This has been a scandal that has lingered, but Baylor just ripped the band-aid right off today, announcing, among other things, the following:

Quote:

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Board of Regents apologizes to Baylor Nation; Dr. David Garland named interim University President; Ken Starr transitions to role of Chancellor and remains professor at Baylor University Law School; Head Football Coach Art Briles suspended with intent to terminate; Athletic Director Ian McCaw sanctioned and placed on probation; University self-reports to NCAA; Task Force responsible for implementing recommendations formed and operative; Findings of Fact and Recommendations made available

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That tops the press release here: http://www.baylor.edu/mediacommunications/news.php?action=story&story=170207

Most notably, and unlike Cal's handling of the Huffnagel situation, Baylor made definitive personnel decisions and announced the formation and operational status of a task force all in one swoop.

Meanwhile we're still waiting on Cuonzo's contract to be finalized... and for the formation of some ambiguous sexual harassment task force to implement forthcoming ambiguous policy changes.

BoaltBear;842695345 said:

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This has been a scandal that has lingered, but Baylor just ripped the band-aid right off today, announcing, among other things, the following:



That tops the press release here: http://www.baylor.edu/mediacommunications/news.php?action=story&story=170207

Most notably, and unlike Cal's handling of the Huffnagel situation, Baylor made definitive personnel decisions and announced the formation and operational status of a task force all in one swoop.

Meanwhile we're still waiting on Cuonzo's contract to be finalized... and for the formation of some ambiguous sexual harassment task force to implement forthcoming ambiguous policy changes.

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You just won the Apples & Oranges Award of the year.

Rxrg09b;842695349 said:

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You just won the Apples & Oranges Award of the year.

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I completely agree it's apples and oranges in content. Common thread is bad press and handling same.

Difference: Cal has NO leadership at the top. Dircks is completely decide-aphobic. The Hufnagel situation itself was probably handled OK, but the fallout was a $hit show, and the mess that is OPHD is still a mess.

BoaltBear;842695345 said:

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Board of Regents apologizes to Baylor Nation; Dr. David Garland named interim University President; Ken Starr transitions to role of Chancellor and remains professor at Baylor University Law School; Head Football Coach Art Briles suspended with intent to terminate; Athletic Director Ian McCaw sanctioned and placed on probation; University self-reports to NCAA; Task Force responsible for implementing recommendations formed and operative; Findings of Fact and Recommendations made available

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Am I the only one that thinks Baylor mishandled the situation? The school apologizes to "Baylor Nation" but completely ignores the numerous rape victims, let alone fails to address their complaints. The school's president--who fell asleep at the wheel while many of his students were being raped by his football team--is given a slap on the wrist by way of a title/position change to school chancellor and is still a law professor at the school! Similarly, the athletic director is "sanctioned and placed on probation", even as he failed to oversee the most conspicuous aspect of his athletics department! About the only thing the school got right was firing the head football coach; but he should be joined in the unemployment line by Ken Starr and Ian McCaw.

If Cal covered up rapes committed by its football players as systematically as did Baylor, I should hope that each and every one of us demands the resignation/termination of not only the football coach, but also of the athletic director and even the chancellor.

^exactly

Actually if the goal is for the story to go away, Cal did a reasonable job on the PR front with Huffnagel. No doubt a couple of weeks things were rocky but the storm has passed mostly and generally it was seen as a non-story. Conversely, Baylor is in full purge mode. When the university's president is on the block...it's pretty freakin' bad.

Any way, what Baylor is going through is of their own making...and because they love FB waaaaaaaaaaay too much in Texass. It's pathological.

this

Agree with all points above with respect to Baylor. With respect to Cal: I don't think Cal did a good job on the PR front because it took months to conduct an investigation, then Cal announced the results (PRESS EVENT) which caught the decision maker (Cuonzo) off guard, Cuonzo then fires Huffnagel on the eve of the tournament (PRESS EVENT), Cal then acknowledges it is continuing to look into reporting issues wrt Cuonzo (PRESS EVENT), then it is revealed that Cuonzo's contract is unsigned and sitting on Janet's desk (PRESS EVENT), Cal then reacts to all of this bad press by announcing it will be reforming the way it investigates reports of sexual harassment (PRESS EVENT) and will take multiple steps in the future including forming a task force (FUTURE PRESS EVENT) and announcing the results of that task force (FUTURE PRESS EVENT), and we have been left in limbo ever since.

If and when those reforms are implemented, there will be another press event.

If and when Cuonzo's contract is finalized, there will be another press event.

It's as if Cal has decided to space out bad press events far into the future. Maybe that was a strategy to let things die down, and I guess we'll see if that strategy is successful. But I foresee more bad press in the future with Huffnagel's head shot plastered on the local news multiple times in the next year at these various points.

Perhaps the Baylor situation will also drag because the personnel moves announced today are insufficient (substantively, I agree with those that think they are). My point in posting is to highlight Baylor's attempt to take all actions at once and minimize future bad press. Cal decidedly did not even attempt this feat.

I agree w/ BB that Baylor's approach is to minimize bad press by doing it all at once. I also fully agree that keeping Starr on is outrageous. Dircks got (rightly) slammed for moving Fleming to a new 6-figure job when he was forced out as VC, but Baylor gets praise for changing Starr's title. Ditto slapping the AD on the wrist. One thing the press release did, however, is made it a lot easier for the survivors to sue the university--and I hope they do.

BoaltBear;842695392 said:

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Agree with all points above with respect to Baylor. With respect to Cal: I don't think Cal did a good job on the PR front because it took months to conduct an investigation, then Cal announced the results (PRESS EVENT) which caught the decision maker (Cuonzo) off guard, Cuonzo then fires Huffnagel on the eve of the tournament (PRESS EVENT), Cal then acknowledges it is continuing to look into reporting issues wrt Cuonzo (PRESS EVENT), then it is revealed that Cuonzo's contract is unsigned and sitting on Janet's desk (PRESS EVENT), Cal then reacts to all of this bad press by announcing it will be reforming the way it investigates reports of sexual harassment (PRESS EVENT) and will take multiple steps in the future including forming a task force (FUTURE PRESS EVENT) and announcing the results of that task force (FUTURE PRESS EVENT), and we have been left in limbo ever since.

If and when those reforms are implemented, there will be another press event.

If and when Cuonzo's contract is finalized, there will be another press event.

It's as if Cal has decided to space out bad press events far into the future. Maybe that was a strategy to let things die down, and I guess we'll see if that strategy is successful. But I foresee more bad press in the future with Huffnagel's head shot plastered on the local news multiple times in the next year at these various points.

Perhaps the Baylor situation will also drag because the personnel moves announced today are insufficient (substantively, I agree with those that think they are). My point in posting is to highlight Baylor's attempt to take all actions at once and minimize future bad press. Cal decidedly did not even attempt this feat.

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Aren't we still also waiting for the results of the investigation over whether Cuonzo handled the complainant's sex harassment report correctly? That could be yet another press event....

MSaviolives;842695405 said:

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Aren't we still also waiting for the results of the investigation over whether Cuonzo handled the complainant's sex harassment report correctly? That could be yet another press event....

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Yes forgot that (very important) one.

How the investigation went and how CM was (or wasn't) told was bad...but that's admin, not PR. Timing a day or so before the NCAAs was brutal but there wasn't a choice from what I heard. Any way, I still stand by the idea that Cal did okay on PR, all things considered. Handling bad press isn't about "winning" but controlling damage and really hoping it goes away. Things went away when Huff resigned and was hired away. That wasn't on Cal but they held the fort until it happened and guessimated the magnitude and damage at stake.

I expect the investigation results will be buried during the summer, probably during July 4th weekend. Any way, given Huff resigned took a lot of the pressure off.

beelzebear;842695412 said:

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How the investigation went and how CM was (or wasn't) told was bad...but that's admin, not PR.
I expect the investigation results will be buried during the summer, probably during July 4th weekend. Any way, given Huff resigned took a lot of the pressure off.

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I think we're closer in thinking than it seems. The lack of control exercised by the Cal administration (which includes thinking ahead about press relations) is where I was shaking my head. Dirks was in constant reaction mode and it was clear he did not anticipate the fallout from the sexual harassment investigation (or had no idea it was ongoing, or at a minimum was caught off guard by the timing of the results).

I highlight Baylor's disaster today just to point out how the regents (who probably should start looking for another job) tried to pull together all bad information (the investigation, etc.), take all disciplinary action (which I agree is inadequate), and announce the formation and ongoing activities of a task force, all in one press event. It's a degree of control over information dissemination that is lacking at Cal.

On your prediction about the results of the Cuonzo investigation being released during a holiday weekend, I hope you are right, but what makes us think Dirks has learned anything (or has the cajones to direct the office of sexual harassment investigators when to release information)? The last time that office finished an investigation it was released at the worst possible time imaginable for the basketball team --- a time when a nation of sports writers is paying attention.

Agree there's a lack of foresight at Cal by the admin. Part of the issue/problem is the admin management at Cal is made up almost exclusively by PhDs. Nothing wrong with PhDs, generally bright and smart...but I think they operate on the idea of academic truth, ivory tower, yada, yada...and not how public perception works, i.e., nerd/geek lenses. Yes this might be an exaggeration but there's a disconnect between how admin handles things, and how PR would handle things. Of course PR spin can be sickeningly fake and insulting but you need some in the modern world. Agree the press on the investigation could still be botched, just hope not given the pressure is off since Huff left.

BoaltBear;842695420 said:

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I think we're closer in thinking than it seems. The lack of control exercised by the Cal administration (which includes thinking ahead about press relations) is where I was shaking my head. Dirks was in constant reaction mode and it was clear he did not anticipate the fallout from the sexual harassment investigation (or had no idea it was ongoing, or at a minimum was caught off guard by the timing of the results).

I highlight Baylor's disaster today just to point out how the regents (who probably should start looking for another job) tried to pull together all bad information (the investigation, etc.), take all disciplinary action (which I agree is inadequate), and announce the formation and ongoing activities of a task force, all in one press event. It's a degree of control over information dissemination that is lacking at Cal.

On your prediction about the results of the Cuonzo investigation being released during a holiday weekend, I hope you are right, but what makes us think Dirks has learned anything (or has the cajones to direct the office of sexual harassment investigators when to release information)? The last time that office finished an investigation it was released at the worst possible time imaginable for the basketball team --- a time when a nation of sports writers is paying attention.

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Shocky now reporting in his deux thread that the investigation on Cuonzo's handling of the Huf complaint has cleared him and the report will be issued...who knows...

01Bear;842695370 said:

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Am I the only one that thinks Baylor mishandled the situation? The school apologizes to "Baylor Nation" but completely ignores the numerous rape victims, let alone fails to address their complaints. The school's president--who fell asleep at the wheel while many of his students were being raped by his football team--is given a slap on the wrist by way of a title/position change to school chancellor and is still a law professor at the school! Similarly, the athletic director is "sanctioned and placed on probation", even as he failed to oversee the most conspicuous aspect of his athletics department! About the only thing the school got right was firing the head football coach; but he should be joined in the unemployment line by Ken Starr and Ian McCaw.

If Cal covered up rapes committed by its football players as systematically as did Baylor, I should hope that each and every one of us demands the resignation/termination of not only the football coach, but also of the athletic director and even the chancellor.

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Yep!

beelzebear;842695435 said:

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Agree the press on the investigation could still be botched, just hope not given the pressure is off since Huff left.

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Amen.

01Bear;842695370 said:

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Am I the only one that thinks Baylor mishandled the situation? The school apologizes to "Baylor Nation" but completely ignores the numerous rape victims, let alone fails to address their complaints. The school's president--who fell asleep at the wheel while many of his students were being raped by his football team--is given a slap on the wrist by way of a title/position change to school chancellor and is still a law professor at the school! Similarly, the athletic director is "sanctioned and placed on probation", even as he failed to oversee the most conspicuous aspect of his athletics department! About the only thing the school got right was firing the head football coach; but he should be joined in the unemployment line by Ken Starr and Ian McCaw.

If Cal covered up rapes committed by its football players as systematically as did Baylor, I should hope that each and every one of us demands the resignation/termination of not only the football coach, but also of the athletic director and even the chancellor.

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In that regard, Cal had a PR guy who said that the reason the investigations took so long is due to Cal having insufficient assets to handle the investigations timely. The lawyer in me cringed.

Baylor said something happened, but not what. Baylor said somebody did something, but didn't say who. Baylor said they "fired" more than the two, but wouldn't name names. Baylor said there is a written report but won't release it. Baylor is playing Billy Paul's greatest hit, "Nothing From Nothing Leaves Nothing".

This article lays it out nicely. http://www.campusrush.com/baylor-football-art-briles-fired-sexual-assault-1822863972.html