clearly the best choice for the job -OU needs to recognize that another of its other new, unique policies is fiscally irresponsible and frankly unnecessary.
Deborah McDavis, OU's new first lady, will receive a salary in that position for the first time in the school's history. No disrespect intended to Mrs. McDavis, an English teacher for 33 years, but it is difficult to justify the merits of the university's generosity. Initially Mrs. McDavis' duties would be serving as a member of local boards, as well as an ambassador for OU at local, state and national meetings and events. In addition to these duties she would also work to increase the literacy rate among adults throughout Southeast Ohio.
Obviously Mrs. McDavis will be helping to represent the university, and spending quite a bit of time doing so, but that is no reason for OU to give her a salary, especially when the money could be used elsewhere. Although a May 2003 article published in The Chronicle of Higher Education claims that more colleges and universities are offering salaries to their first ladies, the fact remains that 75 percent of colleges and universities do not pay their first ladies. Furthermore, this practice sets the precedent that all future first ladies will be paid. This is not simply just a one-time deal; common sense dictates that every future married candidate for the president's job will require a salary for his or her spouse.
Admirable though they may be, a first lady's duties are conditions of her husband's position. OU has set a precedent that will be a consistent drain of the school's financial resources, and makes it a trendsetter for all the wrong reasons. If OU wants to pay Mrs. McDavis, she should be hired as an English professor/ambassador, or the university should define her role with performance standards that she must meet to receive her check. One thing must be assured: don't let Laura Bush find out. She may strike for an hourly wage.
Hed: A stay of execution
In a refreshing and confident move, OU president Roderick McDavis has shown students, faculty and Athens that he has no intention of allowing decisions made by past regimes to be put in effect without first examining them. McDavis recently granted the condemned Mill Street Apartments a stay of execution, further prolonging the nearly four-year death sentence supposedly awaiting the complex. Rejecting the idea of armchair governing, McDavis has issued a 60-day waiting period on the demolition so he could tour the apartments, as well as allow independent contractors to assess the cost of saving the nearly 35-year-old building. It would have been easy for McDavis to hide behind the idea of not reversing decisions that were made in the best interest of the university before his arrival. The year is young, and already the new president has handled his position effectively and intelligently.
The debate over the Mill Street Apartments has, like a soap opera, had twists, turns and a poorly authored, contradictive story line. Originally OU determined the apartments to be too expensive to renovate, assessing the cost at $14 million. However, an opposing group, Whitestone Mill Street, LLC, has claimed that the complex could be renovated for only $2.4 million. As if conflicts over money weren't enough, the demolition of the apartments was to be the first step in the development of a new, grand entrance to the university. But surely, the building up of West Green, as opposed to the renovated KFC and the new Sonic that are the only highlights of the proverbial armpit of the campus, represents OU's desire to make Richland Avenue, as opposed to Stimson Avenue, the centerpiece of OU. In delaying the wreckers, McDavis has given a welcome sign that under his administration dubious projects will not go forward on inertia alone.
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