My oh my. "Little Sisters of the Poor" is the generic term for a lightweight scheduling opponent. Everyone knows that? It has nothing to do with being Catholic. Also, if the joke Gee made makes him a bigot then we're all in serious trouble.
No we aren't all in trouble, because we all aren't University Presidents. If you can't see the difference, there's no point in discussing it with you.
Edit: I would also say that someone can make a bigoted comment that may be part of culture (like Hibbert saying "no homo"), without themselves being a bigot. It's the fact that Gee repeatedly makes such comments that makes him either a bigot or the worst comedian ever.
It's very clear he's an old guy with an off-color sense of humor. The fact that some of you people think he is a bigot who holds a vendetta toward Catholic people is quite literally insane.
The only part you got right is that he's clearly an old guy. You're fucking insane to think there is nothing wrong with what he said. Once in a while you have to stop being a buckeye, admit you're wrong and move on.
The only reason the BoT had to make a huge decision like this is because Gee's (definitely stupid) comments got blown up in the media. But what about everything else? I mean, hell, Rutgers AD is an abusive idiot and she's still there and there's much worse stuff happening out there than Gee being a bit more candid than he should've been
Gee singled out 1) a religious group 2) an entire region of the country. If it's ok for him to do it than bigotry and prejudice on the OSU staff are just shades of grey. The OSU BoT recognized this and saw it for the slippery slope that it is.
You're fucking insane.
Then so is your BoT.
How can they be expected to hold students and faculty to stadards of conduct when the president of the university goes around calling southernors stupid and Catholics untrustworthy? Stereotyping is protected speech, but it doesn't mean that its acceptable speech. Thankfully there are a few in Columbus with the wisdom to differentiate between the two.
You're acting like he murdered the Pope. He made a joke! I'm catholic and didn't even blink! Jesus man. Oh, wait, did me saying Jesus in vain just now make me a bigot? My god. Oh no! Again!
This isn't about me and your hyperbole is exhausting. This is about a 69 year old professional who still hasn't learned that he sets the tone and standards of conduct for those in his charge.
You cannot say the things he said without repercussions, and as a public servant at an institution of higher learning he shouldn't have those thoughts to begin with. Most of us don't like Notre Dame. When someone says something anti-Catholic or equally bigoted on this board, they usually get negged and we voice our disapproval of their stupidity. You can say we're too PC and all of that, but frankly I'm happy to not hear racial, religious and gay slurs every day. I don't want my kids to grow up in a world where that stuff is ok.
The fact that Dr. Gee said what he did makes you wonder what doesn't get past the filter. Anyway, the last place he should let these things out is a public event (and yes when you're the head of OSU, your entire working world is subject to FOIA. Dr. Gee should have known this from the Tressel days and yet, here we are).
did you see what bama did?? wwwaaaaaaaaaa sniff,sniff its not fair!!! waaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh
STFU
Lol.
OSU is losing a great fundraiser and, generally, a really fun guy. But I think these last comments were kind of the last straw for the BoT.
Did you hear about it? Was it on ESPN? Isn't it 100% worse? How many people read the Alabama student paper? Jeeze, I write for the Lantern (OSU's paper) and am giddy when like 1,000 people read it.
Then that's an even bigger commentary on the level of importance humans place on sports over real, educational issues.
1) That doesn't make it right 2) that doesn't mean I agree with it 3) Where did Ohio State put the football team/athletics in general ahead of academics, ever? Can't you argue that every school (Michigan included) does this by admitting students who otherwise wouldn't qualify academically because they play sports? Hell, LaMarr Woodley scored a 16 on his ACT and had a 2.8 GPA. You think anyone else gets into UM with those numbers?
1) No, it doesn't make it right, but it is the reality of the sporting aspect of our college system. 2) At least you are consistent in your opinion. 3) I can't speak with certainty to the Woodley example, but I'd say you are probably correct (I had a 29 ACT and was 6th in my HS class and had extracurriculars out the wazoo and didn't get accepted (not bitter at all though!)). I know OSU has had situations where star player's grades were changed at the last minute to keep them eligible (Andy Katzenmoyer (sp?) comes to mind). They may not have a "tradition" of placing sports above academics as much as placing sports above good moral judgement. Their administration is also one of the most reactive and obstructive in college sports in my opinion.
Katzenmoyer's grades weren't changed, he just took basic courses. It's his life. If he wanted to take easy courses to better his grades within the confines of the system, that's his right. It's not any different than the thousands of football players around the country majoring in general studies, criminal justice, etc. That's not an Ohio State problem. That's an NCAA/professional athlete problem.
I beg to differ. He had an art class grade changed a semester after he took it to allow him to maintain his eligibility. Link? LINK.
Edit: Money quote from the article.
When asked to explain why she had changed Katzenmoyer's grade from an E ( Ohio State's version of an F) to a C+ in the spring art course, Introduction to the Computer and the Visual Arts, teaching assistant Paula DiMarco said, "This is uncomfortable. I really don't want to talk."
Edit-Edit: I'm sorry, I didn't read all the way to the bottom. This is really the money quote!
"I remember he was really put off by all the attention," says Moore, a fourth-round draft choice of the Philadelphia Eagles. "Not everyone comes to college to be in college. I'm that way, and Kat was pretty open about it, too. He was bothered by some people who asked about the grade change. Everybody gets grade changes. I've had some grades changed. Other people have, too. Now we're both headed to the NFL, which is what we came here to do."
I have no idea what you're even talking about, which more or less proves your point. I even tried Googling "University of Alabama President Segregration" and all I got was page after page of George Wallace hits.
"I often have said that to be a college president, you need a thick skin, a good sense of humor, and nerves like sewer pipes." - Gordon Gee
He actually did say this once, and somehow, it makes sense that a considerable portion of Gee's nervous system is constructed of prestressed concrete and reinforced steel caging. Obviously, he was ill-equiped to sense that his comments would eventually back up and create a mess that others would have to deal with.
i do wonder how Gee being gone may effect ohio with the ncaa the next time they get in trouble? yeah we all know the ncaa doesnt do shit now, but wasnt Gee and the head of the ncaa old roommates?
Gee was 70 years old. Probably didn't want to deal with being muzzled by the Board and having the media hang on his every word.
My personal favorite from 11w:
"A university's mission is to educate, enlighten, and have open discussions, which requires freer discourse than is considered socially acceptable in society. And in sticking with that mission, the BOT should not have forced him to resign."
You cannot be serious.
I hope that he doesn’t retire from being a comedic genius.
Please Gordon don’t stop producing great content. I miss you already.
I don't like Gee and would never want someone like him as President of UM but he was really just kidding in the comments he made. I'd bet there were Catholics in the crowd, and either way, he's old. Old people get a pass in my book. (I know Beckmann is old too, but that was an article that he had time to THINK about and actually made it past some idiot editor who probably wanted to stir the pot more than anything. Beckmann is an idiot too.) I think him leaving that position sucks because they were a perfect fit. He was just exactly what I'd expect Ohio State to have as a President; An arrogant jerk who's unfiltered mouth consistently makes him look like an idiot.
He did do some pretty unique things at Vanderbilt and I think he ends up going back to Colorado to fix their AD and raise money.
And for the first time (I think?) the rivalry extends to the university president search.
As far as "last straws" go that can get people fired-er, compel them to resign-this was a very weak one. I'm glad he made those comments within the context of a bigger, compelling, informative, and enlightening Q&A on the largely mysterious forces that go into expansion and the conference's makeup.
I can't help but feel for the guy.
But that's kind of the point of the whole straw-that-broke-the-camel's-back metaphor; it was just one more straw: nothing especially big or heavy. Gee had been piling up straw (and some heavier items) for years.
But Gee did nothing to enlighten anyone about conference expansion. All he did was use the discussion as an outlet of his personal hatred of Catholics and disparage the intellect of the South. Tell me, what great insight did he provide? I'll hang up an listen.
I actually feel pretty vindicated by what Gee said about expansion because it straight-up confirmed a theory I wrote a long time ago: that the Big Ten made its eastern expansion push in large part to outflank the ACC and prevent the ACC from blocking its ambitions.
Right but how is that news to anyone who has been following conference expansion? Its like confirmation that the sun rises in the east. They certainly aren't doing it so they can all play nice together.
Gordon Gee, what a blowhard!
While Gee probably should have been "retired" during tat-gate, I think he's getting a bum rap here. His comments were on the radio this morning and he basically said what anyone in a sports conversation would have said about ND and the SEC. Of course university president's shouldn't engage in sports talk because of their positions, but come on. Of course people in the SEC can't read. "Damn catholics" is funny because other than 100 years ago, in the U.S., who cares if you're Catholic. Nothing happens to him when he let's the football program run amok, but he cracks a few jokes and he's gone.
My suspicion is that you have this exactly backwards. I've long thought, and occasionally some scuttlebutt has leaked out that seemed to confirm it, that Gee would have preferred to rein in the football program, knew he had no support for this until Tatgate seemed to give him an opportunity to force some change behind the scenes, but he misread the situation by overestimating his hand.
He's gone for the same reason Andy Geiger had to go--he was a potential obstacle to those wanting to run amok.
When Gee made the comments that he was lucky Tressel didn't fire him, I took it as him placing football above ethics. If he really was trying to reign in football, it was probably him comiserating that he didn't have the power to reign them in.
That's how I heard it at the time--he was letting the truth out in the only way he possibly could without serious repercussions, by turning it into a joke.
I have a friend that grew up in the USSR, her father was fairly prominent in industry there, and when I played the tape for her she was absolutely certain I was right. She knows that dynamic well.
...so I'll preserve the headline for posterity:
Ohio State athletic director Gordon Gee retires after controversial comments
as Hillary's running mate in 2016.