Rutgers is losing it’s sense of direction,and they should retrace their steps and find out how they found themselves in this situation.
Like hikers lost in the woods, Rutgers needs to head back for the last known marker, the last place of familiarity.
One can take courses in clowning at Rutgers, not unusual if you major in theater, but there is no opportunity to major in clowning – unless of course you are the president of the university.
Rutgers University is one of the most expensive state universities in the nation, and the highest paid public employees in NJ are the head coaches in Rutgers….so it’s one thing to be a cheap joke, but it’s an entirely different matter to be a very, very expensive, government subsidized joke.
The term clown college is being applied liberally to Rutgers University these days, and it is no fault of the students or the faculty – just the fault of those entrusted with the leadership of the university; most specifically, Rutgers president Robert Barchi.
Barchi first stuck on his clown nose when responding to the Mike Rice basketball scandal where the head basketball coach was caught on videotape physically and verbally abusing players during practice. Barchi went before the television cameras and claimed to have been in the dark, blind, oblivious to what exactly had led to a head coach getting a 3 game suspension and a $50,000 fine.
As the Mike Rice video went viral, Rutger’s Athletic Director Tim Pernetti fired Mike Rice, and then Barchi threw Pernetti under the school’s bus with a forced resignation.
The clown act continued when the university announces that the new basketball coach Ed Jordan was a Rutgers graduate – though he wasn’t. It appears that Jordan never claimed to be a Rutgers graduate, and that the university just decided to ass-u-me he did as it made for a good press release — much like the press releases when alumnus Pernetti was originally hired as athletic director.
The Ed Jordan story was swiftly moved off the stage by the hiring of Julie Hermann who arrived as Rutgers’ new athletic director carrying more baggage than Mike Rice. While Hermann was spared the era of cell phone videos during her coaching days, she was the target of an actual mutiny by her players – the entire team – mutiny.
Mutiny is not common, and an entire team coming together to form a mutiny is something that one remembers. Ms. Hermann, reading from the new Rutgers play book, claims not to remember the mutiny of her college volleyball team who claimed that years of abusive had led them to the point of no return.
They signed the letter, and were ready to hang together instead of hanging separately — Hermann lost the coaching position…But can’t remember why?
Julia Hermann also was at the center of a sex discrimination suit with regards to one of her coaches whom she did not want to see pregnant. Hermann does not claim a bias against “preggos”, and simply felt the person was not capable of doing their job. ( This incident did have some video to go with it as Hermann was recorded on video advising her underling not to get pregnant – but lots of people say that to the bride at a wedding reception )
While Julie Hermann still has the support of Rutgers president Robert “Bozo” Barchi, and Barchi is extending to Hermann what was refused Pernetti – to be judged on the whole of your accomplishments and not on a single instance.
Or perhaps because she is a woman, Hermann is being held to a lower standard — or perhaps Rutgers is just lowering all standards without passing on the savings to students by lowering the tuition.
Rutgers needs to head back for the last known marker, the last place of familiarity – Pernetti.
Pernetti came to Rutgers with little baggage, and he left with none. When it was decided by the ringmasters that Pernetti was a drain on the university, he fell on his sword, took one for the team, and resigned – and why?
He followed all the rules, he brought the Mike Rice situation to the attention of the administration, it was discussed, they all agreed on a plan of remediation, and then threw Pernetti as the scapegoat. Should Pernetti have fired Mike Rice immediately – maybe – but he did not make that decision alone.
Pernetti is the last known marker, the last place of familiarity when Rutgers was not a circus, was not being run by clowns and liars.
LINKS:
Mutiny Letter by Student Athletes Under Hermann
Everyday, Rutgers becomes as much a soap opera as the NY Jets.
I still can’t help but wonder if any of this happens if the mens’ basketball team was winning.
every reporter and news organization needs to generate hits…eye balls
Editor’s note: Hi Jeff, This article was written because we don’t like the way Barchi has handled the situation and fully support the reinstatement of Tim Pernetti.
Rutgers is an institution of higher learning not a sports franchise. To say Rutgers has “lost ITS sense of direction” because of the problems with the athletic department is pretty ridiculous. I go to Rutgers to learn. My son goes to Rutgers to learn. I truly could not care less how Rutgers does when it comes to sports as long as I and my son have good professors and get a good education which, at the end of the day, is what is truly important