As Rutgers Alum Sam Stitt goes for Olympic gold, Tricky Dick McCormick is living down to his reputation in appointing a committee to "review intercollegiate athletics" at Rutgers.  "Whitewash" is the first word that comes to mind.  However, one has to wonder whether even the other Tricky Dick (Nixon) would have been foolish enough to appoint former university governor/chairman, Al Gamper, to co-chair a committee reviewing events of Mr. Gamper's own board tenure.  Even the big audit firms can't do that anymore.  

Where are Woodward & Bernstein when you need them most?  Has anyone researched what went on at CIT Group under Mr. Gamper's watch?  Tricky Dick gave Mr. Gamper an honorary Rutgers' doctorate last year - what's he going to do for him this year - put him in the Hall of Not-So-Distinguished Alumni with such luminaries as Ron Giaconia and Wayne Bryant? 

In light of the State Commission of Investigation's findings, in light of the side payments and other undisclosed deals for athletic staff and others, in light of the stadium financing debacle, in light of the ever increasing tuition and student fees, in light of the elimination of established and valuable programs, serious action must immedately be taken. 

The State Commission of Investigation's recommendations must be implemented.  The "Rutgers Statute" must be significantly amended or eliminated to make Rutgers answerable to the people of New Jersey through the Legislature and Governor - after all, the people of New Jersey are paying for Rutgers with their taxes, tuition, fees, donations and football ticket purchases.  Rutgers must be brought into the fold of other New Jersey higher educational institutions.  Rutgers is unique, so is the College of New Jersesy, so is Stockton etc.  Uniqueness is no excuse for lack of accountability.  New Jersey residents cannot afford another UMDNJ disaster.

Hopefully respected members of the committee will enhance their reputations by doing what is necessary - those who have made Rutgers their private fiefdom while everyone else was watching football must be stopped.  If they are unable or unwilling to do this, they should resign their positions or risk being tarred with the whitewash brush.   

The lightweight program is gone, the heavyweight program is in shambles, "nothing has changed"... for one person...nothing will change until that one person has been changed.

Rutgers picks up its second win - all the more impressive as it's rumored that Rutgers' varsity eight may be as much as half lightweights left over from the defunct lightweight program.

What's there to say?

On December 14, 2007, the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education, which the State Commission on Investigation's report referred to as a "toothless shell", did the expected and, in spite of describing itself as "the principal advocate for an integrated system of higher education" concluded that "we do not believe that it is in the best interest of the state to pursue any major changes to the existing higher education governance structure".  You might be thinking "Whitewash!" at this point. 

But wait, even though the commissioners are essentially beholden to the Governor, must work with the "President's Council" (the fox guarding the higher education henhouse) and must have been heavily pressured to poo-poo the SCI Report, a la President McCormick, they really didn't. 

In cautious language they called for, among other things, empowering the State Office of Controller to monitor higher education adherence to Sarbanes-Oxley financial and accounting standards and having the President and Chief Financial Officer certify financial statements as in public companies.  The Commission on Higher Education also called for a "Defining and Codifying State College and University Charters for Maximum Performance" by requiring "necessary oversight and adherence to the state college and university guidelines and controls while preserving the well-understood benefits of an autonomous, locally-controlled system".  One might read as "this mess has got to be straightened out without losing the beneficial elements of autonomy and local control".

The Commission's response to the SCI report is far too weak but the Commission is designed to be weak.  It is the students and parents who bear the increased tuition, labor for years to pay large student loans and suffer because of class section cuts, program eliminations and instructor layoffs, the alumni who can't be confident that their donations will be properly used and accounted for and the taxpayers who New Jersey views as a blank check that will have to move the Governor and the Legislature to make higher education accountable. 

Rutgers must be integrated into New Jersey's higher education system and compelled to answer to State overseers without  eliminating the beneficial aspects of autonomy and control.  The State must insure that Rutgers students, parents, alumni and taxpayers are getting what they are paying for.

(Click here to view Wayne Bryant's indictment) 

In October of 2007, the State of New Jersey Commission of Investigation released its report titled "Vulnerable to Abuse - The Importance of Restoring Accountability, Transparency and Oversight to Public Higher Education Governance"  click here to view and print the report. 

Among other things, the report highlighted the administration's stonewalling of state investigators.  The report essentially concludes that Rutgers' financial affairs are in a state of utter chaos, the administration's spending has been freewheeling and financial decisions have been made without public transparency or disclosure.  The State Commission report prescribes a number of reforms designed to prevent a repeat of the UMDNJ financial disaster at Rutgers and certain other New Jersey colleges.  Rutgers doesn't want to hear it - President McCormick has essentially dismissed the report saying that, if you read it carefully, it's not as bad as it sounds and, outside of some accounting system improvements, the suggested changes don't make sense.  He also questioned whether the legislature has the political will to implement the changes anyway. Click here to hear President McCormick's comments on the State Commision of Investigation report. 

Rutgers Board of Governors met on Thursday, December 6, 2007.  The SCI report was not on the agenda.  Nevertheless, President McCormick and other board members continued to tout the $100 million+ stadium expansion project and describe their plans to get the necessary money. 

Contrary to historic practice, the Board refused to allow public comment at the meeting.  When Fran McGovern rose to address the Board on the SCI report, he was gavelled down but kept speaking, asking to know why the SCI report was not on the agenda, why the financial mess has not been addressed and why the Board was silencing the public.   Click here to review the Home News Tribune's article .  Click here to review The Record's article .  Click here to review the Star Ledger's article .

Ruling with impunity, Rutgers' administration has shown little regard for the students and parents who pay the tuition, little regard for the State of New Jersey when it attempted to find out how the University was spending state money and little regard for the taxpayers, benefactors and alumni who are paying the bills.  

Rutgers administration never ceases crying to Trenton for more money but they refuse to account for the money already received.  Giving more money to Rutgers is a losing proposition.  The alumni, students, parents, legislators and tax payers must clean up Rutgers first. 

Rutgers exists to educate New Jersey's students.  Although intercollegiate athletic competition is a valuable educational tool, neither Rutgers' over-hyped, but pretty good, football team nor any other athletic program should serve as cover for irresponsible, self-serving and secretive mismanagement.

New Jersey's taxpayers can be certain that if Rutgers administration is not held responsible for the financial shenanigans of the past five years and the stadium expansion moves forward, next on the list will be replacing the RAC (The Louis Brown Athletic Center) and coaches, trainers and administrators will continue lining their pockets on the backs of the unpaid, young, often poor, often less educated and often minority football and basketball athletes.     

Rutgers financial personnel are massaging harder than the football trainers to make the stadium expansion expenses appear self-liquidating.  (Click here for the Home News story)  It's expected that Rutgers Board of Governors will rubber stamp the committee's decision at its December 6, 2007 Board Meeting.  Feel free to attend and voice your opinion on the estimated $100 million expenditure - they'll happily note your comments for the record.   

Heavy 8: 27th out of 43 crews beating Dartmouth's and Delaware's "A" boats.  Lightweight 8: 23rd out of 29 crews.  Open Women: Rutgers B, A, and C boats placed 32nd, 43rd and 45th respectively out of 45 crews.

Rutgers Head of the Charles heavyweight mens entry finished 40th out of 44 crews.  There was apparently no lightweight entry.  Varsity or club, until Steve Wagner moves on, the Championship men's division is not the place for Rutgers.  A move to the Collegiate Division to face Ithica, Lehigh, Wesleyan etc. is appropriate next year.  These poor guys face a long winter and tough spring.