tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10781944.post4546540108335708074..comments2024-03-17T21:38:11.530-07:00Comments on The Tree of Life: On my evolving thoughts on the #UCDavis saga involving Chancellor Linda Katehi Jonathan Eisenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07953790938128734305noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10781944.post-9540127695258421542016-05-04T20:41:08.046-07:002016-05-04T20:41:08.046-07:00I am getting more and more disturbed the more I th...I am getting more and more disturbed the more I think about things in regard to the deception and dishonesty parts of this story. I don't see how, for example, there were "listening reports" that clearly were designed for Katehi or her team to find out what people were saying about Katehi. Even if some of this was focused on UC Davis clearly a portion of it was focused on what people were saying about her. And in interviews and in PRs she and her team clearly implied that the social media campaign was all about UC Davis. This just was not true. And the fact that I am in many of these listening reports and that my friends and colleagues are too, does not help. I don't see any way forward anymore with her as Chancellor. I can forgive missteps. But there is a pattern here of lack of transparency and obfuscation (at best) that is coming from our administration that really troubles me. Is she responsible for this directly? I don't know. But it is under her watch. And I am tired of it.Jonathan Eisenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07953790938128734305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10781944.post-51802852358870381342016-05-04T18:39:30.355-07:002016-05-04T18:39:30.355-07:00Just for the record ... in rethinking some aspects...Just for the record ... in rethinking some aspects of this story I am moving more and more to the conclusion that there have been some really poor decisions by Linda Katehi and the UC Davis administration under Katehi and that even if there is some sexism in the response that these actions are incompatible with being Chancellor of UC Davis ... Jonathan Eisenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07953790938128734305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10781944.post-31775145658629844072016-05-02T15:30:15.773-07:002016-05-02T15:30:15.773-07:00Thanks for the explanations.Thanks for the explanations.Jason Moorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15362357639624306439noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10781944.post-42568555462344649512016-05-02T13:41:13.620-07:002016-05-02T13:41:13.620-07:00I'm here to say thank you to Jonathan for all ...I'm here to say thank you to Jonathan for all the posts and tweets about this. I appreciate it! <br />Chancellor is not only the leader of a university, but also the "face of the university". As a UCD chancellor, Linda Katehi automatically represents the entire campus (faculties, staffs and students). When issues arrives, people become less forgiving. When we feel the shame, we become emotional. It is important to be critical on ourselves sometimes. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16171371746943737370noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10781944.post-83061250657584259072016-05-02T10:04:27.844-07:002016-05-02T10:04:27.844-07:00Bias-based statements like these tend raise the em...Bias-based statements like these tend raise the emotional level of a discussion. They appeal to unconscious stereotypes, which trigger reactionary opinions and polarization of the situation. Fairness and truth require a more rational evaluation of circumstances. Dawn Sumnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15967361551408621044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10781944.post-23016106594631581992016-05-02T09:42:21.453-07:002016-05-02T09:42:21.453-07:00well-said and perfectly reflects my own thoughts! ...well-said and perfectly reflects my own thoughts! Ayse Tezcanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05426599272504558855noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10781944.post-22582897491528937512016-05-02T09:37:53.293-07:002016-05-02T09:37:53.293-07:00I greatly respect Jonathan's perspective.
My ...I greatly respect Jonathan's perspective.<br /><br />My direct experience with Chancellor Katehi has been one of enlightened leadership on how to transform UCD into an outstanding educational institution that treats people fairly. One that removes barriers to success that have nothing to do with the individual's abilities. One at which the success of faculty members, other employees, and students is promoted as the path to excellence. Her goals for UCD resonate very strongly with my own, and include things I worked on for years before she came. Her leadership allowed some of them to flourish, whereas it was an uphill battle for even smaller changes in earlier years. Thus, I have have a great deal of respect for some aspects of her leadership and vision.<br /><br />As chair of my department, I also understand that leadership is fraught with difficult decisions, and I lack some skills that are necessary to do a thoroughly good job; I am acutely aware of what I do not handle well. Thus, it is critically important for me to carefully consider the consequences of all decisions, to get good advice, and to maintain a fundamental belief that honesty is essential.<br /><br />I think the last three things are problems for Chancellor Katehi. And that is serious. I don't know how serious yet because I don't understand or know enough of the facts to evaluate the balance between poor judgement and dishonesty. I can forgive poor judgement and communication skills to a large degree. I'm not sure what level and type of dishonesty I can forgive. (I am likely to end up voting for a president of this United States that has honesty issues...)<br /><br />Leadership is complicated, and my expectations for moral behavior in others are very low.Dawn Sumnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15967361551408621044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10781944.post-91669941099916416442016-05-02T09:15:54.550-07:002016-05-02T09:15:54.550-07:00i meant "*not in the interest of the universi...i meant "*not in the interest of the university."Ayse Tezcanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05426599272504558855noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10781944.post-31267889214227078382016-05-02T08:57:00.223-07:002016-05-02T08:57:00.223-07:00I am with Roberta here. As soon as she pointed me...I am with Roberta here. As soon as she pointed me to it I could see how this article was bringing out all sorts of gender-biased statements.Jonathan Eisenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07953790938128734305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10781944.post-20221673904525901892016-05-02T08:55:51.136-07:002016-05-02T08:55:51.136-07:00One of the big issues that no one is talking is ho...One of the big issues that no one is talking is how little faulty participate in UC-shared governance. Therefore, many are simply unaware of the kinds of decisions that are made/fought against/worked collaboratively on. One example I can speak from personally is the humanities faculty at Davis saying budget information is not available. That is simply untrue. <br /><br />People can have different feelings about the Chancellor's actions and still be opposed to the way she was treated - both in the news and by the UC President. Debhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07509188604839340165noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10781944.post-33107129735685432082016-05-02T08:49:38.577-07:002016-05-02T08:49:38.577-07:00First of all, why is the article discussing Katehi...First of all, why is the article discussing Katehi's personal characteristics at all? They are not relevant here. We should be talking about what she did or didn't do, whether those behaviors violated University policy or some other legal/ethical norm.<br /><br />Second, the choice of "hubris" - yes, how dare a woman not only be Chancellor but defend her position as Chancellor. Again, I've not been hesitant to criticize Katehi's actions in the past, but she has a right to defend herself against accusations, and if she were a man I think she wouldn't be labelled with "hubris" for doing so. <br /><br />Third, women are expected to be warm and fuzzy. When they are not, they are "cold and aloof." A man in the same circumstance would be seen as strong and commanding. Here's the thing: she doesn't owe anyone warm and fuzzy. She has a university to run. <br /><br />Fourth: "A Greek tragedy." Katehi is Greek, as the Davis Enterprise well knows. This is really low. (So, not about gender, but about ethnicity).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10781944.post-15483751297711760082016-05-02T08:41:06.901-07:002016-05-02T08:41:06.901-07:00I can truly sympathize with your agony because I k...I can truly sympathize with your agony because I keep questioning my position with each convincing argument from both camps - and I can assure you I have no gender bias, at least, not to my overt consciousness. <br /><br />I keep asking myself why I am so hesitant on making a decision what approach to support; after all, in my current shoes, I would not take any of these missteps. However, we are not in those shoes and don't have the privilege to know the circumstances. Some of the actions were definitely for personal benefit and in the interest of the university. The responsibility of her position is quite demanding and as I hear she was not compensated as well as others in the same position. So it is perhaps understandable for her to find venues to receive monetary compensation using her expertise. I also feel that maybe pepper spray incidence was not to erase the history, but improving the search results highlighting better aspects of UCDavis. I can imagine these PR practices are employed by majority of higher institutions and not using them would give unfair competitive advantage to the others and makes UCD disadvantaged - i.e. I don't have much respect for UNC whether it is warranted or not.<br />In the end, I've realized that my inner conflict was about comparing my own ideals of leadership and conduct with the demands of realities of the position. Consequently, I will continue to struggle until I can objectively separate these two... <br />Ayse Tezcanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05426599272504558855noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10781944.post-38272180358349837992016-05-02T08:33:37.358-07:002016-05-02T08:33:37.358-07:00Yeah this is the lameness of Google Blogspot. You...Yeah this is the lameness of Google Blogspot. You have to use actual html to have active links: <a href="http://www.davisenterprise.com/forum/our-view/our-view-its-time-for-katehi-to-go/" rel="nofollow"> here it is </a>Jonathan Eisenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07953790938128734305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10781944.post-60739810977962068302016-05-02T08:28:37.114-07:002016-05-02T08:28:37.114-07:00Can you explain how this is "highly gendered ...Can you explain how this is "highly gendered language"? I've read the passage a few times now and am blind to the bias. I even replaced all the feminine pronouns with masculine and it reads the same to me.Jason Moorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15362357639624306439noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10781944.post-41746143767858308092016-05-02T08:19:29.232-07:002016-05-02T08:19:29.232-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Jason Moorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15362357639624306439noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10781944.post-64939653381823287762016-05-01T22:34:52.493-07:002016-05-01T22:34:52.493-07:00Sorry, the URL didn't go through. The title o...Sorry, the URL didn't go through. The title of the article is: "Our view: It’s time for Katehi to go"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10781944.post-89065551276943068772016-05-01T22:31:38.557-07:002016-05-01T22:31:38.557-07:00Sorry, it's this one:
http://www.davisenterpr...Sorry, it's this one:<br /><br />http://www.davisenterprise.com/forum/our-view/our-view-its-time-for-katehi-to-go/<br /><br />Note the highly gendered language here:<br /><br />"<br /><br />We can’t help but wonder if it’s hubris that’s at the root of UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi’s approach to her job.<br /><br />Many have described her as cold and aloof; others have said she’s a brilliant engineer who can’t relate to people on a human level. Still others have said her laser focus on where she wants to take this university has blinded her to the basic ethics that must underpin a true leader."<br /><br />And then there is this, which I leave without comment:<br /><br />"Did we compare this to a Greek tragedy?"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10781944.post-58553747704262711982016-05-01T20:55:44.457-07:002016-05-01T20:55:44.457-07:00Thanks. I am not sure what Davis Editorial you re...Thanks. I am not sure what Davis Editorial you refer to but will snoop around.Jonathan Eisenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07953790938128734305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10781944.post-48308490749544034022016-05-01T19:19:03.245-07:002016-05-01T19:19:03.245-07:00My two cents:
Is there enough that seems fishy he...My two cents:<br /><br />Is there enough that seems fishy here that Chancellor Katehi ought to be investigated? Yes. But let's wait to see what the investigation turns up. I too am willing to keep an open mind.<br /><br />Has she been subject to sexist treatment? Yes. (See recent Davis Enterprise editorial for an appalling example).<br /><br />Should other Chancellors be subject to the same scrutiny? Yes. To my way of thinking, a big part of the sexist treatment she has experienced is giving men a pass for bad behavior but not giving women the same pass. The way to fix that is not to ignore all bad behavior.<br /><br />Hope that doesn't oversimplify the issues - I respect your thoughtful and careful approach to this.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10781944.post-57348457650023118472016-05-01T18:54:00.728-07:002016-05-01T18:54:00.728-07:00First - thanks for this. I agree with much of wha...First - thanks for this. I agree with much of what you write here.<br /><br />Second - I think I am doing a pretty good job of calling BS on the specific actions that are troubling in this case. If you look at my posts about the actions being criticized I have been pretty vocal about also critiquing the actions. Could I have been more vocal? Sure. But I have not exactly been a shiny happy supporter of the actions of the Chancellor.<br /><br />But clearly what I am struggling with is whether this should lead me to call BS on the person behind these actions. And I am honestly not sure. I guess over the years I have been evolving to focus more on actions and critiquing them if they are bad than focusing on people (although I do both). So I have been trying not just in this case but in others to do this. And I also have consulted with and heard from many many many people who I trust on issues such as sexism in STEM and ALL (truly all) of them have suggested that it is critical to be deliberative before condemning the person here. And this is not just a "don't critique women" thing. This is people who looked at or know the situation who say "I think there truly is some sexism going on here in how she is being treated vs. how male University leaders are being treated." And because I trust these people and because I have seen them critique plenty of women leaders, I have taken a cautious approach in going from critiquing actions to making explicit comments about the person. I get that this is riddled with possible issues. And I get that my thoughts are muddled on this. But I think this case is more complex than some are making it out to be. <br /><br />So I wrote this post even though I knew my thoughts were not clear and were awkward at best. And I asked for feedback. So I thank you for that. And I think you are likely right with most of what you right. But I guess I have lost the certainty I frequently have in such cases and have become - well - less certain about things. Jonathan Eisenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07953790938128734305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10781944.post-82444146319227078232016-05-01T18:22:21.611-07:002016-05-01T18:22:21.611-07:00It actually isn’t too difficult to render a conclu...It actually isn’t too difficult to render a conclusion about the Chancellor here. Granted, she may have done some good things for the university, but her actions as of late paint her as tone-deaf at best and a despot at worst—and, potentially, a liar as well. What happened to the transparency she claimed to be instituting?<br /><br />While her board positions may have been legal by the letter of the law, they were unseemly. I would say the same thing if the Chancellor were male. And I sincerely hope these outside income sources for UC Chancellors are given a closer look by the legislature. (Although, I have to admit, it saddens me deeply that these Chancellors may not be able to make their mortgage payments on their lowly Chancellor salaries alone, and so have to resort to extracurricular income...said with tongue firmly in cheek.)<br /><br />I’ve been following this blog for a while now. I find your advocacy of gender equality beyond admirable. It’s something we all have a responsibility to do. We have to call bullshit when we see inequality toward ANY human being, plain and simple. BUT, let’s not shy away from calling bullshit when we genuinely see it, regardless of gender/ethnicity/yada/yada/yada. Bullshit is bullshit and it simply needs to be called. And I think you’re shying away from calling bullshit here out of fear—or perhaps guilt?—of doing so on a person who belongs to a group for which you are (rightly so) a fierce advocate.<br /><br />You state, “I think my challenge here comes down to the following: I don't know whether some of the responses (including mine) to Chancellor Katehi's actions are tinged with bias, especially sexism.” Why are you asking yourself this? You strike me as the most non-sexist person ever, and yet you are questioning whether your response to this situation is sexist? Huh? This sounds like political correctness taken to an extreme.<br /><br />Again, I appreciate, respect, and fully support the advocacy toward gender (and ALL) equality. But if your advocacy has allowed your pendulum to swing so far in the other direction that you are hesitant to call bullshit when bullshit should clearly be called, that doesn’t serve the cause.<br />FreeMindhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09806906060508463652noreply@blogger.com