This guy has got to go. Any time you represent an organization or a school and you continually screw up and make that organization or school look bad you have to step down. If you truly want to do the right thing you quit, you move on, you do the only thing that will clear the name of said organization and QUIT. Cut your loses and move on. What is so hard to understand about that?

In a bold move yesterday, the Faculty Senate at WVU voted 77-19 in a nonbinding resolution to ask the President to respectfully resign.

Of course being as clueless as ever, Mr. Garrison says he has no intention to quit. Sigh.

This is just another issue that has really started to divide the faculty, student body, alumni, and the good ol’ political boys:

“Alumni are enraged. Donors are closing their checkbooks. Students are threatening to disrupt commencement exercises,” said Boyd Edwards, a physics professor. “For Mr. Garrison to remain [president] under these crippling circumstances would show he cares more for himself than WVU.”

Here is the problem with Mike Garrison and why he’s being “stubborn” about this issue…:

Garrison has the support of the board and Gov. Joe Manchin, who appointed most of its members.

and

Garrison and Bresch (Manchins Daughter) are longtime friends, and Garrison once worked as a Mylan lobbyist. And Mylan’s chairman, Milan “Mike” Puskar, has given tens of millions to the university, which named its football stadium for him.

Gov. Manchin seems to be always sticking his nose in the University’s business and needs to stay out of it. Also, WVU needs a president that is an academic leader and not a political thug who is creating an environment that doesn’t resemble a university:

He said people at the university feel intimidated because “it has become clear at WVU that decisions are being made about personnel matters, academic matters based on political reasons.”

Pharmaceutical science professor Robert Griffith compared Mr. Garrison, whom the board of governors hired for his political connections, to the legendary boss of New York City’s Tammany Hall. “Somewhere, Boss Tweed is looking up with a smile on his face. Patronage is alive and well at West Virginia University,” Mr. Griffith told senate members.

So how does this all related back to WVU Atheltics you might ask? Well actually it gets really muddy when you bring in the Athletic side of the arguement. Both Huggins and Stewart seem to support Mr. Garrison. I guess I would too if Garrison got me a 20+ Million Dollar contract. But all of this reeks to me. Read this

The WVU athletic staff had no knowledge of the “lifetime” contract talks until WVU Athletic Director Ed Pastilong finally was informed about it 24 hours before the dog-and-pony show to announce it.

That’s wrong and sad — but it seems kind of typical of the way things are done these days on the WVU campus. As for the political spinning, when did the capital move from Charleston to Morgantown?

Also, didn’t it seem that Garrison and Manchin hired Coach Stew and not Ed Pastilong? It seems they forced the the AD’s hand on the subject, I think Eddie wanted to do a little more interviewing and searching for the position? Everyone said it was an emotional hire, but the question is now, who’s emotion was it? The Governor and WVU Presidents????

Who knows what goes on behind these closed door meetings but I know that if I was the AD I would want the damn Governor to stay out of my office and stay in Charleston. The capital isn’t in Morgantown but it sure seems like it is as of late.. or should I say, since Garrison has been President.

Do us all a favor Mr. Garrison and QUIT! This whole thing STINKS and is embarrassing for the University. If you quit, it all ends. Do the right thing for WVU and not your EGO.

Sources:

• Associate Press
  
• Post Gazette
• Charelston Daily Mail