This week: more has developed in the Roger Ailes conflict, Athens and OU need a medical treatment at the center of a debate, and McDavis' pay gets stacked against comparable positions elsewhere.
Welcome to the week three edition of Ex Post Facto. Below are some of the stories from the Athens area you might've missed this week.
No 'napping
Some news that should ease the minds of Athenians broke Wednesday.
As it turns out, the victim of an attempted kidnapping on Aug. 25 fabricated the report to the Athens Police Department. It never happened.
In the report, a juvenile girl told APD a man who was “tall and skinny, with red hair, black highlights and a thick black beard” tried to kidnap her on her way home from school on Aug. 25.
The girl said she made up the story for attention, according to APD.
The case stands in stark contrast to the very real conviction of a Columbus man on child endangerment charges in Athens on Sept. 1.
An ailing namesake
On Tuesday, OU’s Graduate Student Senate voted to propose the removal of Roger Ailes' name from the walls of WOUB’s studio. Ailes is an OU alumnus and embattled former Fox News executive.
WOUB’s Roger E. Ailes newsroom gained national attention after multiple women accused Ailes of sexual harassment this summer. Most recently, Fox News agreed to pay former Fox anchor Gretchen Carlson $20 million in a settlement related to the allegations.
OU has been nearly silent on the issue. In mid-August, a university spokesperson told a Washington Post blogger the following:
“The university is carefully monitoring the situation, including the perspectives of multiple stakeholders in our community, but will not make public comments on the issue at this time.”
The newsroom carries Ailes’ name as a result of a $500,000 gift to the university in 2007, according to a document posted by the blogger.
A relatively pretty penny
President McDavis’ base salary is higher than any other president of a Mid-American Conference school in Ohio (think Miami, Toledo, Akron).
McDavis’ $500,000 base salary has nearly doubled since he started at OU in 2004, when he made $275,000.
Miami’s president is second to McDavis in Ohio in terms of base salary at $495,000. Akron’s interim president has a base salary of $370,000.
Allergies rising
Allergy drug injector EpiPen and its maker, Mylan, have come under fire in recent weeks as the price of EpiPens has increased dramatically. And while some OU students told The Post they rely on the device, a university program offers some protection from the price hikes.
Students enrolled in the university’s student health insurance program can get a one-month supply of EpiPens for $20 — contrast that with the $600 list price of the device, up from $100 in 2007.
The program doesn’t benefit city and county residents, though, and people who need EpiPens really, really need them.
Here’s Dr. James Gaskell, health commissioner of the Athens City-County Health Department, speaking to The Post:
“EpiPens are lifesaving, especially for people with serious allergies,” Gaskell said. “People can have serious problems breathing and die from anaphylactic shock, and there are a significant number of people with allergies.”
