Abbott-appointed Regent helps UT expand "Social work" industrial complex....

"If you see the oppression of the poor, and the violent perversion of justice and righteousness in a province, do not marvel at the matter; for high official watches over high official, and higher officials are over them."
Ecclesiastes 5:8

LOL, appointed to the Board of Regents by Greg Abbott:



Highlights:

• Some quote from Fenves about "compassion."

• Some quote about "service."

• Community organizing!

• Fenves claims school of social work "changes the world."

• "We want to help people."

• "Scholarships and financial aid create better social workers."

• Hicks praises the "mission" of social work: "It's God's work, in my opinion."

If you can stand to read it, there's also a nauseatingly self-serving press release here.

Bottom Line: Appointed to the board of regents by a Republican governor.

Reconfigured UT Board given heck over Central Health's improper subsidies for Dell Medical School....

"Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord,
But a just weight is His delight."
Proverbs 11:1

As a glutton for punishment, we briefly stopped by today's UT Regent meeting to hear UTIMCO's annual report.  Nothing interesting there.  But there was something else modestly fun.

As we highlighted last November, Central Health (the Travis County hospital district) has been improperly subsidizing operating expenses at the UT Medical school.  This flows from a shady as all heck arrangement that arose from the 2012 tax increase to allow Central Health to partner with UT Austin on the Med school.  Technically, their collaboration was supposed to be limited to helping Travis County cover "indigent health."

Today, activist Fred Lewis presented findings to the Board over the degree to which Central Health has instead been funding the payroll for the UT Med school; as it turns out 84% of total compensation for the Dell Medical school has been coming from Central Health.

It gets better: Apparently, the Dell Medical school has no records of Central Health funds being used for indigent health.

Of course, it's UT; they don't care.

That being said, it was fun to watch Steve Hicks act all butthurt over this: "I take exception."

Bottom Line: Considering the degree to which  UT is protected by the Governor these days, they'll get away with everything, but it was still fun to watch them squirm.

Dallas Observer's AMAZING summary of Hall/McRaven state of play

"He who covers his sins will not prosper,
But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy."
Proverbs 28:13

Anyone who knows us will understand how much we enjoyed reading this:

When Hall sued McRaven for the information, arguing that the regents can’t vote to exempt themselves from state law, a trial court and an appeals court did smell a rat. Wallace Hall. Both courts shot him down dead.

Me no lawyer. I assume they had arguments. But I take into account, as well, that the Hall lawsuit is a torpedo attack on the very kind of people and the very same citadels of power from which judges hail. So at the very least it’s an intriguing lawsuit with a lot to talk about.

At the end of last week, Hall filed an appeal to the Supreme Court of Texas. He asked for expedited handling, which he may or may not get, because he goes off the board of regents next February. At that time he loses his standing to sue, and the case dies. The other side, of course, has been running out the string with that outcome in sight.

The two stories, then: In Jon Cassidy’s piece on watchdog.org I learn that, “Attorneys for University of Texas Regent Wallace Hall say a decision by the state Supreme Court on Chancellor Bill McRaven’s handling of records involved in the UT admissions scandal will have ‘massive implications for state governance.’”

Cassidy explains: “If the ruling holds, boards and city councils would be able to hide their activities not just from the public, but from their fellow elected officials.”

I learn from Cassidy’s piece there is a timing mistake in the decision by which Hall was shot down at the appeals court. The appeals court said Hall should have sued his fellow regents, because they were the ones who voted to close off his access to the documents he seeks, not McRaven.

But McRaven shut down Hall’s access before the board voted to endorse his decision. So if McRaven’s action was bogus, how can the board, themselves suspects, vote to make his action un-bogus?

Seriously, do read the whole thing here.

Bottom Line: What starts here changes the world....

UT Regents Modestly Improve Campus Carry Policy

Greg Fenves discussing gun-free zones with Wallace Hall

"Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you;"
1 Peter 4:12

In politics, as in life, one advantage to low expectations is that occasionally they are exceeded; this morning's UT Board of Regents meeting, much like the whole campus carry process, cleared that hurdle.

During public testimony, C.J. Grisham of Open Carry Texas delivered remarks with which we largely concur.  C.J. said that the campus carry implementation group led by President Fenves "by and large" did a good job [Author's Note: By U.T. Standards].  Nevertheless, C.J. re-iterated the longstanding concerns related to the prohibition of firearms in dormitories and pointed out that requiring gun safes would solve the issues that were the alleged basis of the continuing prohibition.

C.J. Grisham talking with Chancellor McRaven

At their May meeting, the Regents punted on two motions to amend the policy.  Vice Chairman Jeffrey Hildebrand revived the first motion to remove a proposed prohibition on chambered rounds.  That motion sailed through 7-2, though it's worth pointing out that Steve Hicks and Sarah Martinez Tucker [Author's Note: Abbott Appointees.] carried water for the politburo.  Speaking of Sarah Martinez Tucker, during public testimony she went out of her way to congratulate two anti-Second Amendment students who re-iterated their opposition to firearms under any conditions.

(Abbott appointee) Regent Sarah Martinez Tucker congratulates anti-Second Amendment student

Wallace Hall did something awesome.  Responding to the previously discussed worries about the continuing prohibition of self-defense in dormitories, Regent Hall introduced a motion to prohibit gun-free zones anywhere on campus.  Brenda Pejovich seconded.  The motion was doomed from the start, but it's still pretty badass that Wallace Hall made them vote on it.  In the event of future litigation, let the record very clearly state that Regents Hall and Pejovich voted against gun-free zones on campus.

Regent Wallace Hall

Following Hall's motion related to campus-wide gun free zones, Alex Cranberg offered a more narrowly tailored motion over written signage to prohibit self-defense in faculty offices.  Hall asked Fenves "is there any downside" to removing ambiguity?!?  Fenves said that verbal notice was sufficient to comply with the law and deflected Hall's inquiry with a vague statement about not wanting to dictate office aesthetics to individual faculty members.  Hall subtly, but unmistakably, pointed out the hypocrisy of faculty members who are unwilling to advertise their own offices as gun-free zones.  In addition, Cranberg got Fenves to admit that a faculty member would have to individually inform each visitor to their office about an office prohibition without signage to satisfy the law.  Without explicit verbal prohibition every single time a visitor enters, the status of the office is actually in legal limbo.  Ultimately, Cranberg joined Hall and Pejovich in voting "aye," but the motion failed 3-6.

Maybe we have Stockholm syndrome.  Maybe we're grading them on a curve.  Nevertheless, at least by U.T. standards, we found the campus carry implementation process to be reasonably transparent and the final policy to be less than reprehensible.

Bottom Line: What was it a certain former Governor said about "the soft bigotry of low expectations"?!?

[Author's Note: You can read the system's press release here.]

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Following the campus carry discussion, Chancellor McRaven gave a brief update on the ongoing Houston debacle 'stakeholder process.'  McRaven's two minute address was littered with buzzwords and cliches.  The phrases "generational effort" and "wide range of possibilities" stood out.

Abbott conspicuously silent on U.T. tuition hike

"You are of purer eyes than to behold evil,
And cannot look on wickedness.
Why do You look on those who deal treacherously,
And hold Your tongue when the wicked devours
A person more righteous than he?"
Habakkuk 1:13

Not surprising; we weren't planning to comment on this, but since the Statesman noticed (Reprinted in Full):

Gov. Greg Abbott’s silence on prospect of UT tuition increases could be telling

When Rick Perry was governor, he weighed in publicly twice when the UT System Board of Regents was about to increase tuition and mandatory fees — and in both cases the regents backed off. Some might say that is an appropriate role for the state’s chief executive. Others might call it meddling, as state law puts governing boards of public universities in charge of tuition.

Thus far, Perry’s successor, Greg Abbott, has remained silent, at least publicly, regarding the UT board’s plan to give favorable consideration to 2 percent increases in each of the next two academic years for the system’s 14 campuses. The campuses will also have an opportunity to seek even higher increases if they can show the proceeds would help boost graduation rates and address other high priorities. The regents are expected to take up the matter in February.

In contrast, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick — a Republican, like the current and former governors — issued a statement Thursday, a day before the regents met, urging them to hold the line on tuition.

I asked Abbott’s press office for the governor’s view on the UT board’s plan and received no comment. Which actually might say a lot. Abbott’s silence on the matter could suggest that he’s trusting his appointees to the board, as well as those named by his predecessor, to do their jobs as they see fit, even if it entails a tuition increase. Stay tuned.

Yet somehow he finds time to comment on the Cowboys defense.

Also, it's worth noting that all three of Abbott's regents (David Beck, Steve Hicks, and Sarah Tucker) voted for the tuition hike.

Bottom Line: The contrast with Dan Patrick speaks for itself.

U.T. Admissions: Usual Suspect Bush Cronies BUSTED All Over Again!!!

"And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart."
Galatians 6:9

Yesterday's Dallas Morning News reconfirmed everything Watchdog reported on over a year ago:

AUSTIN – Dozens of highly influential Texans – including lawmakers, millionaire donors and university regents – helped under-qualified students get into the University of Texas at Austin, often by writing to UT officials, records show.

Among those who wrote directly to then-President Bill Powers and then-Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa, bypassing the admissions office, were famed golfer and UT grad Ben Crenshaw, former UT regent H. Scott Caven Jr., Austin lawyer Roy Minton and Sens. Kevin Eltife and Carlos Uresti, records obtained by The Dallas Morning News show.

Dozens of others, many of them famous UT alumni, also helped tip the scales. They include House Speaker Joe Straus, former U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, former regents Jess Hay and Thomas Hicks, former chairman of the state University Coordinating Board Larry Temple and former UT quarterback Randy McEachern.

....

The Kroll report found that the students were admitted by Powers, and it suggested that political or personal connections may have influenced the decision

The admissions issue and suggestions of favoritism have become a flashpoint on the UT governing board. Regent Wallace Hall of Dallas has relentlessly questioned the administration and pushed for the ouster of Powers, who stepped down in June.

....

House Speaker Straus wrote to the director of the admissions office in November 2012 requesting consideration of the daughter of a close family friend. Later in 2013, Straus directed a committee to investigate Hall, who had doggedly been pursuing investigations into UT operations.

....

Hicks, the Dallas multimillionaire who once owned the Texas Rangers and Dallas Stars, is a former UT regent and brother to current UT regent Steve Hicks. Tom Hicks wrote to the office of admissions in 2011 on behalf of an applicant whose grandparents “have been longtime generous supporters of UT-Austin.”

 Read the whole thing here.

At McRaven's bidding, regents stiff Hall (and Paxton); change rules....

"Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth."
Matthew 13:40-42

At today's meeting, the U.T. Board of Regents held a three hour executive session where they (predictably) sandbagged Attorney General Paxton; then, in an act of chutzpah led by Mr. McRaven and Steve Hicks, they changed the rules to shut down further inquiry from Wallace Hall.



Highlights:

• Cranberg: "Unnecessarily Neutering"; chilling.

• Analogous to "getting rid of the turbulent priest."

• McRaven: As the C.E.O. "I will look into it."
• Author's Note: Just like you did with Seal Team 6 and Bill Powers.

• Cranberg: Longer running "journey of discovery."

• Hall: Change designed to thwart Regents from performing their fiduciary duties.

• Cranberg: The Kroll report never would have happened if this rule had been in place.\

• Pejovich: Regents received rule changes less than 24 hours ago.

• Hall: Outcome of last meeting "reinterpreted after the fact."
• "This is not the way fiduciary responsibility is carried out."

• Rule change passes 6-3

Awesome Sauce from Wallace Hall

"Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you."
Deuteronomy 31:6

(Update 4/9/2015) -- Watchdog has more here.

U.T. System Headquarters -- This afternoon, the U.T. Board of Regents held a special called meeting to discuss requests made by Wallace Hall in relation to the Kroll Report.  Regent Hall was seeking to see records the Kroll team used and to discuss those records with Kroll.  While the post-Abbott appointee board denied most of his requests, Wallace Hall's dogged pursuit of the U.T. politburo was marvelous to witness firsthand.

Highlights:

• Politburo says a new contract would be needed for Wallace Hall to meet with Kroll.

• McRaven: "I had my opportunity to adjudicate the [Kroll] report."
• Author's Note: And you did nothing.

• Hall: Kroll Report "remains, in my mind, a source of confusion."
• "I seek to inform myself, ask questions, and gain a fuller understanding of this matter."

• Shorter Steve Hicks: Shut up and listen to the Chancellor.

• Cranberg: Not a close call; don't block any regent from seeking information.
• New admissions policy at next meeting.
• No opportunity to ask Kroll directly.

• Hall: Offer McRaven claims to have made never happened, would have said yes if offered.

• McRaven: Kroll report is closed.
• Attempts to obfuscate Cranberg's point.

• Hall: There were several other categories of holds he didn't know about.

• U.T. wasn't under contract with Kroll in relation to Van Taylor's question.

• Hall: Follow-up is a regular part of a business relationship.

• Need for another contract is U.T.'s position, not Kroll's.

• Shorter McRaven: 
  

• Shorter Paul Foster: Shut up and listen to the chancellor.

• Beck: Regents can't ask for meetings with third parties.

• Hall: Regents asking questions is not an investigation.

  - I don't know what's in there till I read it.

  
  

  - Why wouldn't you give a member of the board the same treatment you gave to a member of the legislature?!? 

  
  

• Foster: All of your inquiries are an investigation.

• Hall: I tried to do this in the past and was rebuffed.
• "I don't know what we're afraid of."

• Tucker: Something, something, clarifying questions, something, something digging deeper.

• Hall: "I don't know what documents exist, that's the dilemma."

• Foster: I don't know there's a need to continue asking questions.

Controversial U.T. Regent Nominees face the music

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you."
Matthew 7:7

Betty King Room -- Earlier today, the Texas Senate nominations committee held a confirmation hearing for Governor Abbott's controversial U.T. regent nominees.  The nominees faced a number of difficult questions from Committee Chairman Brian Birdwell, along with fellow committee members Konni Burton and Van Taylor.  Senator Charles Schwertner, who has taken an interest in higher ed issues this session, spent more time at the hearing than several committee members.

Regent nominee Steve Hicks was the first to testify, A known defender of Bill Powers, Hicks is the only current nominee being re-appointed.  While Hicks confessed that undue influence in the admissions process is undesirable, he nonetheless made the excuse that Powers was "the only one who sees the whole field of battle."  Hicks also denied the obvious similarities between the current issues at U.T. and the 2009 scandal at the University of Illinois.  Under questioning from Senator Burton, Hicks defended his vote against investigating the law school's secret "forgivable loan" program.  Hicks also made the absurd claim that while regents are supposed to "ask tough questions," they are subsequently expected to accept whatever answer the administration gives them.  Hicks could not provide answers to Senator Schwertner's questions about accounting gimmicks used to keep tuition "artificially low."

Nominee Sarah Martinez Tucker, who has come under fire for supporting Common Core, was up next.  Asked about the forgivable loan program, she explained "I don't have a lot of specifics," which makes one wonder how she will perform her duties if she can't prepare for an obvious question in a confirmation hearing.  Asked about her support for the controversial educational program, Tucker explained "I APPLAUD COMMON CORE."  Pressed to explain, Tucker made vague claims about Common Core being bad for Texas but o.k. for other states.  Asked by Senator Schwertner about the role of the student loan bailout she helped engineer in 2008 in higher education cost explosions, Tucker unconvincingly attempted to shift blame to the Obama administration.  To her credit, Tucker spoke favorably about zero-based budgeting for the U.T. system.

David Beck faced the most intense questioning.  Beck was a key player in creating the afore-mentioned forgivable loan program, and was mentioned by name in a scathing Attorney General's report released last year.  Pressed by lawmakers, Beck claimed "we can't compete" in retaining faculty with public compensation.  At issue was an undisclosed "deferred compensation" agreement with lame-duck university president Bill Powers during Powers' previous tenure as law school dean.  Beck told Senator Burton he had assumed that off-book compensation agreements had made their way up the chain of command.  As Senator Schwertner told Beck, seven years is a long time to not know the details of a compensation agreement not going up the chain of command.  Beck was also unable to answer questions about cutting university costs, although he did oppose a tuition increase "at this time."

Tony McDonald testified against all three nominees.  McDonald, who was a law student at U.T. during the height of the forgivable loan scandal, discussed professors of his who were visibly distracted by it.  Regarding Hicks, McDonald objected that he could not clean up a mess he helped create.  McDonald also explained that off-book compensation was not subject to open-record's laws.  Finally, McDonald chided Beck for "a shocking refusal to take responsibility" for his role in creating the mess.

The committee adjourned following testimony; no vote on the nominees has been scheduled.

Today's hearing asked difficult questions of these controversial nominees.  The committee maximized this point of leverage.  The nominees answers left much to be desired, but at least they were asked to the questions.  Kudos especially to Senators Burton and Schwertner for their question.  It's a start....

Abbott kneecaps U.T. reform effort

"In the morning it happened that David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah.  And he wrote in the letter, saying, “Set Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retreat from him, that he may be struck down and die.”  So it was, while Joab besieged the city, that he assigned Uriah to a place where he knew there were valiant men.  Then the men of the city came out and fought with Joab. And some of the people of the servants of David fell; and Uriah the Hittite died also."
2 Samuel 11:14-17

Well, THAT didn't take long:

Gov. Greg Abbott announced his nominees to fill upcoming vacancies on the University of Texas System board on Thursday, and in doing so, sent clear signals about his vision for those boards.

In an interview with the Tribune last week, Abbott was asked about two regents whose terms on the UT System board are almost over: Would his appointees more resemble Gene Powell, who served as the board's chairman during a particularly tumultuous time marked by tension with the University of Texas at Austin administration, or Steve Hicks, who was a vocal advocate of ceasing investigations into the flagship university that were contributing to that rift?

"I want people who are dedicated to the job who will focus on bringing excellence to the organization," Abbott responded. "I will give them marching orders about what I want them to achieve, and I expect them to achieve it without micromanaging."

That he was referring to the Hicks model became crystal clear on Thursday when Abbott re-appointed Hicks to the board. Powell and Bobby Stillwell, who was an ally of Hicks, will cycle off the board.

....

Abbott also appointed Sara Martinez Tucker and David Beck to the UT board.

First things first, Sarah Martinez Tucker served in the U.S. Department of Education during the administration of George W. Bush, which by itself tells you everything you need to know.

Next, Steve Hicks is the biggest apologist for Bill Powers on the current board.

But David Beck's nomination takes the cake:

In the last 14 years, he’s given to Texas Democrats, including Kirk Watson, Trey Martinez Fischer and Rodney Ellis

[Emphasis added]

That would be the same Trey Martinez Ferdinand Frank Fischer who was Joe Straus' designated hatchet man on the Wallace Hall impeachment committee.

Beck is also on the board of "Friends of the University" PAC, whose self description includes this gem:

The only criterion for receiving a donation from Friends of The University has been that the recipient shares our commitment to UT. In the early years the PAC supported staunch UT advocates such as Bob Bullock, John Montford, Bill Ratliff and David Sibley. More recently, it has supported top UT Austin allies like Joe Straus, Judith Zaffirini and Greg Abbott.

Because nothing screams Republican like Bob Bullock and Judy Zaffarini!!!

It gets better; from Page 10 of Abbott's own report issued in one of his final acts as A.G.:

In late 2000 or early 2001, the [U.T. Law School] Foundation President, David Beck appears to have sent or e-mailed a “proposal” to UT-Austin suggesting [former Law School] Dean [and current University President Bill] Powers receive a deferred compensation.

Bottom Line: The Texas Senate needs to kill these nominations.

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Update: It gets better, turns out Beck and Tucker both supported U.T.'s Affirmative Education program in 2013.

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Update II: Turns out Tucker is also a Common Core supporter.

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Update III: Again, even better; praise from Kirk Watson....

Post by Kirk Watson.