Letters to the Editor: ‘Shabby treatment’ of fired UK dean weakens a great university

UK not corporation

I write as a former University of Kentucky faculty member in the College of Arts and Sciences who worked with former Dean Mark Kornbluh closely until I retired in 2016. I am shocked and angry that he was fired so callously after all he has contributed to UK. He was an extraordinary dean and worked tirelessly to make the college inclusive and welcoming to all.

I wonder why President Eli Capilouto would want to create such drama amid a global pandemic. While he has had some successes, he rarely consults with people whom his decisions will affect. He bows to corporate-minded suits who think UK should be structured like a traditional corporation with power consolidated at the top. This creates the opposite of a collaborative environment and shared governance. In my view, Kornbluh was sure to oppose the changes they were planning, so they fired him. Universities aren’t the same thing as corporations (and by the way, the latest intelligence in some business schools and consultants is that compassion, heart ,and candor are what make a business truly successful). If UK wanted to teach a course on how to weaken, if not destroy, a great university, it would put Kornbluh’s firing at the top of the syllabus.

Patricia Cooper, Lexington

‘Shabby treatment’

I write both as a recent retiree from the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Kentucky after 41 years of service and as a John Bryan Bowman Fellow in both ways, through cash donations and — for now — planned bequest. From all I have been hearing, I am confident that Provost David Blackwell, through his extremely shabby treatment of veteran Dean Mark Kornbluh, has — to use his weasel words — ”lost the confidence” of many faculty members and donors. Few faculty in Arts and Sciences ever had much confidence in the man who, as dean of the Gatton College of Business, welcomed and probably solicited large donations from such paragons of social justice and inclusion as the Koch brothers and John Schnatter.

James Albisetti, Lexington

Not a solution

KentuckyWired will not, as Rob Morphonios claims, be the answer to closing the digital divide for struggling families with children. Providing the middle mile is useless if the last mile is controlled by a monopoly. The final link to cable in Knott County, as in many counties, is controlled by a monopoly that makes it prohibitive for families to access cable. My home is no more than 400 yards from a cable line, yet TVS Cable wants me to pay $700 to extend their line and allow me to pay a prohibitive price for their service. KentuckyWired is another government program that benefits companies at the expense of the consumer.

George R. Gibson, Mallie

Kentucky cowards

A registered Republican, I am also a veteran. I wonder if any other vets out there are upset about our president calling us “losers” and “suckers”. Not fake news — it’s documented. I’ve heard that language of that sort before, directed at returning Vietnam vets by radicals conservatives then despised. It disgusted me then; it appalls me now, particularly when used by somebody who dodged the draft and currently pretends to be commander-in-chief. Anybody else upset? Mitch? Rand? Andy? Still going to “support the president,” no matter what? OK; I thought not.

So just run the old slogans: deride any action that does not benefit the wealthy as “socialism,” and brand anybody who does advocate such action as “too liberal for Kentucky.” Works every time. In the meantime, I’m seeing a bunch of incumbents who seem to me “too cowardly for Kentucky,” and will vote accordingly.

John Greenway, Lexington

Trump “sad”

Apparently President Donald Trump cannot understand why someone would make the sacrifice to serve in the military without some self serving interest — they must be “losers and suckers”. Despite his rhetoric, I can only imagine Trump holds the same disdain for our police, firemen, teachers, medical personnel, and the many others who enable us to go about our daily lives with a minimum of difficulty. These individuals, also committed to service, do so not having “what’s in it for me” as their prime motivation. If these individuals are “losers and suckers”, maybe we should instead strive to be like the grifters Trump surrounds himself with and does respect. To Trump, the concepts of service and community are obviously unAmerican and loathsome. He is indeed a sad individual and is unworthy to be president.

Charles Myers, Lexington

Words mask intent

Democrats have become masters of euphemistic terms in order to hide real intent. For instance, Kamala Harris doesn’t promote gun confiscation, but she has said that she supports forced gun buyback on day one. Same thing. Joe Biden won’t say that he favors defunding the police, but he does favor reallocation of funds. The same thing. The newest liberal euphemism is contextualizing our national monuments. Our monuments already have a context. It’s called American history. Calling George Washington a racist doesn’t rescind the fact that he led the Revolutionary Army in the fight for our independence at a great personal cost. Even though slavery was a repugnant, horrific, immoral institution, tearing down the Washington Monument won’t repair the wrongs done and it won’t erase Washington’s contribution. Biden now says he doesn’t oppose all fracking, but the Green New Deal is a nice-sounding label for the elimination of production of fossil fuels, fracking among them. Biden’s election is another way of saying hello to unaffordable gas prices, cold homes during winter, and rolling blackouts.

Kamala Harris as Biden’s running mate is the political way of saying that a radical leftist would be a mere brain bleed away from becoming our president.

Janice Terrell, Georgetown

Chaplain failed

The story surrounding former Lexington Police Department Chaplain Donovan Stewart’s aggressive behavior toward a Black teenager with autism has become familiar. Community members and activists protested the fact that the LPD did not properly investigate Mr. Stewart’s misconduct and hold him accountable. Mr. Stewart was allowed to retire without any disciplinary action.

Little has been said about Mr. Stewart’s behavior in his role as the LPD chaplain. As chaplain, he provided spiritual guidance to police officers and community members. He represented the LPD at community events including religious services. He also pastors a local congregation.

Mr. Stewart’s behavior reflects poorly on police officers, on the faith community, and on clergy. Police officers and clergy are servants to the entire community and should always be working for the common good while standing with and for the most vulnerable in our society. Mr. Stewart failed to do that.

As clergy we stand with and for children, people with special needs, people of color and all who are marginalized. We stand against oppression and call for greater accountability and transparency by the LPD, elected officials, community leaders and members of the clergy. Justice must start with those in and with power for us to experience peace as a community.

Rev. Esther Hurlbert and Rev. Carol Devine, Lexington

Stop lake pollution

For people who live on or near Herrington Lake or north of High Bridge on the Kentucky River, this information is important.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently pushed the deadline for coal fired power plants to close about 523 leaking, unstable, or badly located coal ash ponds. Kentucky Utilities operates the E.W. Brown power plant in Burgin, Kentucky. The plant closed its main coal ash plant in 2008 as part of the Clean Stream Act, but 600 tons remain and are polluting Herrington Lake, which empties into the Kentucky River. Both are popular fishing sites and the water is contaminated. Arsenic, lead, and mercury are contained in the run-off.

The EPA is required to ensure that there is “no reasonable probability of adverse effects on health or the environment”.

Andrew Wheeler is the EPA administrator who was the former lobbyist for a coal company, says that allowing the coal ash ponds to stay open still meets the standards — 12 years later.

Here is the contact information for Wheeler: Phone: 202-564-4700. EPA HDQ, William Jefferson Clinton Building, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 1101A Washington, D.C. 20460

I hope people will use it.

Diane Kimsey-Minor, Wilmore

Better training needed

We ask police officers to do too much with too little. We call 911 for problems which should not be law enforcement’s responsibility. However, it is not anti-police to insist on police accountability. It is not “defunding” police to seek to use more resources for counselors or other personnel better equipped to deal with the mentally ill or those with disabilities who have potential for violence to themselves or others. The incidents of the past months have proven that we are falling short as a society in selecting police recruits who have the right personality to deal with the stress and fears inherent in the job, in training officers how to de-escalate situations which could turn violent, and in training officers to differentiate between encounters which require use of force for apprehension of criminals — and for the obvious need for self defense — from encounters which require force to be exercised as a last resort. When routine traffic stops of simple citizens and nonviolent domestic calls escalate into lethal confrontations, we are doing something wrong. We owe it to our police officers to do a better job, even if it is to save them from themselves.

Paul R. Collins, Hazard

Pot a solution

Gov. Andy Beshear inherited an economic mess from former Gov. Matt Bevin, and COVID-19 compounded the problems. Our state colleges and universities are feeling the severe pinch as are all other state government functions. Kentucky farmers are struggling. There is a solution which has helped other states already. Legalize marijuana and tax it. I and many of my friends aren’t the least bit interested in using it ourselves, but we can see the economic advantages of such a change. There are two obstacles to legalization: misinformation, and the economic benefit to local authorities which is realized by keeping marijuana illegal. Other states are reaping profits for their governments. Why is Kentucky sitting on its hands? This is so easy. It would also save a good many small Kentucky farms. The time to legalize marijuana is now. If the legislature is going to continue to drag its feet, I wonder if Beshear can handle this with an executive order. Frankly, I don’t think this should wait. Our commonwealth needs immediate relief.

Betsy Packard, Lexington

Party to treason

Surely to goodness our military people and any Kentuckian with any common sense are not going to vote for President Donald Trump who could very well be a Russian agent and his enablers of the last four years, Sen. Mitch McConnell and Congressman Andy Barr. As far as I am concerned, the whole Trump mess is treason. And don’t forget the white nationalists and every Republican are party to this. The Republican Party has become the granddaddy of all liars.

Victor Privett, Nicholasville

This story was originally published September 10, 2020 at 11:38 AM.