Thirding

I understand your question and it’s fair.

It’s openly discussed. There have been several positions in the last five years were people from away applied, were qualified, went through the interviews, etc but each time the idea that only locals would understand that community won over.

I’m advocating for people who don’t have a voice. I’m trying to help save working class jobs and make sure that students continue to be served. That is the opposite of negative.

He’d make a plan, he’d follow through! That’s what Brian Botiano would do!

Given that Rice told his staff to tighten their belts and prepare for cuts, it sounds like that is dismissing the community particularly given the lack of economic opportunity back home.

If Rice had framed it as deceasing administrative bloat or other items, it wouldn’t be as bad. It reeks of “Gosh, you can’t come after my pay and bennies but I can come after yours, poors.”

There is a lot of ways to balance the need to get out of the red while not cutting classes or lower paying jobs. It involves looking at how too heavy that school is and making cuts there. If secretaries can be responsible for doing two people’s jobs for one pay (previous rounds of cuts) then administration should be prepared to do the same. Never ask your people to do what you wouldn’t ask yourself.

While I do see part of your argument about competitiveness, it isn’t accurate of what is going on at the school. Given how many of UMPI’s staff and faculty are alumni and/or born and raised in that area, your argument fails. They are pretty open that they want to hire locals/alumni only.

I doubt anyone would describe UMPI as diverse in any sense of the word.

I’m also hesitant to dismiss the needs of the community that a college exists in particularly since the community provides the labor that keeps the heat, light, and water on at colleges that allows faculty and students the luxury to focus on learning.