Board of Trustees avoids tasks
Part VIII of the Penn State Standing Orders (“Duty to Inform the Residents of Pennsylvania”) states “The Board shall inform the residents of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania of the College’s efficiency of its function within the training of the youth of Pennsylvania.” This requirement, in impact for a few years, has been commonly ignored by our trustees. However our board’s non-adherence is now over. So, is a report card now forthcoming? No. As a substitute, the trustees voted (unanimously, Sept. 6) to easily abolish this Standing Order (and all others). So, presto, we’re in compliance.
This bureaucratic maneuver permits our board to keep away from their most basic tasks: set up long-term priorities/goals together with metrics to watch success. With out a report card one by no means receives an F! All high-performing organizations adhere to a imaginative and prescient with measurable outcomes that are shared commonly with their stakeholders. Why our board has so averted these basic tasks ought to trigger alarm amongst all Penn State stakeholders.
What is especially shortsighted right here is that subsequent yr PSU might be topic to another person’s report card, one from the brand new Efficiency-based Funding Council (Pennsylvania Legislative invoice SB1154). This Council will develop efficiency metrics as a foundation to competitively allocate state funding amongst PSU, Pitt and Temple. President Bendapudi will serve on this Council. Think about the management and affect she would have if a longstanding historical past of Penn State report playing cards and metrics was shared with the Council. Absolutely, the Council would look favorably upon PSU.
Al Soyster, Boalsburg
PA wants advocates for farms in Congress
I’m very involved with nutritious meals availability and the farms on which it’s produced. With dismay, I’ve reviewed latest laws designed to help farms, help wholesome meals decisions, and profit households and youngsters with restricted incomes. Pennsylvania has lengthy been a farming state, and my household has a wealthy historical past of farmers proper right here in Centre County. Our elected officers haven’t accomplished very effectively, and I believe we’d like somebody that can promise to do extra, and ship.
The Home 2024 farm invoice, (H.R.8467) championed by Pennsylvania’s Glenn Thompson, R-Howard, has no likelihood of passing within the Senate, and has few advocates inside the neighborhood of small farms and even amongst fiscal conservatives. It expires the tip of this month, and can possible simply be prolonged. The present Home model doesn’t assist Pennsylvania farmers a lot and is a flawed and biased invoice resulting from: reducing funds for conservation initiatives in agriculture; recalculating meals advantages applications, largely involving cuts, equivalent to SNAP; growing farm subsidies, which help primarily company farming; and growing subsidies for commodity teams, equivalent to big wheat and corn growers, which Pennsylvania doesn’t have.
Pennsylvania wants management in Congress that understands the wants of our farmers and resists the lobbying efforts of company farms and commodity teams. Zach Womer is a Twelfth-generation Pennsylvanian who will signify you and your loved ones, not the grasping companies which have far an excessive amount of energy.
Elect Zach Womer as your consultant in Congress this November!
Daniel L. Alters, Boalsburg
Stability have to be a part of tourism push
Latest articles within the CDT associated how residents of European tourism scorching spots are rebelling towards the flood of holiday makers which have diminished their high quality of life. There are winners and losers in tourism. Retailers and eating places get pleasure from elevated gross sales whereas native residents lose reasonably priced housing choices (already an issue in our space) and cope with site visitors congestion, amongst different points. The Completely happy Valley Journey Bureau seeks to deliver 6 million vacationers to the world per yr. The expertise of different standard vacationer locations counsel that extra guests just isn’t higher if the objective is to take care of the qualities of life that make an space a sexy place to dwell. There must be a stability between financial advantages and livability. Because the Space Complete Plan is developed, I hope such a stability is a part of the planning.
Frances Moorman, State School
Ladies can’t belief Dave McCormick
Ladies aren’t a monolithic group.
Nonetheless, girls throughout Pennsylvania received’t stand for Dave McCormick, in his capability as CEO of Bridgewater, pressuring victims of sexual harassment to remain silent concerning the abuse they suffered – reportedly going as far as to inform a feminine worker that “she could be in litigation for the remainder of her life” if she broke a settlement settlement concerning the harassment she skilled at Bridgewater.
Everybody, irrespective of their political affiliation, ought to disavow such habits. Ladies, for years, have been subjected to sexual harassment within the office, fearing for his or her careers and reputations in the event that they got here ahead with their tales.
Silencing victims isn’t OK, and calling out such a blatant abuse of energy shouldn’t be political.
Ladies can’t belief Dave McCormick, not as a CEO and definitely not as a United States Senator.
Dorothy Neff, Bellefonte
