Despite finishing with the same record as last year - a mediocre 4-7 - Ohio University's football team had some promising moments during the 2005 season. But whatever highs the Bobcats experienced last season, the fallout from coach Frank Solich's decision to drive drunk on a night in late November trumps any good vibes that might be emanating from Peden Stadium and Cutler Hall.
The university, with President Roderick McDavis and Director of Athletics Kirby Hocutt at the forefront, did not fire Solich, instead opting to put the former Nebraska coach on a zero-tolerance policy and to have him assist the university in its alcohol-prevention programs. Considering the circumstances, including Solich's $240,000 per year salary and McDavis's apparent dedication to athletics, the university was not in much of a position to dump Solich after this offense. Nor can the university really be blamed for making the decision they did - Solich made a very poor decision but not one that would have necessarily warranted his dismissal from OU. The public embarrassment he has suffered, in addition to the legal penalties that include an 180-day license suspension, is sufficient enough to send the message to Solich that he can't make this mistake again. But in making what probably was the right decision, the university - and McDavis in particular - faces a dire credibility problem. This president has made responsible drinking and personal accountability a major focal point of his administrative agenda at OU. This has included a late and ill-advised plea to local bar owners to open later on Homecoming and a lot of dialogue as to what the university can do to decrease the potency of its nationally known party school image. The importance of these measures is debatable, as is the level of damage done to OU, its graduates and recruiting ability by the party-school moniker. At a university plagued by alcohol-induced misbehavior, the president would have had to fire Solich for the university response to this crisis to remain consistent with his administration's message. It would have been a daring move, but it would have been unnecessarily harsh to Solich.
So, while making the correct decision to keep Solich, the university has backed itself into a corner. Administrative credibility, especially among students, is a difficult thing to come by, and it is hard to imagine students buying McDavis' stance on alcohol abuse when he is perceived by some, rightly or wrongly, as being a hypocrite when his staff makes the same mistake students often commit. This is the problem with ideals of character development at a public university - administrators always have to be consistent to make the message work, or they risk losing their credibility. McDavis and OU were fair to Solich in their decision to retain him. But were they consistent, and were they hard enough? For many, the answer to this question will be no, and because of this, Solich put his boss and the university in a tough spot.
17 Archives
The Post Editorial Board
Mistake not a fireable offense, but Solich's DUI puts OU in tough spot
