UNLV Football Integrity: Roughing the Taxpayers

Originally posted in a LVRJ Forum

$280K Livengood said we have a responsibility to the integrity of the program and perception of our program.

What "integrity" is that? How do we know it was a *personal* trip? Because $400K Coach Hauck says so? No way!

The Regents -- the bozos accountable to the taxpayers for the way NSHE funds are spent -- should conduct an independent, *public* investigation.

• Was Gregorak's trip/expenses charged to a UNLV AD credit card?
• Does UNLV football have any Colorado high school prospects on its recruitment list?
• Has Gregorak visited strip clubs on his previous, "official" recruiting trips, either for UNLV or Montana?

The Boulder DA could answer many of these questions. Let's hope he comes through. Don't count on it, though. He can't even figure out who killed JeanBenét.

Fluff Courses Out

Originally posted in a LVRJ Forum

UNLV's left wing faculty supports every one of those ridiculous "Leadership" programs except *Military* leadership.

Save Urban Horticulture! That's a serious science program, with *real* requirements like Organic/Bio Chem, Physics, Calc/Stats, etc. Applied Biology is a legitimate function of a state university. Urban Horticulture should be the *only* major available to jocks.

Informatics is a light science program. Too much required fluff. Dump it.

MFT is another left wing, bonehead program. Majors are taught that all society's problems are caused by employment discrimination.

Pro Golf Management. Really.

University of NV for Free!

Originally posted in a LVRJ forum

There are ~450,000 kids in Nevada K-12 (public+private). Assume, 35,000 enter 1st grade with 25% attrition. That means ~25,000 HS diplomas awarded here each yr.

The University of Nevada (now UNR) was established as a small A&M school. It was endowed with capital sufficient to make further taxpayer obligation to it  unnecessary. Basically all of UNR's applied science students should be getting free rides or else paying just nominal tuition. That's right.

UNR's endowment is on the order of $200M. The trust manager should be able to yield 5% -- $10M/yr. [I doubt that highly paid, politically connected nincompoop returns even *half* of that]. 1/2 gets paid out to cover operating expenses (the rest reinvested).

I could argue for much a lower number, but assume operating expenses are $10,000 per student. That means you could enroll ~500 students TUITION FREE. UNLV is similar. Consolidate its endowment and science programs at UNR and you can support ~1,000 students (250 per class).

The top 1% of NV high school graduates would be eligible.

If our political constituencies object we could modify this structure slightly. Reserve 500 seats for women, 10 for ethnic minorities, another 100 for jocks, etc.

Academic Welfare

Originally posted in a LVRJ Forum

The University of Nevada is like a charity. Here's a hint. The beneficiaries are not meant to be its employees.

So what if UNV faculty salaries are not competitive with the private sector. Teaching is a low paying job.

So what is UNV faculty salaries are not competitive with other universities. Why should we copy their mistakes?

So what if UNV Administrative salaries are not competitive with those of their academe peer group or Fortune 500 Executives. The public sector is NOT supposed to be a place to get rich.

UNV is like all those other BIG charities. MDA, Dimes, United Way, etc. ~95% of the money goes to pay for overhead. What is UNV in business for?

The Regents should choose as President (for $1/yr) the guy who can best sell the following:

You know our work rules. We don't pay a lot or offer tenure. We don't do big research or sports. Our main mission is to teach the next generation of applied scientists. Teaching is a sacred task you took upon yourself when you accepted your doctorate. Feel free to pursue your research interests in your spare time. Please join us.

Labor of love. I don't personally know any PhDs who would accept such an offer, but I'm sure there are many who would.

Regent Abuse

Originally posted in a LVRJ Forum

We don't want to hear any more ivy tower debates. No more pompous statements about higher education representing the future of this state. No more opportunistic, plaintive admissions of taxpayer abuse long after revelations first came to light.

Division 1 sports is the ultimate vertical cut. No more mealy mouth Wixom talk advocating vertical cuts after he and the other hack Regents approved contracts for a new UNLV head football coach ($450K) and athletic director ($280K).

The NSHE Scam

Originally posted in a LVRJ forum

The original University of Nevada (now UNR) was chartered as a small A&M (+Mining) land grant college. It was endowed with sufficient capital (in Trust) to make it forever independent of additional tax support. That means *all* UNR students -- with declared majors in Mining, Agriculture or Engineering (Military Sciece, too) -- should be paying ZERO (or just nominal) tuition. I think they currently pay the same as liberal arts majors (who shouldn't even be there). This outrage is going to get worse. Soon they'll be paying the most.

Hey UNR applied science majors. Sue the Regents for stealing your constitutional, free science education birthright!

NSHE is a *political* institution! What is this

• Redistributionist scheme that middle class kids have to pay more to subsidize poor ones?
• Egalitarian obsession that no one should be priced out of a college education -- even dumb kids?
• Elitist conceit that those who choose not to go to college should be forced to pay for those who do -- even those who are there just to goof off?
• Distorted communal value system that places liberal arts programs on equal footing with science ones?

Glick Wants to Close Ag. He Better Read the State Constitution

Originally posted in a LVRJ Forum

The University of Nevada, Reno plans to close its College of Agriculture ... to deal with new budget cuts.

Glick cannot legally shutdown the College of Agriculture. It's constitutionally REQUIRED. In fact, money was set aside in Trust to fund that department -- along with Mining and Engineering (Military Science OK) IN PERPETUITY.

Hey UNR College of Agriculture employees. Sue NSHE to find out whatever happened to all that Trust money (Article 11 §3). Even if the crooked politicians "swept" it they still have to pay it back.

Political Hack Regents

Originally posted in a LVRJ Forum

Regent Chair Leavitt believes the state college has clearly gone beyond its original mission.

Not true. It's original mission was to redistribute money to Perkins' district. After all, why should Raggio's district (UNR) get all the money?

That mission is INTACT.

The Regents are just a bunch of political hacks. They play a very sordid game with their crooked cousins in Carson City. The Regents ascertain how best to buy political support from the various higher education constituencies (ie football fanatics, nurse and teacher wannabes, construction contractors, etc). The legislators appropriate the money.

NSHE funding is all very repulsive. Like sausage making and redistricting. It wasn't meant to be that way.

The original University of Nevada (now UNR) was chartered to provide practical instruction in three fields relevant to this state (Mining, Agriculture and Engineering). It was endowed with capital (in Trust) to fund it in-perpetuity. No further taxpayer obligation necessary. Over the years, in order to secure their re-elections, the crooked politicians have expanded that very limited state university mission into what is now known as NSHE, with the waste and corruption therein.

Regents Cry Cataclysm But Hire Big League Coaches.

Originally posted in a LVRJ Forum

NSHE uberbureaucregent Leavitt said This [cut] would be cataclysmic to the Nevada System of Higher Education

This demagogue Leavitt is too much to take. UNLV Athletic Director Livengood was just hired for $300K+. He in turn just hired a new head football coach (Hauck) for ~$450K. Hauck then recruited assistants for ~$130K -- more than most professors (who are overpaid to begin with). Basketball head coach Kruger makes $1M/yr (his assistants also handsomely paid).

The Regents sign-off on ALL of this, plus the compromised (non-existent, really) academic standards required to admit jocks and the numerous junk departments required to provide them with academic cover.

Now what's all this talk about a cataclysm?

Regents Provide Bread and Circuses

Originally posted in a LVRJ Forum

Division 1 football is a HUGE distraction. But without football popular support for NSHE funding -- which pays Smatresk's bloated salary and gives political jobs to Democrats -- would evaporate. That's why the political hack Regents will continue to support football for as much as they can get away with.

Regent Running For Congress

Originally posted in a LVRJ Forum

These Regents are totally clueless. Why do they bother running for the job? It's not like they have that vision thing. They don't bring any prestige to the Board. No one is going to mistake them for real fiduciaries, like Gordon Moore at Cal Tech. These Regents only do it for the wine and cheese parties and hobnobbing with patrons.

There is not a single Regent who would consider returning the University of Nevada (now UNR) to its original, limited mission. Practical instruction in three fields relevant to this state: Mining, Agriculture, and Engineering. Indeed, these clowns don't have any idea what higher education is for.

Regents Ensure Football Remains UNLV's Priority

Originally posted in a LVRJ Forum

When Steve Sisolak was a state regent, he observed that UNLV's $6 million football budget compared favorably to other MWC schools.

The Nevada government has NO constitutional authority to operate a semi-pro football team. What's next -- a hotel/casino? If these kids want to train for the NFL, they can tryout for USC.

Club RINO

Originally posted in a LVRJ Forum

Looks like Senate ultra RINOs Raggiowe and Townspend want Fibbons to a call a special session in order to give them one more opportunity to vote for higher taxes. They're both term-limited out (Townspend in 2010, I think). If we had small government in this state, the biannual budget would be less than $200M. The budget would be in SURPLUS. That's right. Fibbons would have to call a special session to figure out how to REBATE all the money piling up in the treasury.

What's all this nonsense about school underfunding breeding lawsuits?! The legal (constitutional) minimum for K-12 is one school per district (18 statewide). Yep. The legislature could vote out of existence *everything* above that. Slam dunk.

The legal minimum for NSHE is three departments: Mining, Agriculture, and Engineering. Look it up. The legislature could dissolve DRI, UNLV, NSC, etc in one rollcall. In fact, the University of Nevada was originally endowed with capital sufficient to make it self-sustaining in perpetuity (taxpayer backup required only if some Regent bankrupted the trust). All students majoring in one of those aforementioned fields should be receiving free rides. or else paying just nominal tuition. The liberal arts students should be paying $600 per credit "user fees".

Only a RINO lawyer like Billus Raggiowe would resort to legal scare tactics.

Dump Liberal Arts

Originally posted in a LVRJ Forum

Liberal arts courses should be strictly limited to those which further the mission of applied science education. An engineer should know how to write an essay.

If I were a Regent, English Comp (or testing out of it) would be required. Liberal arts courses like Drama and Beowulf would NOT be available. Math, physics, etc are fundamental to applied science. A wide variety of such courses would be available. Many (ie two semesters of Calculus) are standard requirements, anyhow. I suppose enough would be offerred to make a dual-major program possible.

If I were a Regent, I would likely approve such an option. "History of Science", "Engineering Economics", etc are courses which should be available as electives. Peloponesian War, Marx's Theory of Capital, etc. would not.

If I were a Regent, there would be no liberal arts departments. The courses would be taught by contractors.

Regents Promote One of Their Own Incompetents

Originally posted in a LVRJ Forum

Klaich is overrated. No way he deserves the job. The Regents are just political hacks. Except for maybe one, they *all* deserve to be recalled. Klaich used to be one of those incompetent Regents. Now he has been promoted to Chancellor. Typical public sector rewarding of failure.