There's very little being said about the real hurt and pain, about how the University of South Florida let bully state Senator J. D. Alexander in effect get his own university.
There's not much said about the people who had planned their education degrees there, who were made promises not kept.
There's little said about the professors and other staff who will be without a job tomorrow.
But they had the nerve to give a barbecue, a party for all those getting knocked down hard.
USF Employees Struggle With Closing, Would-Be Celebration Ends Up a Grim Affair
USF PRESIDENT Judy Genshaft, center, talks with USF system Vice President Kathleen Moore and David Touchton, outgoing interim CEO of USF Lakeland, during a luncheon Thursday for faculty and staff.
MICHAEL WILSON | THE LEDGER
I see an old friend in that picture. J. D. Alexander is a bully with many people who pretend to be "friends", but in actuality gripe behind his back. How in the world did he manage to get through a project to in effect turn an arm of USF into a 12th state university, perhaps to benefit him through land he owns? So many did not want it, but there it is.
He is a bully with real power.
"The University of South Florida treated Lakeland campus employees to a luncheon Thursday, as a way of "Celebrating the Past and Embracing the Future."
But it was clear from the long faces that nobody felt like a party, no matter how good the barbecue smelled and tasted.
On Sunday, Florida Polytechnic University officially takes ownership of property and funding that was previously allocated for the campus once known as USF Polytechnic.
..."The anonymous emailer said the well-intended lunch had a different meaning for some. "… given its timing, on the second-to-last day before the regional campus institution becomes officially defunct, some staffers are calling it the "Wake for USF Poly."
Cindy Alexander, the state senator's wife, was found to be emailing about possible and past employees. The whole darn family involved, I guess.
Emails Between Senator's Wife and USF Officials Raise Questions
"An email exchange between Sen. J.D. Alexander's wife and two former University of South Florida administrators accidentally fell into the light of the Sunshine Law, and appears to be about communicating with potential Florida Polytechnic University employees.
...""b. understand that things have been very difficult for this person over the past few months (lots of unknowns, wavering support, etc.); we're very sorry that new leadership is taking this long to materialize and for all that the individual has been through during this gap period but these appointments are now imminent
"c. want this person to know how valuable he/she is and that we are sure that Poly will want them to be a part of the new institution
"d. please hang in there; may need to accept assignment from USF for a short time until a system is in place to bring them on; hopefully not very long."
For more background there is no better place to read than Seafan's Journal at the old Democratic Underground.
This is from April this year. Thanks Seafan for including so many absurd things that happened during the process.
This whole USF Polytechnic fiasco is igniting rage across Florida.
"USF Poly leaders laundered state education dollars through building rental payments to pay for unauthorized perks, such as a soda fountain in one of its Polk County business incubators.
• State education money was also used to pay for thousands of dollars in household appliances, including microwaves, coffee makers and vacuums.
• Technology purchases, including a $400,000 video and audio wall that some said was too advanced for students, were made without approval from the main USF Tampa campus.
..."One thing to remember is that Senator JD Alexander, now term limited out of office, and former chancellor Marshall Goodman, now on $254,000 a year paid leave have teamed up for years to force the idea of independence for USF Lakeland. It's been a cooked-up plan for quite a while. JD owns a nice chunk of land close by the proposed new university, and it would be a nice profit generator for his holdings to have a "new" university, fed by nearby "road improvements", also benefiting his personal financial holdings."
Seafan included this picture of a most useless adult sized slide between two floors. It looks like rich men and their toys to me.