Brain Drain

A recent report by West Virginia University shows that under fifty percent of West Virginia college and university graduates find work in West Virginia. As one might expect, high numbers of law and health care graduates stay. This means that newly created experts in business, science, engineering, and other key fields leave in droves.

Right now, WVU, Marshall, Fairmont State, and the other colleges and universities are the stae's greatest resource. We have little trouble attracting smart kids from inside and outside this state. We need to make a priority out of keeping them here. Scenery, quiet small towns, a vital urban center such as Morgantown, and other factors could sell West Virginia IF the state had opportunities.

Why would a budding entrepreneur with the next great idea want to locate his business here? Modern technology means that a lot of businesses could locate almost anywhere there is wireless internet. Even in areas where business can access this, why would they want to pay higher taxes, slog through more regulatory burdens, and put themselves at risk doing business in a "judicial hellhole?" In such an environment, government investment is about all you can expect because it's tough to sue them and it does not pay taxes.

Getting a small branch of NASA is nice. Convincing the next Bill Gates that this is the perfect place to take a risk and launch a major private initiative is much better. Time for West Virginia to realize that sometimes the business of government must be business.

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Thank goodness someone, somewhere came to their senses and realized that Congress is a serious institution of government, not a three ring circus or social hour. Caroline Kennedy can safely return to the cocktail circuit and New Yorkers can rest easy. Now, hopefully, we can dispense with the clown that may or may not have been elected by Minnesota.

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Speaking of weird decisions . . .

Thank goodness we are about to have a US attorney general who helped the Clinton Administration pardon Puerto Rican terrorists to help solidify Hillary's election chances.

Bill Stewart and Century Aluminum Update

Certainly it was not a football season that Mountaineer fans hoped for, but 9-4 was not a bad showing. As a matter of fact, many experts picked that very result.

The circumstances of Stewart's hiring led to him and his offensive coordinator Jeff Mullen receiving the bulk of the blame for WVU not returning to the BCS. The emotional post bowl hiring last year, the possible involvement of the Governor, and the losses led to a lot of anger being expressed towards the coach.

Let's look at the facts. Mullen and Stewart sought to bring in a new offense to replace the system that had sputtered against Pitt and South Florida. College football offenses and defenses constantly adjust and evolve. Rich Rodriguez never tweaked his offense when the defenses caught up to his scheme. Michigan's offense this year looked like a Model T in a NASCAR race compared to Florida, Arkansas, or even WVU.

Stewart understood that in the long term, WVU needed to change. That meant a more pass oriented offense designed to attract the best receiving talent. We had to take our lumps this year with players not suited to that style of play. The wide receivers were mostly converted from other positions and many were brought in mostly for their blocking ability. How many times this year did a first down or a touchdown fall from the receiver's hands? This resulted in a sputtering offense at times, but also the successful recruiting of some of the best wide receiver and quarterback talent in the nation.

Another problem was the lack of a big running back to grind out tough yards. Stewart removed Ed Collington from the team for a drug arrest. A fullback recruit that could have played the role was injured for the season. As an emergency measure, they even tried big, fast backup quarterback Jarrett Brown. After all, it worked in Florida with Tim Tebow. The injury bug bit there as well.

From the beginning to the end of the year, the team improved from the head coach down to the last player on the bench. Injuries could have decimated the defense, but this was never an excuse to lose. Reed Williams, a potential All American, missed the season. His replacement, Anthony Leonard, another great talent, became injured as well. By the bowl game, some hard hitting defensive backs had fallen to injury and illness as well.

The final product hit the field in Charlotte. Receivers caught deep touchdown passes, Noel Devine ran well, the defense had problems at first as North Carolina picked on inexperienced freshmen, but then clamped down. All in all the high scoring in the first half combined with the big plays of those very same inexperienced freshmen and sophomores on defense brought WVU an improbable one point victory.

Stewart is now 2-0 in bowls, is bringing in great talent, and should have a great season next year. One issue is one he will never overcome. Stewart is a West Virginian. He looks, acts, and talks like a laid back one in public, although he showed some steel in dealing with players and officials. His colloquialisms touch on the inferiority complex some West Virginians feel. Rodriguez talked like a generic urban southerner while Stewart is like a congenial uncle from the country. Should Stewart win, this will be seen as acceptable eccentricity. Losses will bring more vitriol.

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An update from Ravenswood, Jackson County. Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito has stepped in along with Governor Joe Manchin to find ways to keep Century Aluminum open. Six hundred jobs are on the line there. With the attention of the Governor and West Virginia's most active member of Congress, those jobs are much closer to remaining in place.

So West Virginia University Faculty Like Capitalism After All

West Virginia University's administration blasted the PEIA premium structure in a November 28th front page article in the Charleston Daily Mail. They complained that the fee structure madde it difficult to attract and retain quality faculty. PEIA officials blasted back that the fee structure is in place because higher salary earners subsidize the health care of lower earners. Perry Bryant, head of West Virginians for Affordable Health Care claims "it's not clear what (WVU's) position is. Would they support their faculty paying less while their classified staff pay more and more?"

In other words, Bryant is calling WVU faculty a pack of greedy running dog capitalists only looking out for their own interests. They do sound an awful lot like capitalists when they complain that they do not get to keep enough of the income that they earned because the state takes an unfair share (liberals would call it a "progressive" share.)

Okay, here's what ought to be done. Take the seven or eight people in the WVU system that voted for John McCain, assess them what their real payment should be, and let them go on their merry way. The Obama and Nader voters, well, sorry about your luck. You all are keeping too much as it is. We are going to assess you more because this is the change that you believed in.

That's right. The PEIA fee structure is a small taste of what socialized health care would bring to the entire country. The harder you work, the less you deserve to keep. That's the Obamunism that you all voted in for the entire country and now you have the gall to complain about those same standards being applied to your personal situation. Well if you have changed your mind about Obamacare, you'd better get to Georgia and campaign for Saxby Chambliss so the GOP can save your hard earned dollars.

The article is somewhat misleading. It says that high salary earners have seen their raises over the past two years negated by PEIA increases. That is not by accident, but by result of careful calibration. The misleading comes in when the writer says "high salary earners." Those that make $30-35,000 per year have seen the same problem. Only in the poorest counties in West Virginia could they be considered "high wage earners."

Capitalism happens. WVU faculty take off for states with more faculty friendly policies just like jobs will go to China and India if the liberals get their way and strangle out of existence the rest of American industrialism. Those that deny its effects and pretend like they do not exist will lose out every time.

It's Only An Issue When I Say It Is!

All you need to know about the Manchin Administration came in his dismissal of the degree issue. After Russ Weeks clarified his opposition to cronyism in the gubernatorial debate, Manchin blasted Weeks. The governor asserted that West Virginia faced many other important issues that he preferred to discuss. He also claimed that he wished he could have called some of the plays run by the Mountaineers last Saturday, an interesting statement since WVU defeated a major rival by eleven points while playing an injured second string quarterback.

Four years ago, Monty Warner ran against Joe Manchin using an imaginative ploy. Warner created a campaign based upon the slogan "Status Quo Joe." In reality no one at the time had any idea what a Manchin Administration would look like. However, most Democratic governorships look pretty similar. Cronyism, small changes instead of real reform, and the perpetuation of Democratic rule without regard to the needs of West Virginians have dominated the Ruling Party's agenda for seventy-five years.

The degree scandal encapsulates all of the problems our state faces. A great institution gets embarassed by the culture of corruption that permeates every fiber of state government. Governor Manchin wants to avoid and minimize this issue because he cannot answer the questions about how and why this happened. The very fact that most West Virginians could not bring themselves to register surprise tells anyone how long the state has dealt with such problems. Until we address each and every instance of corruption as important, we will continue to not be surprised by "shocking" revelations and we will continue to not reach our potential as a state.

To move the state forward, we need Russ Weeks as governor.

Debate Coverage between Manchin and Weeks

Don't Count On Hollywood to Get Anything Right About West Virginia

The Ernie Davis story is coming out soon on the big screen and West Virginians will not be pleased.

Movie makers wanted to portray the Syracuse star from the 1960s breaking racial barriers and overcoming intolerance. The trouble is that West Virginia University fans are used as a prop in that story. In the movie they hurl racial epithets and garbage at Davis while he plays in Morgantown. The trouble is that the scene never happened, according to Syracuse's starting quarterback that year, Dick Easterly. Players from both teams agree that West Virginia fans never mistreated Davis.

West Virginia had its share of racial problems in that time, but no more than the rest of the nation. In fact, school desegregation under Governor Cecil Underwood never saw the violence or protests registered in other areas. Will Hollywood make a movie about that?

We'll see Hollywood stars lying about movies being banned in West Virginia because of intolerence, but never see anyone discussing how WVU fans embraced one of the first black quarterbacks in college football that became a bona fide star. We'll never see the story about how Charles Minimah rose from his teenage years in the Nigerian Army to be the GOP nominee for Secretary of State.

The inaccuracies did not just insult us, but also Davis's coach and teammates. Tensions were portrayed among players and coaches that simply did not exist. The filmmakers insult the memory of a gifted athlete and class human being by failing to get his story straight.

West Virginia has plenty of problems and it does not need ignorant Hollywood writers to pile on.

If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It, Especially For Old Fashioned Political Reasons

If only most marriages ran as smoothly as that between the Mountaineer Sports Network and West Virginia Radio Corporation.

For over sixty years West Virginia University sports have been broadcast over the network affiliates of WVRC. This arrangement has given WVU total control over its marketing and promotions while giving WVRC and Metro News high visibility and decent profits. Now outgoing president Mike Garrison wants to add disrupting this arrangement to the Magical Misery Tour of his presidency.

Garrison and others argue that bidding out the rights to broadcasts represents the wave of the future. Syracuse, Connecticut, and others do this currently. Others argue that WVU's arrangement reflects the much more profitable broadcast model that professional sports franchises utilize. One could certainly argue that this model works better for WVU, since its sports have been described as the state's "professional" teams (meaning that the audience responds to the teams in the manner that big city residents treat their professional franchises.)

What few people have said outright is that this may be nothing but hardball politics. West Virginia Radio Corporation is run by former GOP US Senate candidate John Raese. Metro News' most visible personailty besides play by play man Tony Caridi is political commentator Hoppy Kercheval. Kercheval has a daily radio program and online commentary. He grew into an outspoken critic of Garrison over the past several months.

Could this be an old fashioned Bogg Hogg type political revenge ploy? Hopefully Garrison will not be permitted to do the university any more damage before his fall departure.

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This is Bob Hertzel's column that discusses the issue. Although discussions have been in the works for some time, it is interesting that the issue has just recently come to a head.

http://www.timeswv.com/wvu_sports/local_story_188230156.html

Representative Shelley Moore Capito Starts Energy Action Website

On June 27th, Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito launched a new energy action website to address West Virginians' rising concerns about fuel costs.

http://capito.house.gov/Energy.shtml

This site provides information that most West Virginians can use in efforts to conserve energy and save themselves money. Constituents that suspect price gouging have an easy means to report problems as well. Finally the site gives up to date information on Congresswoman Capito's efforts to help West Virginia, America, and the world secure long term energy solutions.

From this site, a reader can learn of the efforts made by Congresswoman Capito to move America towards liquefication of coal. Why not embrace this easy to access resource that puts money into American pockets and employs Americans right here at home. Natural gas production puts money into the pockets of West Virginia landowners when they do not get fooled by unscrupulous agents who convince individuals, companies, even governments to sell rights for a fraction of what they are worth.

Obviously West Virginia should play a strong role in America's energy transition. We sit upon large supplies of natural gas and coal and have grown into a national leader in terms of expanding our wind harvesting capabilities. Liberals would rather see the average American sacrifice economic prosperity or their standard of living to fall more in line with other countries that do not live so well. Congresswoman Capito knows that with the right ideas America can move forward, restore the dominance we once knew in energy production, and maintain our standard of living that remains the envy of the world.

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The Board of Governors recently announced the selection of two new members. Dr. Charles M. Vest, President Emeritus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology will give a tremendous boost to the shaken credibility of that body. Also appointed was former West Virginia University quarterback Oliver Luck. Luck since his graduation and short stint with the Houston Oilers obtained a law degree and worked as an executive with multiple sports franchises. Metro News's Hoppy Kercheval wrote last week that Luck ought to be considered because of his experience, ties to the university, and lack of political connections.

Garrison's Last Pitch

West Virginia University President Mike Garrison recently made his last desperate pitch to keep his job. Summoning up his powers to convince, he made such a strong impression on the Board of Governors that they absolved him of direct responsibility for the degree scandal. However the Board stated that they would continue to look at the situation and meet again on June 6th.

Michael Garrison may or may not have had a direct hand in the scandal. However the perception is that his political connections bind him too tightly to the governor and that this played a major role in the wrongdoing. The revelations in the Rich Rodriguez case that Garrison was assumed to be the next president long before his hiring do not help.

Who suffers here? Certainly the governor must want this to go away very badly. His opponent in November, Russ Weeks, has benefited tremendously. Not too long ago Weeks had little name recognition outside of Republican circles. Now increasing numbers of people see him as an alternative to the Manchinocracy. Weeks will be able to use this and other issues to bridge the gap between himself and his opponent by this fall. Garrison himself has taken an image hit from which he will not recover.

Worst of all the university has taken a hard right cross to its reputation. Coming from a state all too often maligned (thanks Dick Cheney), West Virginia University must always fight an uphill battle in its quest to be recognized for the great research institution it is. Since it has low standards for admission (which it must since it serves the state), magazines rating the best colleges ignore WVU's track record of research excellence. It was the one state run institution believed to be free of the usual political garbage. That reputation is gone.

The current president of WVU must love the university. I do not see how anyone who has taught or attended there cannot. WVU strikes a unique balance between teaching excellence and research that is rare at its academic level. Michael Garrison's best leadership decision would be to resign right now. That is how he could save the situation for himself and West Virginia University.

Take one for the team, President Garrison. Please.

West Virginia University Losing Professors Due to Garrison

On Friday, newspapers around the state announced the departure of three long time professors from West Virginia University. One of these was Professor Steve Zdatny.

Professor Zdatny just took over the history department chair at the university. I have worked with him quite a bit and know him to be a professor who is a rarity in the academic world outside of WVU. Zdatny produces quality research while also being a zealous teacher. You do not often find professors like this in major universities. The loss of Zdatny is a terrible blow to the school and its students.

Now he and I did not always agree. Once I lectured on the Russian Revolution to his class and he told me I was too hard on Lenin. However he always had respect for different opinions and points of view regardless of whether he agreed with them or not. I remember a lot of good natured teasing back and forth between him and conservative graduate students. This respect for different points of view is also somewhat rare in academia.

Zdatny also is a man of principle and another aspect of his character I remember is that he hates to have his intelligence insulted. Plagiarists received not just an F on the assignment, but an unforgiveable F in the course. His statements upon leaving for the University of Vermont tell me that he believes that the administration has insulted his intelligence. Zdatny said he never considered applying for another position until the scandal broke.

West Virginia University lost not just one experienced professor, but three. These unexpected losses mean that extra search committees will require funding from the taxpayers. The costs from this scandal just keep adding up.

Commencement

Some of West Virginia University's graduation ceremonies last week lacked a certain key element, the president.

After one ceremony where students took the opportunity to show their outrage, Garrison opted to skip the Eberly College commencement. An empty chair sat in the president's spot.

Did Mike Garrison understand how symbolic that could be? An open wound that refuses to heal. A vacancy where leadership ought to guide. Whatever good intentions or vision he had when he entered the job could not outweigh the harm he does daily by clinging to his seat. A university president driven from commencement ceremonies cannot possibly retain the moral authority necessary to continue.

In this blog I advocated last fall that Garrison deserved a chance and I stand by what I said. He did deserve a fair shot. How his administration handled this situation more resembles the Dukes of Hazzard character Jefferson Davis Hogg than David Hardesty. Hardesty often sparked complaint, but never derision or questions about honesty. Most people believe Hardesty led the university well, despite his hiring sparking many of the same complaints as Garrison. The handling of this degree was at best was incompetent, at worst corrupt.

Silence often speaks louder than a voice. In this case absence revealed more than presence. West Virginia University must have the opportunity to commence a new era in its history with untainted leadership.

How to Restore Faith in West Virginia University

Governor Joe Manchin faces desperate times in his quest for reelection as West Virginia's governor. His daughter who works for one of his biggest financial supporters received a faux MBA from a university run by his friend. Manchin also faces strong criticism over cuts to one of the state's most effective child development programs, Birth to Three. Russ Weeks has stepped up his campaigning and presents a serious challenge to the incumbent.

To restore confidence in West Virginia University and his own reputation, Manchin must turn to a man with experience that has no political ties to him. The best candidate to replace Garrison at West Virginia University (because right now everyone except Manchin seems to see the need for him to go) is Robin Capehart.

Capehart has the experience. He participated in a Fulbright exchange program with Romania and currently serves as president of West Liberty College near Wheeling. Almost as important, he has no political connections to Manchin or his friends. Capehart ran as a Republican candidate for governor in 2004, losing the nomination to Monty Warner. He also served briefly as Republican Party state chair. No stronger statement could be made concerning the de-politicization of West Virginia University than the appointment of the man who once sought to defeat him for governor. Capehart also has familiarity with West Virginia and its particular culture as well as familiarity with potential donors.

Make no mistake, our state university has developed a severe credibility problem and news outlets around the world have mentioned it. The appointment of a political adversary to the governor would go a long way towards restoring people's faith in WVU.

Manchin-Bresch Scandal Cost WVU $2 million in donations

AP Article

Degree scandal costs WVU $2M donation of cash and art

Blair urges WVU faculty, grads to call for Garrison’s resignation, full probe

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Craig Blair

Monday, April 28, 2008 304-671-9363

Blair urges WVU faculty, grads to call

for Garrison’s resignation, full probe

MARTINSBURG — Delegate Craig Blair today called on West Virginia University graduates and faculty to demand the resignation of WVU President Mike Garrison, as well as a full investigation into the events surrounding the improper awarding of an eMBA degree to the daughter of Gov. Joe Manchin.

“The report from the independent panel did a good job of finding the internal factors at WVU that led to this decision,” said Blair. “But what we also need is an investigation into the external pressures from outside the campus that may have played a major role in this scandal.”

Blair said that whether or not Garrison directly ordered the degree to be awarded is not the point.

“As president of WVU, Mike Garrison has a responsibility to uphold the integrity of our state’s biggest institution of higher learning,” said Blair. “What is clear is that when he learned this degree was being awarded, he either failed to ask the proper questions, or he simply condoned the decision because he wanted the issue to go away. Either way, he is ultimately responsible for this travesty, no matter how many people under him resign.”

Blair said every West Virginian has a personal stake in the integrity and future of WVU, but donors, faculty and graduates must especially make their voices heard, and demand accountability from the top.

“Once President Garrision steps aside, we can begin to heal as a state,” said Blair. “But the questions won’t end there, and we cannot be satisfied until every last suspicion is laid to rest.”

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Dark Day For West Virginia University

A university's credibility, like many institutions, relies upon perception. Institutions and people have credibility when what they produce carries a substance that society considers to be worthy. A West Virginia University degree within this state has almost always carried substance; the real fight for this institution has been to convince those outside the state of that fact.

West Virginia University faculty, and I know this through personal experience, work very hard to teach and produce solid research. They do not receive the same pay as many of their peers, but they carry a sense of pride. Unlike other institutions, the faculty love their school and cheer on its sports teams. The school has always proved worthy of that kind of devotion.

Positive perception can be fragile. This truth applies to businesses, politicians, and universities. Questions of credibility and honesty can destroy a well earned reputation in an instant. Efforts to cover up a small problem can lead to huge messes. Just ask Richard Nixon.

The independent panel ruled on Tuesday that Governor Joe Manchin's daughter Heather Bresch was improperly awarded an M. B. A. despite her protests to the contrary. When last year the story broke in the Pittsburgh media that she did not earn the degree she claimed to have, the university scrambled and granted one to her. To make the story more complex, she is an executive for Mylan, a major donor to WVU and supporter of Manchin.

Now that it is clear that her degree was improperly granted, an investigation must begin into why the university did this and who, if anyone, played a role in influencing this poor decision. As for those who have worked so hard to build up the university's credibility whether they be distinguished faculty or alumni, who will end up apologizing to them when a WVU degree becomes a target not for respect, but ridicule?

Another Issue That West Virginia Democrats Do Not Understand: Two Year Colleges

If it ain't broke don't fix it. That is the tried and true engineer maxim. One of the few things in West Virginia that ain't broke is the college and university system. However, Senate Education Chairman Bob Plymale seems determined to fix it.

His target is West Virginia University at Parkersburg. Somewhat like Potomac State College, WVU-P is a branch campus of West Virginia University. It serves students in Wood and at its own branch in Ripley. Like Potomac State students, many in the mid Ohio Valley want to get a degree from West Virginia University eventually, but do not want to make the complete leap from high school to mega campus. Campuses such as WVU-P and Potomac State give state students more options. A student can earn a two year terminal degree or go on to WVU. In the smaller campus they have a wide range of majors to pursue. The trend recently has seen WVU's two year schools expand their offerings in both two and four year programs.

This not only allows for more choices, if allowed to continue it ensures continued economic development in these communities at less cost to the state over time. As the cost of tuition in the Northeast rockets to amazing heights, these small colleges increasingly serve out of state students and earn their mother institutions more money. Imagine the benefit to Keyser and Mineral County as a whole if Potomac State becomes a four year school? Parkersburg is another former industrial city that could use such a shot in the arm.

Plymale has his own very limited vision for state two year schools. He sees them as useful for workforce development alone and wants to slice away WVU-P from its mother campus. Sorry all you history, literature, and political science majors who are not quite ready for a 30,000 student campus. Senator Plymale says small colleges are for workforce development only. Potomac State's relationship with WVU is much tighter and is likely going to remain unaffected, at least for now. Who knows what plans Plymale has for the future?

Basically Plymale seeks to limit the options available to state students because he thinks he has a better idea. Liberals often do prefer to think for others since the common people surely cannot decide such important issues on their own. Fortunately WVU-P has Republican allies in the Legislature such as Frank Deem and Donna Boley. Boley accuses Plymale and others of "back room" dealing.

Deem and Boley need help if they are to save WVU-P from having to break from WVU. Marshall University also has a major branch campus in Point Pleasant and they need to watch these developments closely. WVU president Mike Garrison needs support from his peers as well as Governor Manchin to ensure that the Legislature keeps its hands off institutions such as WVU-P.

Heathergate in the "DA"

The Daily Athenaeum, the WVU student newspaper, has been doing a bang up job reporting on Heathergate at WVU.

Last week, they even extracted a semi-confession from a WVU official "

Here is the latest they are reporting today.

WVU faculty, admin. differ about eMBA

and

‘Degree-gate’ dragging on

I was really inclined to give the University the benefit of the doubt in this matter, but I have yet to see any exculpatory evidence in this matter whatsoever.

There hasn't seemed to be anything to indicate that the allegations are false, and a whole laundry list of distortions and misstatements by WVU officials. I find it hard to believe that this will end well.

The Good and the Strange

West Virginia University president Michael Garrison found his way into the newspaper twice last month for remarkably different issues.

The first earned him real kudos. Standing up to a popular coach with the best winning percentage in university history showed that he had backbone. Garrison's priorities lay in the university above that of the football team. After all, he is not the GM of a pro sports outfit, but the leader of an academic institution.

The second incident is a little stranger. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette while researching the promotion of Heather Bresch by Mylan uncovered something strange. She claimed to hold an MBA from WVU, but the records indicated otherwise. University officials claim that old records did not make it onto the new digitized system, so recently they gave her credit for six courses and awarded her the degree. Newspaper investigations have not yet turned up evidence that she attended the classes she claimed to pass. Why all this attention? Ms. Bresch is the daughter of Governor Manchin and her employer is one of WVU's top financial supporters, in case you have not noticed the new name of the football stadium.

Likely this is all an honest mixup. However, the Charleston Gazette today called for a thorough investigation. Hopefully all parties concerned will submit to a fair examination of what precisely occured. If nothing else, there may be other former students out there with the same predicament and the problem needs recitfied. Again, it is probably an honest bookkeeping error. However the worst case scenario of corruption in the state's flagship university could play a major role in the 2008 election.

Even more interesting is the Gazette's reluctance to accept the official explanation despite the fact that such things happen frequently. A multitude of small things, almost insignificant in themselves, are adding up to indicate a brewing conflict within the West Virginia Democratic Party between Manchinites and the ultra left. This represents the latest in a series of developments that include the possibility of top Manchin aide Carte Goodwin running to unseat Attorney General Darryl McGraw for the Democratic nomination.

West Virginia Is Pretty Much United On This Issue

Don't let the door hit you where the good Lord split you, coach.

Rich Rodriguez may be the most hated man in West Virginia right now. A Huntington resident I ran into today mentioned that he definitely replaced Baldwin and Felts as the most despised figure in state history. That is pretty notable since Baldwin and Felts Detective Agency went out of existence in the 1930s.

Why the hatred? We took special pride in Rodriguez because he was one of our own. When he returned to the state, it seemed a natural progression. Many folks left West Virginia to find opportunity then took less pay than they could have gotten elsewhere to return. Rodriguez talked the talk of pride, love of home, and family. He told us what we always believed in our hearts was true. That's why it's worse with Rodriguez than Belein. We knew he wasn't from here, that he was probably just passing through.

Then came last year's dalliance with Alabama. We consoled ourselves by saying he just used them for leverage. That was just us deluding ourselves. He had every intention of leaving regardless of his words to the contrary. It was not even to a better situation, except in terms of his pay. Rodriguez had a golden opportunity to win a title at West Virginia and cement his name as a hero.

Uncounted people dipped into their savings and donated money to keep him here because they took him at his word. Not all of them could afford it. That's why West Virginians from the governor on down are angry.

Now apparently we have Terry Bowden, another West Virginian. He has been to the big time as a head coach and wants to come back here. Objectively this could work out better for West Virginia. Like Belein, Big East opponents had figured out the system. When Wannstedt stifles a running game, it is a huge red flag. Bowden will be less conservative of a play caller, hopefully opening up some room for Slaton and Devine to run while allowing White to finally showcase his arm. This is one time where being conservative can be counter-productive!

Anyway, we will be fine as a state and a football team.

An appropriate penance

What should happen to a Charleston disk jockey who rubs our noses in Rodriguez's departure?


This is a start.


You can read more at the Charleston Daily Mail.

Preserving West Virginia's History

One of the greatest treasures maintained by the State of West Virginia lies in its official Archives kept in Charleston at the State Cultural Center. Over the past few years, historians and genealogists have grown uneasy about the future of the facility.

Plans have developed under Governor Manchin's administration to transform the current State Archives reading room into a cafe and have patrons utilize a lending library to examine documents. To those knowledgeable about the importance of documents and archives, this potential development sets off red flags.

Some of the documents in the care of the State Archives have real monetary value. An entire underground economy centers around the secret (and sometimes not so secret) trade in valuable signatures. In the past couple of years the State and Regional History Collection at West Virginia University had to make more strict its security procedures. They discovered some of their rare and precious documents on Ebay. Security would be even more difficult at a lending library.

Additionally concerns have been raised over the storage and serving of food in the same building as these documents. Experts fear that food will attract rodents and insects that could damage the documents. Governor Arch Moore rejected the placing of food service in the Cultural Center for that reason. The state has issued assurances that the highest standards of cleanliness will be followed. West Virginia University recently opened a coffee shop in the same library building that houses its important collections.

What raises most concern is the sudden sacking of longtime director Fred Armstrong. Under Armstrong, service at the State Archives facility was always timely and enthusiastic. Governor Manchin did not issue clear reasons why the thirty year employee was dismissed. Commentators from as widely varied political viewpoints as Gary Abernathy (The Republican Gazette) and Phil Kabler (The Charleston Gazette) have questioned this move on the part of the administration. I remember one of Marshall University's most prominent history professors, the late Robert Maddox, speaking very highly of him several years ago. The situation is certainly strange. This follows a series of odd moves by Manchin, such as his intervention in West Virginia University's football schedule, removal of political signs in the 2006 elections, and the infamous "open for business" signs, that raise questions and create negative attention.

At the end of the day preservation of West Virginia's history represents and important and vital trust. We hope that the decisions concerning that trust reflect the fact that preservation will remain one of the state's most important priorities.