PSU BOT Alumni Elections Slate:

GrimReaper

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Did any of you read the article I posted? Short brings up a very good point. We have the largest alumni network in the country. If every person gave just $24/year, PSU would have the most NIL funding of any school in the country. Naturally, that isn’t going to happen, but there will be some that will donate much more than $24/yr to offset those who may not contribute. He’s not wrong. This shouldn’t be that difficult.
Short is not wrong, but he's shortsighted. $24 p.a. doesn't help with a player that commands mid-six figure NIL. That's 15,000 or more autographed photos a year.
 

GrimReaper

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We are finally in agreement. However, I think maybe Mauti and Short know more about what those obstacles are behind the scenes than some want to give them credit for.
Mauti, maybe, because he's in the field. Short is clueless, as he is about most things.
 
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LB99

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Short is not wrong, but he's shortsighted. $24 p.a. doesn't help with a player that commands mid-six figure NIL. That's 15,000 or more autographed photos a year.
It’s not shortsighted if PSU is so far behind that this is a good starting point. For what it is worth, a close friend of mine had a conversation with someone pretty connected to the football program last fall and they told him that they needed to come up with some major NIL deals to keep some of the star players at PSU. So, this is not new and didn’t just start with Shrews and basketball. This has been brewing for awhile.
 

TiogaLion

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Do any of you guys actually talk with Board members? Why don't you call some and and invite them out for a bite to eat and/or a drink to find out what's going on in the private sessions. Your opinion of Short would change dramatically.

However, if Short's support of Penn State Forward isn't enough I'm pretty sure having a conversation wouldn't be as well.
 
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Psu00

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At least they have a platform - I know DEI/inclusion/LGBTQ+ rights and climate resilience (among other initiatives they support) aren't popular here and it's unlikely they'll be able to move the needle on any of it anyway, but at least you know what you have with them (and none are part of any NIL efforts as far as I can tell). That said, Short supports one candidate who is not part of the PS Forward slate so you can vote for him without much heartburn...

Big Sky Help GIF by ABC Network
I respectfully disagree. I’ve never supported Jay so it has nothing to do with him or with 1 vote on Lash upgrades when athletic finances were in the red. Brandon Short has just lost my support. Others may disagree and that’s fine.
 
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GrimReaper

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It’s not shortsighted if PSU is so far behind that this is a good starting point. For what it is worth, a close friend of mine had a conversation with someone pretty connected to the football program last fall and they told him that they needed to come up with some major NIL deals to keep some of the star players at PSU. So, this is not new and didn’t just start with Shrews and basketball. This has been brewing for awhile.
Gonna guess that PSU, even SWH, is already out of the starting blocks with regard to attracting small NIL subscriptions. But you cannot bundle a lot of small amounts into a "major NIL deal," it just doesn't work (with the outside possibility of directing them to a bonafide charity).

I suspected that PSU was having difficulty with NIL, and Kraft confirmed it when he said he was going to fix it. Apparently it still needs fixed (in my best Yinzerese).
 
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LB99

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Do any of you guys actually talk with Board members? Why don't you call some and and invite them out for a bite to eat and/or a drink to find out what's going on in the private sessions. Your opinion of Short would change dramatically.

However, if Short's support of Penn State Forward isn't enough I'm pretty sure having a conversation wouldn't be as well.
So, it’s political with you. I figured as much. Same with some others without them having the backbone to say it. We should just dig our heels in then and hope for the 70’s and 80’s to come back instead of finding some common ground. It should work out well.
 

TiogaLion

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At least they have a platform - I know DEI/inclusion/LGBTQ+ rights and climate resilience (among other initiatives they support) aren't popular here and it's unlikely they'll be able to move the needle on any of it anyway, but at least you know what you have with them (and none are part of any NIL efforts as far as I can tell). That said, Short supports one candidate who is not part of the PS Forward slate so you can vote for him without much heartburn...

Big Sky Help GIF by ABC Network
What you have are a bunch of coach roaches that are attempting to take every alumni seat on the universities BOT. They are part of a larger organization that is attempting to do this at many, and eventually every, large university. They have 1 seat right now, and will most likely gain from 1 - 3 seats this year. Next year they will have another 3 candidates, and the year after yet another 3 candidates.

I don't think many, including you, know much if anything about this group. Do some research.
 
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LB99

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What you have are a bunch of coach roaches that are attempting to take every alumni seat on the universities BOT. They are part of a larger organization that is attempting to do this at many, and eventually every, large university. They have 1 seat right now, and will most likely gain from 1 - 3 seats this year. Next year they will have another 3 candidates, and the year after yet another 3 candidates.

I don't think many, including you, know much if anything about this group. Do some research.
And here we go…….

Let the conspiracy theories begin.
Have a good day fellas.
 
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Psu00

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I have not seen the NIL issue explained well in detail anywhere so if anyone has the complete picture on what’s going on at PSU can you please spell it out here?

No talking points or flippant accusations or bomb throwing please. Just a complete unemotional explanation of SWH (and other PSU NIL) and what exactly is the problem. Thanks.
 

DavidM

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I hate to say this, but I'm confident that whoever wins the alumni trustee election will have little impact on anything--ANYTHING--including Penn State athletics. However, I'd guess that voting out Jay Paterno and Lubrano couldn't hurt, so go with whoever else you'd like. The Ali Krieger group would be preferable to those two.
 
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Midnighter

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What you have are a bunch of coach roaches that are attempting to take every alumni seat on the universities BOT. They are part of a larger organization that is attempting to do this at many, and eventually every, large university. They have 1 seat right now, and will most likely gain from 1 - 3 seats this year. Next year they will have another 3 candidates, and the year after yet another 3 candidates.

I don't think many, including you, know much if anything about this group. Do some research.

I went to the website and read their letters; what else should I be looking at? I’m not too worked up either way about any of this and am more apathetic than anything. I don’t mind stirring the pot though - I voted (and wrote in) for Barry before he was officially on the ballot. I feel like the folks we have now had their shot and not sure what was done with it (noting the most likely answer for any alumni trustee bloc is going to be ‘not much’). All this aside - what is the mandate of the alumni trustees? Who do they represent? Alumni? Students? Friends of Penn State?
 
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GrimReaper

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I went to the website and read their letters; what else should I be looking at? I’m not too worked up either way about any of this and am more apathetic than anything. I don’t mind stirring the pot though - I voted (and wrote in) for Barry before he was officially on the ballot. I feel like the folks we have now had their shot and not sure what was done with it (noting the most likely answer for any alumni trustee bloc is going to be ‘not much’). All this aside - what is the mandate of the alumni trustees? Who do they represent? Alumni? Students? Friends of Penn State?
Themselves. Alumni trustees, like all others, are, as fiduciaries supposed to represent the best interests of PSU, With the exception of Barry, none of them would know what that is even if it bit them on the ***.
 

doctornick

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i don’t have much of a position on Jay as a Trustee but I am familiar enough with Penn State Forward to know that don’t watn any of their candidates elected. To their credit, they are willing to put a definite platform out there; unfortunately I most wholeheartedly disagree with their areas off emphasis.
 
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Midnighter

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Themselves. Alumni trustees, like all others, are, as fiduciaries supposed to represent the best interests of PSU, With the exception of Barry, none of them would know what that is even if it bit them on the ***.

Well then - I stand corrected; they’ve been tremendously successful! :cool:
 

Countrylion

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So, it’s political with you. I figured as much. Same with some others without them having the backbone to say it. We should just dig our heels in then and hope for the 70’s and 80’s to come back instead of finding some common ground. It should work out well.
It is an election so how can it not be political? I am gathering you are voting for people because Brandon Short told you to no matter what they stand for and no matter if they support football or not. Crazy.
 

LB99

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It is an election so how can it not be political? I am gathering you are voting for people because Brandon Short told you to no matter what they stand for and no matter if they support football or not. Crazy.
Yeah. Almost as crazy as voting for someone just because of their last name no matter what they stand for.
 
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Fizz1

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Did some googling on the "Forward" campaigns for boards of universities. Also read all bios of this year's candidates for the board of PSU. All of the Forward candidates' statements read the same. I will vote for candidates who write their own platforms.




Here is an article from last year:

 
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MacNit

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I hate to say this, but I'm confident that whoever wins the alumni trustee election will have little impact on anything--ANYTHING--including Penn State athletics. However, I'd guess that voting out Jay Paterno and Lubrano couldn't hurt, so go with whoever else you'd like. The Ali Krieger group would be preferable to those two.
Krieger’s group is a bunch of group think wokists - surely to sink the ship.
 

DavidM

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As always, folks can't resist engaging in culture wars partisanship. Do it again and I'll take a more active role in the campaign.
 

Manofsteel200

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Did any of you read the article I posted? Short brings up a very good point. We have the largest alumni network in the country. If every person gave just $24/year, PSU would have the most NIL funding of any school in the country. Naturally, that isn’t going to happen, but there will be some that will donate much more than $24/yr to offset those who may not contribute. He’s not wrong. This shouldn’t be that difficult.
You crap on some people opinions and then can’t understand why everyone can’t just give up money to PSU every year. Most alumni I am associated with could give two craps about a statue. When the Freeh report was “unleashed” one of the only recommendations they didn’t implement was the size of the board….they actually increased the the size of the board, just enough to make the alumni reps insignificant. They silenced the alumni. If you are ok with that, good for you! You will blindly walk where others lead you. I, for one, will not give anything to this university, the way it is currently run. The current BOT has continued in the same manner as the 2011 BOT. They don’t want your engagement, just your money. It doesn’t matter who is elected, but I dont trust anyone on the BOT, including Brandon. He shows up during voting time but isn’t heard from any other time of the year. And this is true about most of the alumni BOT. Alvin seems to share info. But again…..doesn’t matter to you. Just keep trashing the ones who want change. We’re an easy target.
 
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kgilbert78

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As always, folks can't resist engaging in culture wars partisanship. Do it again and I'll take a more active role in the campaign.
My concern would more be that the platform that the Forward group's has doesn't seem to have much to do with running a major university but in making that university take a specific political stand. I'm not sure that's wise, as universities are supposed to be places of open debates on issues, welcoming views from all sides of the political arena (which probably makes me an old fuddy-duddy).
 

LB99

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You crap on some people opinions and then can’t understand why everyone can’t just give up money to PSU every year. Most alumni I am associated with could give two craps about a statue. When the Freeh report was “unleashed” one of the only recommendations they didn’t implement was the size of the board….they actually increased the the size of the board, just enough to make the alumni reps insignificant. They silenced the alumni. If you are ok with that, good for you! You will blindly walk where others lead you. I, for one, will not give anything to this university, the way it is currently run. The current BOT has continued in the same manner as the 2011 BOT. They don’t want your engagement, just your money. It doesn’t matter who is elected, but I dont trust anyone on the BOT, including Brandon. He shows up during voting time but isn’t heard from any other time of the year. And this is true about most of the alumni BOT. Alvin seems to share info. But again…..doesn’t matter to you. Just keep trashing the ones who want change. We’re an easy target.


Never once did I say give anyone your money. I simply quoted something in the Short article. There’s a big difference. You, and a handful of others come on a Penn State message board to ***** and moan about the Penn State BOT and how you are done with the school. Good for you. Why do you feel the need to come on here and tell everyone that? Because you are looking for others to confirm your feelings? If you are done, then humbly go and put your money and focus on some other good cause. That’s a noble act. I have grown tired of having every conversation here hijacked by BOT talk. It’s exhausting. Just go look at the thread discussing Penn State’s newest football recruit. The same people can’t help interjecting their BOT opinions into that conversation either. Take it to a test board somewhere. It became so frustrating that I couldn’t not chime in to play Devils advocate. But, like you, many who still want to live looking in the rear view mirror, just want anyone who opposes their opinion to STFU. Freedom of speech be damned. The loudest opinion matters more, right? If you want to keep supporting people simply because of a football coach from 12 years ago, who’s the blind sheep?
 
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LB99

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My concern would more be that the platform that the Forward group's has doesn't seem to have much to do with running a major university but in making that university take a specific political stand. I'm not sure that's wise, as universities are supposed to be places of open debates on issues, welcoming views from all sides of the political arena (which probably makes me an old fuddy-duddy).
This is a well thought out interpretation of the situation that doesn’t involve name calling or other demeaning language. Thank you.
 
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Manofsteel200

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Never once did I say give anyone your money. I simply quoted something in the Short article. There’s a big difference. You, and a handful of others come on a Penn State message board to ***** and moan about the Penn State BOT and how you are done with the school. Good for you. Why do you feel the need to come on here and tell everyone that? Because you are looking for others to confirm your feelings? If you are done, then humbly go and put your money and focus on some other good cause. That’s a noble act. I have grown tired of having every conversation here hijacked by BOT talk. It’s exhausting. Just go look at the thread discussing Penn State’s newest football recruit. The same people can’t help interjecting their BOT opinions into that conversation either. Take it to a test board somewhere. It became so frustrating that I couldn’t not chime in to play Devils advocate. But, like you, many who still want to live looking in the rear view mirror, just want anyone who opposes their opinion to STFU. Freedom of speech be damned. The loudest opinion matters more, right? If you want to keep supporting people simply because of a football coach from 12 years ago, who’s the blind sheep?
YOU seem to have the fixation on Paterno. Maybe you should seek counseling for that. I feel the need to post because of your constant misrepresentations of peoples thoughts. You lump people all into the same category while absolutely missing the only point I. And others, care about. But yet you don’t address it in the above post. You pick and choose what you want to attack and ignore the rest. I don’t hijack threads. This thread is about the BOT elections. The only hope that us alumni have is to elect someone who can sway the thoughts of other on the board. Because they SILENCED the alumni reps. And you misrepresent what i and others say, that’s why I respond to you. I would never tell anyone to STFU…. without discussion and forethought we can never hope to change anything.
 

DavidM

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Folks, if the alumni trustees had any real policy-making power within the BOT, some of the latest concerns might have some validity. However, they don't. So their representation could provide some voices for a perspective you might disagree with, but they'd have no serious role in "running a major university." The Business and Industry trustees have made sure of that.
 

TiogaLion

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Folks, if the alumni trustees had any real policy-making power within the BOT, some of the latest concerns might have some validity. However, they don't. So their representation could provide some voices for a perspective you might disagree with, but they'd have no serious role in "running a major university." The Business and Industry trustees have made sure of that.
Get involved again and help keep the Forward group off the board. Did you see the new B that our President added to DEI? Likely the result of meeting with a certain Trustee.

Oh, and ignore Guns.
 
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GrimReaper

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Get involved again and help keep the Forward group off the board. Did you see the new B that our President added to DEI? Likely the result of meeting with a certain Trustee.

Oh, and ignore Guns.
Guess they're still working on the "J".
 

Midnighter

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Did some googling on the "Forward" campaigns for boards of universities. Also read all of the bios of this year's candidates for the board of PSU. All of the Forward candidates' statements read the same. I will vote for candidates who write their own platforms.




Here is an article from last year:


Thanks for sharing - interesting. Curious as to how well these folks fared in their elections. My guess is their platform is more acceptable at places like Harvard and Yale. That said, don’t see anything wrong with a coordinated national effort to promote a unified set of ideas/goals. It’s done in politics and can be very effective as we’ve seen with the courts.
 
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Midnighter

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My concern would more be that the platform that the Forward group's has doesn't seem to have much to do with running a major university but in making that university take a specific political stand. I'm not sure that's wise, as universities are supposed to be places of open debates on issues, welcoming views from all sides of the political arena (which probably makes me an old fuddy-duddy).

It’s a political framework for governance that some don’t agree with - I don’t see anything in their platform that prohibits the free exchange of ideas or stifles debate. Why do you think that is the case?
 
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LB99

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YOU seem to have the fixation on Paterno. Maybe you should seek counseling for that. I feel the need to post because of your constant misrepresentations of peoples thoughts. You lump people all into the same category while absolutely missing the only point I. And others, care about. But yet you don’t address it in the above post. You pick and choose what you want to attack and ignore the rest. I don’t hijack threads. This thread is about the BOT elections. The only hope that us alumni have is to elect someone who can sway the thoughts of other on the board. Because they SILENCED the alumni reps. And you misrepresent what i and others say, that’s why I respond to you. I would never tell anyone to STFU…. without discussion and forethought we can never hope to change anything.
I wasn’t referring to you, therefore, I wasn’t misinterpreting your thoughts. There are a handful of posters on here that interject their BOT political views into conversations that have nothing to do with the BOT. It’s the same handful of posters repetitively doing it. I’ve grown tired of it, therefore, I responded. The latest was doing it on the thread welcoming a new recruit to the football team. Why? What’s the point? Is it meant to be funny? Further, it’s funny how if you have a differing opinion, you are blasted. I knew this ahead of time and accept it. You may not say those with differing opinions should STFU, but others do. Go back a read the Mauti blasts Jay thread. Most of the first page is those saying he should STFU and is an embarrassment. Why? That was my question. The conversation evolved from there, but that’s where I responded. I certainly respect everyone’s perspective, and like well thought out discussion, but simply responding he should STFU doesn’t seem helpful. The thread then evolved into blasting Short and calling him names. Seemed petty to me, so I responded. It doesn’t mean I hold the same views as him, just that I think his opinions deserve to be heard, not silenced. As for the rest of the nonsense, you may not ask for statues, apologies, field renaming, and public apologies to Sue, but others have and I find a lot of that to be counterproductive to moving forward, especially since most, if not all of us, have no idea what has gone on behind the scenes to mend fences over the years. I also think it goes directly against what Joe would want if you take him at how he conducted himself and the things he said publicly over the years . For the record, I don’t have a strong opinion of any candidate. I play devils advocate. I have asked some why they defend Jay so strongly over the former players Joe recruited and groomed as young men and I have yet to get an answer. I also, don’t think the alumni trustees have a lot of influence on the matters, however, there’s a reason why they continue to want to do it. Is it personal gain for them? I don’t have an answer to that. Not sure, but if people truly want change, why stick with the status quo?
 
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GrimReaper

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Thanks for sharing - interesting. Curious as to how well these folks fared in their elections. My guess is their platform is more acceptable at places like Harvard and Yale. That said, don’t see anything wrong with a coordinated national effort to promote a unified set of ideas/goals. It’s done in politics and can be very effective as we’ve seen with the courts.
At Yale, zero. Harvard, 4.

The Forward trustees at Harvard claimed a victory when the Overseers voted to no longer invest in fossil fuels and divest current positions. Not sure how much it matters to an endowment estimated at just over $50billion, which contributes about 1/3 to the annual budget.
 
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kgilbert78

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It’s a political framework for governance that some don’t agree with - I don’t see anything in their platform that prohibits the free exchange of ideas or stifles debate. Why do you think that is the case?
First, my point was more that the most important job of the trustees is running a major university. I'd expect to see positions on important things for a university like growth, affordability, new construction, etc. We're not seeing that. The positions they are running on seem to me to be tangental to this--and are the same wherever they are running. That's not to say they are unimportant. But Penn State isn't Harvard. Not should it be (and vice versa).

To the second point, while that not part of my critique, I will note the article and book "The Coddling of the American Mind", which discusses this area in the modern university (and not from a conservative viewpoint either).
 
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BobPSU92

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First, my point was more that the most important job of the trustees is running a major university. I'd expect to see positions on important things for a university like growth, affordability, new construction, etc. We're not seeing that. The positions they are running on seem to me to be tangental to this--and are the same wherever they are running. That's not to say they are unimportant. But Penn State isn't Harvard. Not should it be (and vice versa).

To the second point, while that not part of my critique, I will note the article and book "The Coddling of the American Mind", which discusses this area in the modern university (and not from a conservative viewpoint either).

Penn State laughs at harvard.
 

Nitt1300

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First, my point was more that the most important job of the trustees is running a major university. I'd expect to see positions on important things for a university like growth, affordability, new construction, etc. We're not seeing that. The positions they are running on seem to me to be tangental to this--and are the same wherever they are running. That's not to say they are unimportant. But Penn State isn't Harvard. Not should it be (and vice versa).

To the second point, while that not part of my critique, I will note the article and book "The Coddling of the American Mind", which discusses this area in the modern university (and not from a conservative viewpoint either).
funny how restricting freedom of speech is ok when one side does it, but not the other

imo it's never ok
 
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