Dr. Jackson Doesn’t Read Blogs; Defends Home Construction with Brand-New Reason
Breaking News from the Troy Record! You should really read this article about President Jackson’s meeting with the Record’s Editorial Board because it says that she doesn’t read the blogs. As a result, we’re shutting down. Thanks for the memories, RPI.
But seriously, the article says:
Jackson said she’s tired of feeling like she’s under the microscope when the focus should really be on the school itself and the developments going on there.
This is a little bit surprising to us as students. We are each paying over $50,000 per year to be students here, and I think we deserve to put the administration under the microscope a little bit. Heck, that’s why we have a student government! Perhaps the President feels as though she’s too personally responsible for what’s going on around the school. To that, my honest opinion is that that’s the job of a leader: to take responsibility for the actions of those whom you lead.
I’m very surprised that she would take that stance as such an apparently successful leader. Most leaders take pride in a certain “the buck stops here” mentality.
On the other hand, we do agree with Dr. Jackson that the City of Troy tends to have a perpetually negative attitude toward RPI. We do a lot for the community, but they seem to forget that so easily. RPI did the right thing to alert students about an armed robber running around Troy. RPI is doing the right thing by trying to negotiate about the fire lanes leading up to the VCC (even if we’re being a little hard-headed about it, the City has taken a very negative path during the entire course of the debate).
But what about the discussion over a new house for the President?
Before reading what Doctor Jackson had to say, I invite you all to read the original message that was sent out to the Rensselaer Community on December 7th, 2009. Now read the subsequent update from February 25th. Do either of them mention the apparent animal infestations, water leaks, or asthma-inducing conditions that Dr. Jackson now claims are the reason for the new President’s House?
Nope! The house idea was an effort to promote fundraising efforts, and to show the Board’s commitment to Dr. Jackson’s leadership. To quote:
This gift will provide a place that enables President Jackson and her successors to greet high-level constituents in a manner that demonstrates the status of Rensselaer as a major research university.
We’re not buying this new health argument. How many people decide to quintuple the size of their house as a result of water leaks or poor air quality?
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So, you have to deal with me at RPI for another semester for a Master’s (I apologize in advance). Anyway, isn’t this President’s housing thing getting kind of old? Ok, while I don’t know that the house needs to be quite that big, it’s the BoTs’ prerogative what they want to do with the house. It’s not just for Dr. Jackson, but for Rensselaer as a whole (future presidents and fundraising efforts included) as has already been stated by many people on other threads/blogs/etc. While I know it can be argued that there are a lot of things on campus that could also be fixed with that money, this is ultimately what the BoT deemed as an appropriate donation to the Institute and what we must accept. Minds aren’t going to be changed since construction is underway, so why not focus on ways that the entire campus can make the most of it.
More fundraising efforts at this house mean potentially more scholarships for students, new renovations to facilities, new facilities, etc. This will in the end (theoretically) help students, which I’m sure is what the BoT is aiming for. It has the potential to be more of a long-term investment rather than a single fix. Rather than donating the money to a single facilities fix, the money that is put into the house will theoretically be able to generate funds from other sources to go towards these other fixes. Generally speaking though, RPI students don’t think beyond the four years that they will be here … since the house doesn’t provide immediate solutions, it’s not seen as a good investment from the student point-of-view. The BoT has a longer vision for the campus however.
It’s a matter of perception and whose point of view you’re coming from.
Students should focus on fixing the rift that exists between the President and student body. I mean, there was a time when students were given the chance to visit the President’s house for the annual student leader clambake. It wasn’t until recently that the tradition stopped, which was probably at least partially a result of the way that students have acted rashly in public forums such as that and the town meetings.
As for the “new reasoning” that is being given for construction of the house, it’s not new. Dr. Jackson said it back in December at the big anniversary shin-dig. It was also mentioned by the Cabinet back when the new house got approved (http://poly.rpi.edu/?p=1041), though it wasn’t cited as a reason by the BoT and this article was still when there were going to be two houses on the property, to be fair.
But the health argument is NOT new. It was a factor for a while now. Stay up-to-date =P
As for putting the administration under the microscope, I think it’s fair to do but only if we are organized, form a cohesive and strong argument from the student perspective, and point fingers in the right direction. Many times, the student body points a finger solely at Jackson when there are many other forces coming into play, which may very well be what she is referring to when saying we should scrutinize the “school itself and developments …” instead of her.
Anyway, I’m all for peace and think that students should try to be more open-minded and that the administration should be open to student views if we use the right channels to express them constructively. =)
The health issues weren’t the among reasons given by the BoT, but Cara’s right that the president and her cabinet have been talking about them for quite a while now.
And while it’s true that building a new president’s house will certainly be advantageous for the university as a whole, not just Dr. Jackson herself, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t other ways the BoT could spend the money. I was glad to see the list of things more pressing than a new house for the president that RPInsider published.
At this point, though, I think it would be advantageous for everyone if the conversation shifted from whether the new house is necessary to whether it might be beneficial if the Trustees interacted more with faculty and students to gain a broader understanding of the community at RPI. Such interaction might lead the Board to donate money to a wider variety of causes.
Kelly’s point is also a good one. =)
I had the impression that no one was really talking about the new President’s house anymore. She brought it up herself during the meeting with the editorial board of The Record.
Here is a quote from William N. Walker’s message (December 7, 2009). He characterizes the new President’s house as “addition”:
“The addition of the building will augment other programs, adding to the
suite of facilities created in the Center for Biotechnology and
Interdisciplinary Studies, the Computational Center for Nanotechnology
Innovations, the Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts
Center, and the East Campus Athletic Village.”
On the web you can find articles that indicate that the now demolished house was originally to be used as a guesthouse after the new house was completed.
http://alloveralbany.com/archive/2009/12/08/rpi-building-a-new-presidents-residence
http://www.timesunion.com/ASPStories/story.asp?StoryID=875141
http://www.troyrecord.com/articles/2010/02/27/news/doc4b887a7d20179321052442.txt
http://www.troyrecord.com/articles/2009/12/09/news/doc4b1f21a15c79a571011381.txt
http://blog.timesunion.com/troy/a-new-home-for-rpis-president/500/
It appears that the house posed no health risks for guests and people who work in the house before Troy denied the original plan for the new President’s house, and before people voiced criticism about the size of the new “addition”.
The article Cara linked was from before Troy denying the original plan and other opposition; it was from December 9, two days after Walker’s email. In it, William Walker says the house has health problems–such as radon gas–and will need updates to be used as a guest house. (Here’s the link again: http://poly.rpi.edu/?p=1041)
No one’s saying that the health reasons were the primary factor in the decision to build the house, but it’s definitely not a new story.
I indeed missed the date of the article Cara linked. – My apologies.
However, listening to Dr. Jackson’s description of the condition of the old President’s house, I am wondering why the Trustees waited for so long to build a new house for the President.
Regarding her “feeling like she’s under the microscope when the focus should really be on the school itself and the developments going on there”: Why is she going public with her feeling? Can’t she bear criticism? Nobody is perfect, and listening to criticism and to what other people, not only her Cabinet, have to say could be valuable in any decision-making process.
It is well known that she is the highest paid president of a university (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_23_104/ai_111403550/), and she just has been reappointed for another 10 years by the Trustees. What more can she ask for?
Ok, my brief opinion on the matter:
The new house shouldn’t have been built….It was, so whatever, but not at that cost, especially since she travels so much, yet another cost for planes, hotels, etc. to the university I am sure.
As for the criticism, shes essentially a public official as president of the university, we should be allowed to voice concerns and criticism over her performance, and not have to hear back that she simply doesn’t want to hear it.
I am pretty sure she was quick to accept the offer for another ten years being that she DID look for other jobs at other universities and was beaten out in one instance by a former employee at RPI. I am feeling she kind of needed to stay.
After all these shenanigans, which is way more drama than I care for, I know I plan to only donate money if it goes directly to anyone in the MANE department specifically for equipment for research or class purposes.
Also, maybe I am joining two articles together here, can’t remember because I just read a bunch on the website, but the City of Troy definitely has a negative attitude to the university, but hat is something that can be easily changed by some diplomacy and openness. I am sure a quick, relatively cheap fix can be found for the Fire access to the VCC to accommodate both sides.