Published Wednesday, March 04, 2009 6:05 AM
Murano assailed on search for VP
By VIMAL PATEL
vimal.patel@theeagle.com
Texas A&M University President Elsa Murano lied, screamed the campus publication The Anthem on Monday in giant type on the front page.
She told the truth, The Battalion, the campus newspaper, shouted back on Tuesday.
A group of students charges that Murano violated the Aggie code of honor by being dishonest.
Murano said the students disregarded the Aggie core value of respect by printing accusations without contacting her for comment.
The claims unfolded this week as a document emerged that shows that Murano extended Joe Weber a job offer for the vice president for student affairs position on July 1. As late as July 19, she sent an e-mail to Mark Gold, student body president, stating, "I will not hire anyone without you guys at least meeting with them and getting your input, which I value greatly."
Murano is not obligated to get input for her vice president picks. In addition, a hire is not official until the Board of Regents approves it.
The letter to Weber summarized details of the agreement, which included a first-year $250,000 salary and four President's Box tickets to each home football game. Weber graduated from Texas A&M in 1972, the same year as Gov. Rick Perry.
The letter was obtained by students who filed an open records request. The loosely organized group of about 40 students doesn't really have a name, group members said. But they have banded together to hold Murano accountable on this issue, they said.
The letter to Weber was sent less than a week after the popular Dean Bresciani resigned from the position June 27. Bresciani hasn't spoken publicly about the details of his departure and couldn't be reached for this story.
Murano was in Austin on Tuesday meeting with the Legislature. Reached by phone, she said the July 1 offer wasn't binding and was pending approval by the Board of Regents.
"This was the first letter to basically set the stage to offer him the position," Murano said. "In July, I started to hear the concerns of students. I thought, 'Fair enough. ... I've got to have the students be involved here.'"
On July 9, Murano met with two student focus groups about the position, and she met with Weber and student leaders on July 24, university officials said.
And, she said, she sent a letter on July 21 "rescinding" the offer to Weber. That letter emerged Tuesday, but some students questioned its legitimacy.
In that letter, Murano wrote to Weber that student leaders had told her they wanted a voice in the decision. "In light of this, I have decided to put a hold on your appointment and will not be asking the Chancellor to submit your credentials to the Board of Regents at this time," she wrote in that letter.
The letter was dated July 21, 2009, not 2008. In addition, it was not turned over in response to the open records request, the students and university officials acknowledge.
Dustin Grabsch, one of the students in the group that filed the open records request, said was unclear why the university chose not to disclose the letter initially.
"And the 2009 thing is kind of shady," he said.
Murano chalked it up to "Murphy's Law." She said the 8 and 9 keys on a keyboard are next to each other and mistakes happen.
"If you talk to Joe Weber, he will be the first one to tell you, 'Yeah, I got that letter from Elsa Murano,'" she said.
Weber could not be reached Tuesday.
Jason Cook, a university spokesman, said the document wasn't included in the public records request because the person who prepared the request wasn't aware of its existence.
"We thought we had all the documents, but we didn't," Cook said. "We made a good-faith effort."
Regents confirmed Weber's appointment in August, and he has proved popular with students.
Nick Petree, Memorial Student Center Council president, said he believed Murano took student input into account before making her decision. He knows of the "lied" and "truth" headlines.
"Honestly, as in most things, the truth is probably somewhere in the middle," he said. "I think Murano wanted to solicit as much student input as possible. ... The letter, to my understanding, is an offer for employment, not a guarantee of employment."
Jess Fields, a student senator and editor of The Anthem, is a member of the group of students that filed the open records request.
"Respect is important, but when you need to know the truth, respect must be pushed aside for more important truths," he said.
Jonathan Luu, another group member, said a key fact is that Bresciani resigned on June 27 and that Murano sent the initial letter to Weber on July 1.
"We spent six months searching for a dog," he said, referring to the search committee to find mascot Reveille VIII. "And three days for a vice president."
Murano said her consideration of the position took longer than that. She didn't interview anyone else for the position, but she looked at the qualifications of others, she said.
"When it became pretty evident that Dean Bresciani was probably going to resign, I started thinking about what we might do if he left," she said.
Ultimately, she said, she's pleased with her decision.
Being called a liar, she said, was a "tremendous miscarriage."
"All I ask is for people to judge me not by rumor and innuendo but by facts," she said. "The truth is right there, but if they're looking for little green men and the grassy knoll, then nothing's going to satisfy that."
Comments
[comment]
21 comment(s) found!
Posted by:
Troy Davidson '94 On:
Sunday, March 15, 2009 10:31 PM
Comment Title: Bresciani never resigned
I sent message to Dr. Bresciani wishing him well after I heard the news of his resignation. His response to me was on the level of 'Thank you for the well wishes. It means a lot considering I am not sure exactly what I am going to do now.' I have the message in my Outlook files on my laptop that is currently somewhere in the U.S. undergoing repairs. Dr. Bresciani was blind-sided and was a VERY capable and impressive leader. He should have been on the short list of Presidential candidates for the university, but lacked the gender that Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison required for the job.
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Posted by:
Sarge On:
Friday, March 06, 2009 8:12 PM
Comment Title: Dr. M, All will be forgiven if....
you get'm to bring back bonfire now!!!
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Posted by:
politicaldoc On:
Thursday, March 05, 2009 6:20 PM
Comment Title: Need to read article in Anthem www.theanthemonline.com
When the students requested records under the Open Records Act, they were told it would cost $5000 (obviously the students deferred). However, several of the student leaders received anonymous packets postmarked from Houston in mid-February. Those records are posted at www.aggiehonor.com Neither The Batt nor The Eagle are reporting the full story, since the full story has not been told---someone in Houston knows why Bresciani was fired and Weber hired.
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Posted by:
On:
Thursday, March 05, 2009 5:30 PM
Comment Title: Integrity
Last comment, not that she has authority to make decision, but that she told the students they would be involved in the search then out of nowhere comes a Perry buddy. Perry is a disgrace to A&M as governor and she joins him in her lack of integrity.
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Posted by:
JEC On:
Thursday, March 05, 2009 9:39 AM
Comment Title: One President
You don’t successfully run a business by consensus - and make no mistake: Texas A&M is a business. Since when are the decisions of ANY university president required to be approved by any part of the student body? Some of these students have an inflated sense of their purpose. They are students, not administrators. If any one of them is confused, take this test: Do you pay to participate in this university (if so, you are a student), or are you paid to participate (you are probably an employee)? Dr. Murano’s mistake is that she attempted to include certain groups of students in her decision making process. She gets the big bucks. She should make her own decisions and either live by them or die by them.
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Posted by:
On:
Thursday, March 05, 2009 9:18 AM
Comment Title: Shady
Murano is obfuscating. She made her decision July 1, despite her protestation that Weber wasn't "officially" hired until the Regents OK'ed him. Also, she didn't "rescind" the offer on July 21; she merely "put it on hold" for two weeks. Her mind was made up before student feedback was collected. That being the case, she shouldn't go around saying she valued student input.
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Posted by:
overlook On:
Wednesday, March 04, 2009 11:41 PM
Comment Title: Understand
The individuals bringing these allegations forward have a reputation of destructive and demonizing political activism driven by nothing other than opportunity for self advancement. I'd make sure you know all the facts before demonizing anyone in this equation.
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Posted by:
Lifelong Bryan Resident & Aggie Grad On:
Wednesday, March 04, 2009 10:31 PM
Comment Title:
I'm going to look real close at Hutchinson for Gov. next time. Not real happy w/Perry.
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Posted by:
politicaldoc On:
Wednesday, March 04, 2009 10:05 PM
Comment Title: Where are the investigative journalists?
Dr. Bresciani stated he was forced to resign--he had no plans to resign as has beenwell documented by his Aggie friends. It is so ridiculous for Murano to now say he was planning to resign. Why is Weber not out there supporting that Murano's July 21, 2008--or was that July 2009---letter was indeed sent to him? Could someone out there who claims to be a journalist investigate why a beloved Aggie VP was fired so that a friend of Gov. Perry could conveniently take the job because he just happened to be retiring from the Marine Corps? What is going on with the Board of Regents who hired Murano against the faculty's wishes? Why are the students at the Battalion such lackeys for Murano--I guess they will fit right in with our mainstream media.
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Posted by:
She has really done a discredit to the University. On:
Wednesday, March 04, 2009 6:09 PM
Comment Title:
I strongly agree with this statement.
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Posted by:
On:
Wednesday, March 04, 2009 5:50 PM
Comment Title: Murano Not Welcomed Since the Beginning
I think the main point many of you are forgetting. Is that since the beginning her selection as the President, her selecting certain people to positions within the university, and even how she is funding certain research at Texas A&M has all be suspicious. If you look at her record, and the reaction by students and faculty you would find that allot of people do not like her. Even at Yell Practice she can barely get a "whoop." I would say this is the icing on the cake for her. She got caught pulling political maneuvers, ousting people, and selecting certain cronies of the Governor in their position. I do not know of a single other President of a University whom both the students and faculty do not like. She has more bad press than anyone for this position. The quicker she resigns the better, maybe she could get her a job back at Central Florida. She is just not cut out for the job she was "hand picked" for. She has really done a discredit to the University.
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Posted by:
On:
Wednesday, March 04, 2009 2:22 PM
Comment Title: Lies, lies and more Lies
The previous vice president, Dr. Dean Bresciani, did not resign. At 4:30 Friday July 27th, Murano went to his office and told him he was resigning aka "being fired." Three days later the VP position is handed to an individual that has no background or education needed for the position, who just happens to be the ex roommate of the Governor of Texas. Murano has lied about Brescani resigning, she has lied to the students and her bosses the Regents about Weber and she keeps telling more to cover the others.
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Posted by:
PHARAOH On:
Wednesday, March 04, 2009 1:04 PM
Comment Title: A Horse With No Name
"The loosely organized group of about 40 students doesn't really have a name, group members said." How about SNAKES IN THE GRASS.
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Posted by:
RES GESTAE On:
Wednesday, March 04, 2009 12:38 PM
Comment Title: WE SUPPORT YOU DR. MURANO
You are the best, Elsa.
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Posted by:
Loser Police On:
Wednesday, March 04, 2009 12:13 PM
Comment Title:
Elsa is a loser.
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Posted by:
ZZN75 On:
Wednesday, March 04, 2009 11:26 AM
Comment Title: Ragtag Bunch Of Fake Reporters
Sounds like a few ragtag group of people were bored and wanted to cause a stir over whatever. Did anyone ever think to ask Joe Weber? Why report on this so-called incident if the person who was supposed to have received the letter has not said whether he received it or not? Seriously, this is a crap issue that should not have even been in the news.
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Posted by:
On:
Wednesday, March 04, 2009 10:58 AM
Comment Title:
Love the diversity...hate the lying and dishonesty! You got caught, you make how much a year? and you use a lame excuse to try and lie your way out of it. Go back to South Florida, you have out worn your welcome. Bad bad choice for A&M. Maybe you and $bill can get on raft togther and head to cuba!
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Posted by:
Ag ''83 On:
Wednesday, March 04, 2009 8:50 AM
Comment Title:
"Murano chalked it up to "Murphy's Law." She said the 8 and 9 keys on a keyboard are next to each other and mistakes happen." Microsoft Word automatically completes the date for you. This is not an excuse for a memo coming out of the President's ofice.
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Posted by:
On:
Wednesday, March 04, 2009 8:39 AM
Comment Title:
Murano accurately identified the lack of character in her accuser. The student in question has stated, "respect must be pushed aside for more important truths". This is absolutely wrong. Respect is a reflection of personal character. Truth can be pursued without compromising one's own character. Character should never be compromised--on either side of the issue.
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Posted by:
On:
Wednesday, March 04, 2009 8:20 AM
Comment Title: Bresciani was fired
He was called in at 4:30 on a Friday afternoon and told if he did not resign he would be fired. He was also told to exit his office immediately.
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Posted by:
On:
Wednesday, March 04, 2009 8:09 AM
Comment Title: Wrong Wrong Wrong
An Aggie's word is their bond, Murano do not speak that these young people disrespected you, you have only proven you have not adopted the true AGGIE SPIRIT.
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