August 30, 2013: West, Uh-Oh, Field

Another embattled President this week. President Evan Dobelle of Westfield State allegedly racked up $68,000 of personal expenses on his foundation/college credit card.  As is often the case, the Board is doing a Tammy Wynette: standing behind its man, who claims that it wasn't fraud because he paid it back and because the external audit report was invalid as it "had been approved only by an executive committee of the board." I wonder what he would have said if the audit report had been approved by the faculty senate.

This story only reached my radar because concurrently with this general story coming out, one of Westfield's donors did something that I can only dream about: cancel a major gift slated for the school because of the president's behaviors.  Read this story to see the details of President Dobelle's trips to Bangkok, as well as the allegations that the President took up to 3 years to "pay it back."  I don't really want to be rich, but if I was, my priority would not be to buy lavish things for myself, or even to donate money to my favorite causes or institutions of higher learning. It would be to have the power to say:  "You know, I don't really agree with the direction you are taking, and so I withdraw my money."

However, until today I never had heard of Westfield State (which is apparently in Massachusetts).  And now I can't help but think of REM's song, "West of the Fields."   I wonder if people in Springfield, Massachusetts are now humming "West Uh-Oh Field."  (Don't bother trying to find the original lyrics to the REM song. Who knows what the hell Michael Stipe was singing at that point in their career?)

West Uh-Oh Field

 Long gone contribution

You presumed spent before ink was dry.

You schemed and you bungled,

Money is on its way back home, bye bye

West Uh-Oh Field

West Uh-Oh Field

Long gone, Long gone

West Uh-Oh Field.

 
Dreams of Illusions

You presumed spent before ink was dry.

Tell, what are you now dreaming

When you lie or try to oversimplify?

West Uh-Oh Field

West Uh-Oh Field

Long gone, Long gone

West Uh-Oh Field.

Your anecdotes are lame,

simply sicken me.

Your anecdotes are lame,

simply sicken me.

Dreams of Illusions

You presumed spent before ink was dry.

 Tell, what are you now dreaming

When you lie or try to oversimplify?

 West Uh-Oh Field

 West Uh-Oh Field

 Long gone, Long gone

 West Uh-Oh Field.