AU Perspective: Pres. Roberts' Cockroaches

Recent columns on AU’s academic and athletic performance induced more response than usual, prompting more regular submissions for Gazette readers to consider. If interest continues in perspectives of this sort, I’ll submit something every week to ten days.

A compelling correspondence received w.r.t. AU’s current cycle of decline began with JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon’s remark, “When you see one cockroach, there are probably more… everyone should be forewarned.” Prof. Dimon is on par with Harvard’s Larry Summers (Epstein's wingman) in high-powered derivative financial instruments which proffered much perversion and decadence.

Dimon’s cockroach metaphor is apropos for Pres. Robert’s minions metastasizing AU’s cancer. Another specific example among departments providing observation of internal dysfunction enabling the wider institutional crisis... AU’s Biosystems Engineering (BSEN) Department. BSEN further illustrates how concentrated power, unchecked retaliation, and continued erosion of governance outside the policies and procedures handbook decay an institution’s core. This example/illustration isn't more abstract debate about academic freedom but a record of actual decisions made by AU administrators harming faculty, research programs, students, taxpayers, etc. further eroding public trust.

Auburn’s College of Agriculture [CoA] installs department heads, not faculty elected chairs. As reported on AU’s Econ Department, heads are appointed by the dean, at times with little/no faculty input who often deleteriously remain in power for years. This structure creates an environment with fewer checks, from the most informed/decentralized level, which enables more abuse. Sadly, SACS [Sothern Association of Colleges and Schools] has repeatedly found AU in non-compliance with their policies and procedures with no consequences or reversal of the harm. A CoLA [College of Liberal Arts] Dean was sued (claiming an English Instructor was a ‘witch’) that settled for an amount apparently inadequate to remove this public servant. This same Dean cost students and taxpayers half a million dollars (legal expenses not included) in federal court, yet the damage to the faculty/department has not been reversed. This public servant is also cited by some among the most corrupt on the Auburn City planning commission, in keeping with omnipresent cronyism/honour among Lee County political thieves. Instead of fired, this Dean was recently reported as the highest paid CoLA faculty member.

Similarly, BSEN department head Dr. Oladiran Fasina [installed 2017] enjoys near-total control over hiring, promotion, personnel decisions, etc. according to reliable sources; the kind of observed malicious administration exacerbating the problems and lawsuits filed against AU these past years. In Dr. Fasina’s midterm administrator review [late 2020] faculty submitted written comments describing how departmental votes were conducted:

● No anonymity for hiring, promotion, or tenure decisions

● Votes cast by hand-raising or by emailing Dr. Fasina directly

● Even “paper ballots” were identifiable by handwriting

No surprise some BSEN faculty assert pressure to avoid voicing dissent, noting Dean Paul Patterson [early 2021] acknowledged these problems in a private meeting without the department head present. Patterson promised corrective action, but in keeping with the decayed AU norm, nothing changed. When BSEN department members inquired about holding a vote of no confidence to reestablish some faculty governance, the dean reaffirmed/warned he alone would determine if Dr. Fasina remained as the installed head. Elected chairs have proven too problematic - esp. when advocating for productive faculty members when attacked as ‘witches’ and ‘cloaking themselves’ in the First Amendment.

AU’s system, designed to give faculty a voice, has devolved into theatre: Kabuki performances while one over-enabled politburo member determines outcome(s). This is further illustrated in BSEN hires, tenure votes, etc. The 2020 process to fill a vacant Ecological Engineering position narrowed the job description to Coastal Ecological Engineers, a restriction designed to dramatically shrink the applicant pool/search tailored to fit the crony candidate. This politburo preferred candidate, from a neighboring State university, was just promoted to associate professor the prior year - one may imagine other more accomplished, experienced potential candidates were discouraged to apply. This newly minted Assoc. Prof. applied for the job with tenure. Of course, it is possible to have a VERY accomplished one year Prof. at this rank (relative to other colleagues) worthy of tenure consideration, but extremely rare in competitive academia.

My sources further claim three of the other finalists were considered significantly more qualified, explaining before the vote, faculty received “guidance” (i.e., implied instruction) on the candidate they were expected to support; who was hired. In the subsequent tenure review, several faculty voted “No” based on merit. Dr. Fasina (the installed dept. head) demanded written justifications within three days and ordered a re-vote by email to him within two days. Fearing retaliation, sadly every dissenting faculty member changed their vote to “Yes.”

Senior faculty reported they’d never witnessed both recruitment and tenure granted simultaneously to a new hire of this sort. The written response via the University Senate Chair from Provost Vini Nathan (after faculty reported the coerced vote) was, “Because the senior faculty don’t like Dr. Fasina, he had to manipulate the vote.” In a world which doesn’t discipline corruption, administrators are free to admit their manipulation, malice for the First Amendment, etc. The provost’s reply reaffirmed loud and clear to productive/non-crony faculty... policy and procedures do not matter; administrative alliances to keep their greed and power in place drive outcomes.

When asked for another illustration in support of promotion/tenure improprieties, sources offered Dr. Jeremiah Davis’ 2022 application for promotion to full professor. His record included only one first-author publication, no ‘corresponding-author’ [sic] publications and little external competitive funding. For another faculty member, the bar was set much higher. Despite having nine ‘corresponding-author’ publications [didn’t ask if that’s equivalent to ‘coauthor’ I’m accustomed to using] this assistant professor was previously blocked by the installed department head from applying for promotion. The justification? ... a guideline requiring “10 to 15 peer-reviewed papers.” This requirement was noticeably absent when Dr. Davis applied.

At the college level, the Promotion & Tenure Committee voted 7 to 1 against Dr. Davis. In keeping with AU’s disregard for decentralized faculty governance, the provost approved the Davis promotion in spite of this overwhelming no vote. When faculty confronted Provost Nathan through the University Senate Chair w.r.t. the 7-to-1 vote, she denied such a vote existed. After further documentation was provided, she insisted the vote never occurred, refusing to investigate or meet with concerned faculty. Perhaps the negative vote was altered before reaching the provost’s office. This would warrant investigation if concerned about faculty governance. Understandably, some faculty think she chose to ignore the evidence - i.e., she saw the vote and still approved the promotion, disregarding the almost unanimous rejection of Davis’ tenure.

Observations of this sort undermine AU’s entire multi-level promotion system, an integral determinant of academic faculty careers. To further make the point, Dr. Davis was appointed to represent the BSEN department on the CoA Promotion &Tenure Committee. Some argue one who benefitted from this compromised process is exactly the sort administrators want on this committee to reward the corrupt and discourage productive faculty cronies do not want compete with who magnify malfeasance more clearly for others to see.

To illustrate who gets fired as the malignant are rewarded, sources describe the abrupt [Fall 2021] disappearance of the BSEN dept. accountant. According to individuals credibly familiar with the case, the accountant discovered the installed department head misappropriated a faculty member’s research funds which was reported to the dean and the affected professor. Sources claim the college reportedly absorbed the financial losses to “resolve” the matter. As reported many times in columns these past 16 years, instead of being disciplined, the administration’s installed department head received ‘merit’ raises 40% higher than the departmental average in the next two years. Remember the ticket-gate accountant’s reward... sound similar? A staff member [with only a bachelor’s degree] was simultaneously awarded a 60.5% raise, bringing his pay to nearly $120,000/yr., higher than any associate professor and most full professors. Some assert this resulted from personal close ties to university leadership.

‘Think’ this is enough for a first submission of AU Perspectives... we’ll see if reader interest supports more submissions to the Gazette. If so, next I’ll address Retaliation, Intimidation, Terrorizing Students, Destruction of Property, PsyOps, Academic interference, federal violations, etc. observing the current Auburn Creed v. Greed cycle. I’ll close with a quote from one of the more exceptional examples of the Creed who served on AU’s BoT, John Denson. I can’t recall how many times he evoked, “All that’s required for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing,” oft attributed to Edmund Burke (mid 1700s) yet others attribute to John Stuart Mill, circa 1867. Denson caliber folks are exactly what AU is lacking. Sadly we have too many ‘grubbers’ like Barron, Lowder, Miller, et al types driving the greed result. The time is long overdue for the ever-shrinking cohort of good folks at AU to stop doing nothing.

John Sophocleus is a former Libertarian candidate for Governor and U.S. Senator. He is a retired instructor at Auburn University and lives in Lee County.

Opinions expressed are those of the author alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Alabama Gazette staff or publishers.