Letters to the Editor

BGSU trustees need to speak up

10/13/2013

Members of the BGSU board of trustees have no credibility. They learn from President Mazey that she thinks that “our current operating model is unsustainable and that we cannot continue to raise tuition to cover our costs.”

No doubt her statements are valid. In one revelation, the trustees learn about the need for large budget cuts, and in another, they decide on a raise and a bonus for her.

The trustees never seem to express their individual opinions or their collective decisions publicly. Surely there would be at least one trustee who would have asked: How can we give a raise and a bonus at the same time we recognize the need for large budget cuts?

With the looming cuts, the trustees have approved a $500,000 contract for a consulting firm to audit BGSU’s operations, evaluate programs, and identify cost-saving measures. Despite President Mazey’s expectations that the savings from hiring the firm will be much greater than the contract cost, why can’t she and her staff analyze the university’s financial situation? That should be part of the basic responsibilities for which they are paid.

It would be helpful for trustees to express their views and decisions publicly. Perhaps they don’t do that because they are afraid of being sued for reckless decisions.

DIANE PRETZER

Bowling Green

Editor’s note: The writer is an associate professor emeritus and former chair of Romance languages at BGSU.