University of Hawaii officials keep digging their hole deeper and deeper.
Did you notice how the university presented itself in yesterday’s Star-Advertiser story on its extensive use of outside consultants and lawyers?
The university late last week would not make anyone from the administration or the board available to answer questions for this story.
And this:
UH spokeswoman Lynne Waters wrote in an email to the Star-Advertiser that the university would have nothing more to say about this matter, and she did not return phone calls Friday afternoon seeking more information.
And more:
The university did not make (Darolyn) Lendio available to answer questions for this story
So let me get this straight.
Lynn Waters, who has the title “associate vice-president for external affairs,” and is earning a salary of $142,512 (or $11,876 per month) in 2012, according to salary data published by Civil Beat. But when the going gets tough, she just stops answering the phone.
It reminds me a lot of the epic temper tantrum in the movie, Wedding Crashers.
I hate to be picky, but communicating with the community and the media is supposed to be a big part of Waters’ job.
Here’s the description published by UH when she was appointed:
In her new position, Waters will be responsible for strategic communications planning, community relations, creative services and marketing and brand management as they relate to advancing the university’s mission, goals and major initiatives. This includes serving as media spokesperson, enhancing communications with internal and external stakeholders, and collaborating with the UH Foundation and other university constituencies on messaging and communications.
Are we supposed to cut her slack because she’s married to an influential state senator?
Lendio, vice president for legal affairs and general counsel for the UH system, is earning $223,488 (or $18,624 a month) and won’t sit for an interview.
Wouldn’t it be interesting to know what advice the university is getting from the additional outside public relations consultants hired to help manage this mess? I frankly don’t believe they would say “stop answering the phone.”
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Yet more clowns climbing out of that tiny car. I guess their new motto is “When the going gets tough,outsource and hide.”
Are we supposed to cut her slack because she’s married to an influential state senator?Well, yes. Sheesh, sometimes you little people can be exasperating.
Maybe its a case of, “if you can’t say something true, say nothing” – unless you are an attorney or legislator.
Maybe this situation is getting too much an “external” affair to the point where the university will be more harmed than helped?
How many “brand managers” does it take to screw in a logo?
Wait…Waters has “brand management” responsibilities? I thought that was Jim Donovan’s job.
“In her new position, Waters will be responsible for strategic communications planning, community relations, creative services and marketing and brand management as they relate to advancing the university’s mission, goals and major initiatives.
Empty words and phrases, blah blah blah. Probably copied from another source. This tells the reader no thing of value as to what she does.
This includes serving as media spokesperson, enhancing communications with internal and external stakeholders, and collaborating with the UH Foundation and other university constituencies on messaging and communications.”
enhance? collaborate? messaging? [massaging the message maybe]
it is empty language like this that is the maddening feature of the university and evidences the drift into cant that seems the trend now.
The University of Hawaii at Manoa exists only to provide do-nothing administrators with $100,000+ salaries, why is that so hard to understand?
poor UH administrators! it’s their money!!!! stop trying to steal from them!!! stop acting as if they are dumb enough to fall for your tricks and shenanigans.
As an investigative reporter there are probably many questions you would like answered and you would like to probe deeper to see if there is more muck to rake. However, from the University’s point of view there is little to be gained and much risk in granting more interviews. After all, there have been dozens of news stories, the fact-finder’s report and senate hearings with each revelation being more damaging than the last. I would bet that the calculation is to not risk adding fuel to the fire and laying low until the fire if not burns out at least burns lower. Then trying to rebuild the university’s reputation in a less inflammatory environment. Yes, they will probably be accused of stonewalling but they have already been tared with that brush so what’s to lose.
When bad news or scandal starts to leak out, anyone who really understand the media knows that it is always best to get it ALL out as soon as possible. A dime to a dollar says that the president or chancellor or both directed Lynn not to speak to the media.
They should hire someone like Jim Loomis to deal with situations like this.
Though still on the road on an extended trip, I cannot help but see the clear parallel in this mess with the Big Island’s election fiasco by still installed clerk Jamae Kawauchi and orchestrated by lame duck County Council Chair Yagong.
Big Island voters/taxpyers are footing the bill for this bad theatre just as UH Mnoa students and faculty are. When the whole cost is toted up, the bill for this foolishness will be staggering.
Well, if your bosses (the regents) told you that if you talk not only will you be fired but open to legal proceedings (per prior news stories), what would you do? Why isn’t the press in Hawaii going after the regents and their circling of the wagons?