Category Archives: U.Miami

I probably won’t be able to make this one, and if I did I’m not sure I could keep down my lunch while listening to a lecture on “Values and Politics” from Ralph Reed — the guy who orchestrated the campaign painting Max Cleland — of all people! — as anti-American…but if I did, what should I ask him?

Ralph Reed, who chaired the Georgia Republican Party in 2002, has worked on seven presidential campaigns, and served as chairman of the Southeast Region for Bush-Cheney ’04, will lecture on “Values and Politics in America” as part of the University’s President’s Lecture Series on Thursday, November 10, at 6:30 p.m. at the School of Business Administration’s Storer Auditorium.Thursday, November 10 6:30 p.m. Storer Auditorium. Open to the UM Community.

Actually, if I had the chance, the event I’d like to crash is this one:

Media Advisory for Thursday, November 10, 2005

The University of Miami invites members of the media to a lecture and interview opportunity with Ralph reed at 5:30 P.M.

Update: Oooh, Reed is apparently deeply involved in the Abramoff Indian Gambling Scandal. What a good choice of a person to have to lecture students on “Values and Politics”.

2nd Update: You don’t suppose we are paying him, do you?

This just popped into my mailbox:

Students who changed their airline flights due to changes in the exam schedule for the fall semester will be reimbursed for any fees assessed by the airlines for the ticket change. The reimbursement will be in the form of a credit towards the spring semester. Read the detailed procedures to receive a reimbursement.

The law school school roared back into session today, and my Administrative Law class was, at 8am, the first class most of my students had since Hurricane Wilma. Those of us without power were feeling the strain.

It being Halloween, I thought I should wear a costume to class in order to cheer things up. I wanted to go as something scary, so I went as a law professor. Here’s a photo:

It was slightly disturbing that some people didn’t seem able to tell the difference from how I usually look….

This should try the kids’ patience: UM will be up and running on Monday…but the local schools will not be. [UPDATE (10/29): the publc schools may be closed, but we’ve been informed that the kids’ schools will be open. Could be an interesting driving day.]

STORM ALERT – HURRICANE WILMA

ADVISORY 7

6:10 p.m., Friday, October 28

UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI TO OPEN ON NORMAL SCHEDULES ON MONDAY

All classes, clinical activities, and events on all campuses will resume normal schedules on Monday, October 31.

All members of the faculty and staff are expected to report to work as scheduled on Monday. If you are unable to be at your work site as scheduled, please contact your supervisor as soon as possible and explain your situation.

The University understands that Miami-Dade public schools will be closed Monday and Tuesday. Therefore, employees are encouraged to arrange for school-age children to be supervised by family or friends. A second and acceptable choice is to bring your child to work, if that would be a practical solution.

Due to University closures for hurricanes this semester, a revised academic calendar has been developed for fall 2005.

I suppose if we still don’t have power, watching a DVD in my office will seem fun….

My colleague Michael Fischl had a good op-ed column in the Miami Herald on Friday, UM policy contributes to creation of ‘working poor’:

Like many universities, UM trims operating costs by hiring outside firms to provide various services, including food and security services as well as custodial and landscaping work. But cost-cutting is never the only concern. The university would not, for example, try to save money by hiring a meal vendor that cut costs by neglecting food safety or a security firm that cut costs by dispensing with background checks for its employees.

…

UM’s current policy — which affects not only the 400 workers employed by UNICCO but also hundreds of others who provide services on campus — contributes to the creation and maintenance of a class of ”working poor” whose incomes must frequently be subsidized by local government and charitable resources in order to meet their healthcare, housing, nutrition and energy needs.

What’s worse, the workforce in question comprises almost only Hispanics, African Americans, Caribbeans and other people of color. The determination of university officials to balance the budget on their backs is particularly poor corporate citizenship in the context of a larger community that prides itself in its diversity of populations and its history of providing opportunities for economic advancement. It is also at odds with the commitment to diversity that is otherwise a central feature of UM life.

What can be done to remedy this sorry situation? In terms of the current campaign, the workers have a legal right to decide for themselves whether to unionize; Shalala should state for the record that the university will not tolerate any interference with that right, either by its own administrators or by outside firms, and dispel the shameful rumor currently circulating on campus that UM will terminate the UNNICO contract if the union campaign succeeds.

The UNICO people usually look pretty unhappy around campus. This may partly explain why.