I had the pleasure of meeting with University President Richard Lariviere during my tenure at The Duck Store’s coffee shop.
It was a very typical autumn morning when he arrived in a fedora-topped, pinstriped suit. He was towering above the shirt racks that riddle the floor of the campus book store. I got an order for a 16-ounce Mayan mocha with no whip and looked up toward the customer. Sure enough, there’s the president of our University beaming down at me.
I made his coffee and engaged in a short but comfortable dialogue, which ended with him asking my name. I gave it to him, we shook hands and he off he went with his drink.
He came in a couple of weeks later with a bright smile on his face, greeting me by name. It was then that it became clear to me that this guy was here for more than just a position at the helm of the University; he was here for us.
Either that or I just make one hell of a Mayan mocha.@@I think it’s fine up to this point@@
As of Nov. 28, the president of our University has been fired. His dream seemed to be pulling the University to greater heights at a national level, only to have them crushed because we would be further surpassing the rest of the Oregon University System schools.
These are my interpretations, mind you. I have read the facts — both for and against the president — and this is what I’ve come up with. @@again, seems good up to here@@
I wrote a column a couple of weeks ago about how the University is moving in the right direction with higher GPA standards. By moving in that direction, alumni with degrees from this University watch their diplomas turn to gold. The University will continue to pursue excellence, furthering excellent research and promising students.
The educational system has fallen into the same economic black hole as the rest of the country. It’s not an easy time to be a student, to say the least. In times of trouble and turmoil, there has always been one person who stands up and realizes that a change needed to happen.
Martin Luther saw the corruption in the 16th century Catholic church and started a reformation.@@http://www.stpaulskingsville.org/reformation.htm@@
John Brown understood the unethical values of slavery and attempted to upset the system.@@http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p1550.html@@
Martin Luther King Jr. knew the life-threatening penalties he could face, but marched on Washington anyway.@@I can’t-@@
Kurt Cobain saw how terrible ’80s music was and decided to play music loud and awesome enough to save mankind from the inevitable decline of popular music.@@http://www.burntout.com/kurt/biography/@@ @@This is where I think he tries to soften the comparison with a joke… but I’m not sure it belittles anyone.@@
All of these great men (and many more) understood that their respective situations were getting worse and that someone needed to build the courage in order to make a difference. In a chaotic situation when nobody knows what to do, there’s an opportunity for someone to do something and be the one person who changed the field forever.@@which seems like an OK comparison, to me.@@
Although the situation is not as dire, nor as national as the previously stated, Lariviere understood the negative changes taking place in higher education and chose to be the man to start the change.
Now because other schools cannot keep up, we will be penalized by losing the one man who had enough passion to make decisions that he knew could get him in trouble. He made them anyway, even when he knew the consequences. He knows that by him going down, he will usher in more people who believe in his cause, and won’t stop until it’s reached.
Whether Lariviere is associated with this University, his presence will linger in the hearts and minds of students and faculty. His decisions and choices will forever impact me. I saw, firsthand, a man who truly believed in his passion and was willing to take a dive in order for others to see it.
I stand with the hat.@@And I think the last four graphs are solid@@
Andersen: I stand with the hat
Daily Emerald
November 28, 2011
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