I have three words for Charles Reed, chancellor of the California State University system: STOP THE INSANITY.
The reputation of your university in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley is getting pummeled in a trial in the Fresno County Courthouse. If I were you, I'd leave your Long Beach office, come to Fresno and offer a settlement that would cover the current Lindy Vivas discrimination case, as well as upcoming trials brought by former associate athletic director Diane Milutinovich and former women's basketball coach Stacy Johnson-Klein.
You may be getting positive reports out of Fresno on how the trial is going. I'd ask a few more questions of your lawyers because it doesn't look good from my perch. And it will only get worse in the following cases. Do the smart thing and settle.
You only have to read the words of former Athletic Director Scott Johnson to know that you've got a problem at Fresno State. Johnson, testifying under oath, said this on Wednesday: When asked if, in his entire life, he ever talked about a person's sexual orientation, Johnson responded, "never."
Most people couldn't answer never. But Johnson can, even though he presided over an athletic department that once held a party that participants called, "Ugly Women Athletes Day." And Johnson testifies that he "never" in his entire life talked about a person's sexual orientation.
Wow. This is your star witness, Chancellor Reed. He will testify in the upcoming trials as well. Former Bulldogs basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian calls Johnson a liar in his book published in 2005. I don't know about Tarkanian's claim, but Johnson's statements in court Wednesday sure make me wonder whether I'd be confident in winning a trial if he were testifying on my behalf.
There's been a lot of collateral damage already in this case, and there's no reason to believe that the nasty personal accusations will end when this trial is done. Maybe the law is on the university's side in these cases and jurors will reject the discrimination claims. Maybe not. But this has gone beyond legalities to the court of public opinion. That's your big problem, chancellor.
Someone has to be the adult, and say it's time to stop. That's you, chancellor. Find a way to get a settlement that's fair to the plaintiffs and fair to the university.
You're a smart man. Pull the plug and settle these cases. Fresno State's reputation will thank you.
In this time in history when the political arena is hopefully soon to be changing for the better, won't it be equally grand when news coming from Fresno State reflects honesty, integrity,and equality.
Please clean up the playing field so our University can become a positive role model where women's athletics program, coaches and players are held in high esteem.
These current trials should never have happened if the "power's that be" had acted responsibly, ethically and appropriately. Positive resolution must occur ASAP. It's time to move out of the dark ages of name calling, underhanded actions, and negative motives.
I COULD NOT HAVE SAID IT BETTER MYSELF! THANK YOU
JIM BOREN.
J.BROWN
Mr Boren, you are right. No one believed Mark Furman had never used the N-word and no one believes Scott Johnson's recent disavowal either.
It would be nice to believe that Chancellor Reed might respond in a logical manner but his office and General's Counsel's office were repeatedly provided evidence of the discriminatory actions and attitudes running rampant in the Athletic Dept at FSU to no avail.
The "corporate culture" of FSU is a core sample of the CSU system.
Your comments hint at part of the problem -- Ms. Theodora will not report to her less-than-stellar performance to her superiors. She can, to some extent, blame it on the fact her clients have lied and obfuscated. (It isn't her fault the head of HR falsified the report of the male coaches earnings to the DFEH. It isn't her fault Scott Johnson falsified the volleyball attendance numbers in that same report.)
Ms Theodora should also lay some of that blame on her boss, Christine Helwick, who sent an obviously inexperenced lawyer to a high profile trial. Well, high profile for Fresno -- which Ms. Theodora has characterized as a "mud puddle."
The CSU culture reeks of such arrogance because most of its personnel disputes are handled internally, that is, on its own turf, by its own rules and totally under its own control Absolute power corrupts absolutely.
So it is that Ms. Theodora is out of her league in a court with a real judge and jurors, competent plaintiff's counsel and where the rules of evidence apply.
Vivas, Milutinovich and Johnson-Klein deserve significant recoveries for fighting back where so many others have either lacked the fortitude or the wherewithall. FSU has controlled the flow of information -- with the assistance of the Bee in many instances -- and these women have all suffered publically and privately as a result. They have been treated with utter disdain by CSU counsel despite doing everything they could to avoid a public trial. What the public will never know is how many times and how many ways FSU and CSU didn't just fail to respond to these problems but refused to even consider the possibility that there were problems. The emperor had no clothes of course.
The Vivas trial is the first time FSU has been confronted with the evidence and held accountable. Sadly, even if Vivas and the other women are awarded large sums of money there will be no change.
First, the CSU will appeal. (Again, not willing to be held accountable.) Second, when the money is finally paid it will not affect the careers or pocketbooks of the "leaders" who let it happen.
There is no accountability and there is no leadership.
The losers are the students. Not only has the CSU grossly mishandled these cases -- which should have a significant financial impact -- but it has deprived its student athletes of dedicated, talented personnel who were positive role models.
Well said Jim Boren and Rayma Church...what happens to one, happens to all...
Thank you Jim Boren and thank you Rayma Church for stating so succinctly what everyone who knows the true story is thinking. It is criminal for Scott Johnson to have created such havoc in the lives of the women (Wright, Vivas, and Milutinovich) and men (Snyder for one). It is especially sad to see it happen to caring, devoted, knowledgeable people who have given so much time and energy to the university. These women should be receiving praise, congratulations and thanks for jobs well done not sitting in court trying to defend their reputations.
Equally hard to understand is why John Welty hired Scott Johnson who had none of the requisite qualifications and then when that poor selection came back to "haunt" him, has taken no action to "control" or remedy the situation. In my mind, they share the guilt for this travesty equally.
My granddaughter would not be the woman she is today had she not attended Fresno State while Ms. Milutinovich was in the Athletic Department standing up for equality at each turn, for men AND women. Lindy Vivas and Margie Wright have set examples that we should all hope every one of our children witness in their lifetime. The courage of those women to stand up and finally say enough is no less than women who have changed history one by one. We will never be able to look forward without accountability and justice for our past. I am sickened that these womens lives have been so changed by the hatred of others and here we sit in 2007. Thank you Lindy, Margie, and Diane- you may never feel like you have changed the world, but you have.
Thank you to all the Mr. Borens in the world who are not afraid to stand up and say what should be obvious to us all, and for the words that should be seen by all.
How many women, whether in the corporate world or in education (college, high school - you name it), have "turned the other cheek" when discriminated against and/or harrassed or bullied? Too many victims have turned away from the fight for equality - too afraid to lose a current job or position, or too afraid to be blackballed for any future opportunities. Bravo for these women for standing up for themselves, but more importantly, for standing up for what is morally and legally right for all people who are treated unfairly.
This case is huge in setting the stage for, not only these women, but for all people at all levels, that have had to face such harrassment and discrimination. For those that are shocked or disbelieving of such behavior, talk one-on-one with any woman that has worked in an environment that was primarily occupied by "the good ol' boys". "Stop the insanity" is right, and hold those individuals accountable for their discriminatory behavior! Make it mean something for our future generations - men and women, alike!
I have mixed emotions on this one. (At this point I would usually crack a joke - "it's like your mother-in-law going over a cliff in your favorite car" - but because of "gender sensitivity" - I'll forbear).
As a supporter of FSU's women's sports - especially their softball program - I recognize that there are Title IX issues that need to be worked out. I'm not sure they ever will be. Title IX is bad law whatever side you are on. (Leave it to government to screw something up that probably would have self-corrected if left alone).
Let's also all remember, we don't know what is in the minds of that jury. I've been on too many juries to try and second guess them. I wouldn't be surprised at anything that happens. We have only the Bee's read on the trial - one side of a very complex issue. There may be an agenda on the part of the Bee. Don't ask me what it is, I have no idea!
I keep waiting for FSU to pull this one out of the bag. I remember the devious (yet politically masterful) job they did on Stacy Johnson-Klein, dribbling out negative information and rumors, day after day, controlling the PR flow much in the same way that a political campaign does.
Yet to be explored, is the part the local news media and especially the Fresno Bee had in all of this - complicit to be sure, in that, they sure seemed to cooperate with FSU in the systematic release of debilitating rumors; Also, yet to be explored is the way they - the news media and FSU - handled far more serious issues with the men's basketball coach - turning it into a slapstick comedy routine and a one day story; Contrast that with the three weeks Stacy Johnson-Klein spent on the front page of the Bee!
This one is going to get a lot more messy before it's over!
We are all stuck between the "good old boys" in power at FSU trying to maintain a culture of a 40s and 50s Democrat segregationist South where women and races knew their place, and women (and men) more interested in flaunting an alternate life-style than coaching. Nobody is innocent in these three legal actions against FSU - and yes, it is true, it's the athletes, men and women, who will get hurt the most. A pox on both houses, FSU and Title IX advocates.
Right on the money.
Well, it's clear the court of public opinion has already rendered it's verdict on this one. I just hope there are 12 people (the jury) that will wait to hear the other side.
Right on Jim Boren, I can't agree more.
In response to TC Morgan: Title IX is not "a bad law"...universities that would rather participate in the arms race of men's basketball and football shoulder the blame for why most uninformed people have that opinion.
There are 3 prongs to Title IX, a university can pick which ONE to use to comply. Long ago Fresno State could have chosen to comply by showing a history and continuing practice of program expansion for women. Of course to do this would have meant they would have to GASP! spend money on women's sports...Fresno State can never satisfy this prong now because it has a history of cutting sports...
So, left with counting numbers and proportionality, we all squabble, blame the women, blame the coaches of women's sports and boohoo with eachother what a horrible law this is, all the while never holding in check the budgets of men's basketball and football.
Just for a minute lets pretend Fresno State had had a vision (or listened once in a while to Diane Milutinovich) to expand and support women's sports...I wonder how good our Women's sports programs would have done had their coaches only had to worry about coaching?
Would Margie Wright have not just one but a few rings to wear? Lindy Vivas would have beat Hawaii a few times and gone deep into the tournament a number of times.
If your answer is that they have been successful enough, then I ask you if what you really mean is that they have been "successful enough for women"?
Where is the person at the top with a vision? if not to think of equality at the outset, then to rectify a handful of AD's who couldn't muster the intellegence either....where is this person? I think we all know where he is, and who he is...
I remember when Fresno State Head Wrestling Coach Dennis Deliddo would talk to us in groups during practice and express his disdain (or outright hatred) for Athletic Director Diane Milutinovich. He used to flap his arms in an oval motion when he would pass something on from her to the team saying "Diane Milu-TON-ovich" said so and so, LOL. It was a riot. I mean the woman was built like a bowling pin to put it nicely but those comments were uncalled for. Deliddo would have the whole team rolling(no pun intended). "Milu-TON-ovich" he would say over and over opining on her rather short and wide body with short arms. Those were some good times.