Protesters of AU: Clap your hands, take a bow, and pat yourself on the back. Because of your successful efforts to oust President Ladner, we have now spent a massive amount of money.
As we all know by now, former President Ladner was dismissed amid allegations of misappropriation of funds. What I feel many have failed to realize is the actual cost of this entire matter. So, to prove my point, let's crunch some numbers for a bit.
For starters, let's consider the $500,000 former President Ladner spent on parties, food and travel. To this, add the cost of the several month long investigation of approximately $1 million. Oh, no, we're still not done! Furthermore, add in the settlement amount of $950,000 plus $20,000 for moving expenses. Oh, and then my absolute favorite: don't forget the $2.75 million "deferred compensation" in trusts and a life insurance policy.
So far, it's adding up quite nicely. Also, don't forget; the board members who resigned were also contributors to AU. Their monetary contributions, along with the contributions of their individual supporters and donors to AU, are incalculable. What we can further add to our deficit is the progress of the "A New AU" campaign. As of September's end, the total progress toward the goal of $200 million stood at $107.5 million in funds actually raised. Who knows at this point what will become of the fundraising drive Ladner initiated. Most likely, this campaign deficit will be a net loss to the university, because Dr. Ladner, in his capacity as president, was arguably the "driving force" behind this initiative. So, the grand total of costs to the university, not including the unpublished trustee contributions, stands around $98 million.
So, standing on the other side of this matter, I am scratching my head and wondering was getting rid of Ladner really worth it? From a monetary standpoint, I think one would be hard pressed to find a person to agree that using nearly $98 million to recover a loss of $500,000 would be a wise investment of funds. Furthermore, can anyone actually say that there was a clear winner from this situation? I mean, was getting rid of Ladner, losing multiple trustee donations, and massive sums of money-of which could have been the total annual tuition of 3,547 students, worth it? The likelihood of Ladner going away empty-handed was less than zero. At the very least, he was going to collect something, however big or small for the public flogging to which he was subjected. If one took a moment to weigh the pros and cons of this situation, it would have been quickly surmised that this was a textbook definition of a pyrrhic victory.
As I stated in my last column, being President of a university such as American is a largely political appointment. It was without question that his supporters would lobby and successfully obtain a substantial severance package. Given that, it was less than useless for the few remaining protestors to demand that he not be awarded a golden parachute. After all, the losing side in a conflict has to be given something to appease a pat its ego so that the rebuilding process can begin.
But alas, this situation is far from over, and has created with it several factions within the university and a huge rub for all involved. Sadly, in a conflict, it is usually impossible to make everyone completely happy. So now along with the massive financial burden this whole affair has caused, we can add anger at our fractured board of trustees. Who knows what will happen with that. Will the overwhelming majority of students and staff involved in this matter now, turn their unresolved, unmitigated anger toward the board and now demand its dismissal?
At the end of the day, where does any of this end? At some point after all the grenades have been thrown and the bombs detonated, we all have to stoop down, pick-up the pieces, and rebuild. Eventually the "Ladner war" will have to stop because it is impossible to build while people are battling.
So, let me leave all of my readers with one final thought. Sometimes, even if one is right, fighting for the principle of something is not worth the cost. In the future any action taken to this magnitude should be the product of reflection and substantial thought. Anything less can and usually does amount to titanic consequences.
Eve Gatewood is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences majoring in psychology.
