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TagsBY TOM HESTER SR.
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
South Jersey’s two most powerful Democratic leaders on Wednesday gave U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) a couple of verbal slap downs for proposing to get the federal government involved in Gov. Chris Christie’s plan to merge Rutgers/Camden with Rowan University.
Lautenberg on Tuesday said he wants a federal review of the proposed merger because of the potential impact on “thousands of students receiving federal financial aid.”
“Suspicions have been raised that this decision has been crafted to benefit powerful political interests without regard for the impact on students, the academic institutions and the community,” Lautenberg said in a letter Monday to U.S. Secretary of Education Secretary Arne Duncan.
Lautenberg said he wants the U.S. DOE to probe a “disturbing allegation” that the merger is being driven to shore up the “creditworthiness” of Rowan and Cooper University Hospital, which are partners in a medical school that is under construction in Camden. Revenue from Rutgers Camden students would flow to Rowan under the proposed merger.
Lautenberg’s comments led to unusual public criticism of him by South Jersey Democratic leader George Norcross, Cooper Hospital chairman, and state Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney (D-Gloucester).
“I think Senator Frank Lautenberg has been a phenomenal representative for northern New Jersey,” Norcorss said. “But on this issue, rather than taking cheap shots like a typical Washington politician, the senator should be rolling up his sleeves and be part of a solution for a higher education model that strengthens Rutgers, Rowan, Newark and our region. Camden is not in the State of Maine, it's in New Jersey and desperately needs the senator's help, not his hysteria. We should all be embarrassed that New Jersey ranks third to last in the United States on higher education funding. Rather than provoking a political food fight on this, let’s focus our efforts on fixing that disgusting blemish & improving higher education in our state and region.”
Sweeney issued a statement co-signed by 23 Democrat and Republican legislators and local officials.
“Senator Frank Lautenberg's uninformed and vengeful remarks concerning the proposed Rutgers-Rowan merger have done a serious disservice to students and parents across South Jersey,” Sweeney declared. “They are utterly false, as well as offensive to the many people giving their time and effort to an initiative that would greatly improve higher education in our region.
“Senator Lautenberg's bizarre and misguided comments come at a time when New Jersey needs serious leadership on this issue,” Sweeney said. “Our state ranks a dismal 47th out of 50 in federal funding for higher education. That is unacceptable. Yet rather than fighting in Washington on our state's behalf, he engages in unseemly grandstanding back home in an attempt to settle old political scores.
“While Senator Lautenberg has failed all of New Jersey on the issue of higher education, his callous disregard for South Jersey has been reprehensible,” Sweeney said. “He seems to forget that he was elected to represent all the people of New Jersey, not just those who live north of Trenton. On issue after issue, Sen. Lautenberg has been missing in action when it comes to the problems and concerns of his constituents in this region.
“On this issue, Senator Lautenberg ignores how South Jersey has been shortchanged in state funding for higher education” Sweeney said. “The reasons for the proposed merger of Rutgers Camden and Rowan have nothing to do with the funding of the medical school but everything to do with correcting this imbalance. In fact, Rutgers-Camden serves as a cash cow feeding Rutgers-New Brunswick. Each year, nearly half of every tuition dollar in Camden is siphoned off by Rutgers-New Brunswick. An equitable distribution of Rutgers State operating funds to Camden would add approximately $40-$50 million dollars annually to Rutgers-Camden.”
Sweeney added, “Unfortunately, Sen. Lautenberg doesn't seem to understand these issues. Since his comments have no basis in fact, and that he took this deplorable action without even discussing the matter with those who know the facts, the only conclusion is that Sen. Lautenberg is trying to avenge past political differences. It is deeply regrettable that he's trying to settle old political scores at the expense of the students and parents who deserve the very best educational opportunities we can offer.”
In October, Moody’s Investors Service said Rowan’s credit is maxed out as a result of its financial commitment to build the Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, the Courier-News of Camden reports. It also questioned the mechanism to retire the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey’s debt.
While the proposed reorganization would bring New Jersey's public research universities "more along the model used in nearly every other state in the U.S.," the rating service stated, the plan does not address how to pay for it and how to disburse or retire about $668 million in debt attached to UMDNJ
The merger is designed to deconstruct the UMDNJ, a sprawling institution of eight schools, 15,000 employees and 6,000 students and realign medical education in the north, south and center of the state.
Thank you Senator Lautenberg.
Sent: Mon, Mar 26, 2012 2:45 pm
Subject: Public Speaking being demolished at Yeshiva University
Check out this video on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muZ0tvmvbwI&feature;=youtube_gdata_player
Dovid Rapps has shared a video with you on YouTube:
Dr. Rosenberg Speaks Out #2.wmv
Dr. Bernhard Rosenberg addresses the Rutgers University spycam case and bullying on college campuses. Dr. Rosenberg also addresses his likely being let go from Rutgers University because he was too good of a teacher for rutgers to handle.
Group: Public
Message:
As your instructor, I am asking you to help me. As you are aware, I have taught at Rutgers for 23 years. I help every one of my students and teach with love, compassion, understanding, and exuberance. I have been ordered to give grades of 20% A's, and 20% C's and D's, which I have refused to do for a number of years. In addition, I refuse to penalize my students based upon some of the guidelines which include not having compassion for personal problems and therefore lowering grades. It is obvious to me that the Communications department is not going to rehire me for the coming Fall. The reason being, that I have taught summer classes for many many years, and discovered yesterday, by accident, that I am no longer teaching in the summer. I have emailed the department for an explanation and have not heard anything in response. I asked if I would be teaching in the fall, and was told by the secretary (not even the administrators), that the department was being reorganized. Last semester, I was harassed and bullied at a meeting, and I refused to give in. If it will cost me my job, so be it. However, I warn you, that whoever is going to take my place as an instructor will go by the book and your grades will suffer and your experience in public speaking will, at best, be an overload of major work. Those of you who are my sports students, you know I especially protect you. It is unfair for you to have to go to sports practice, killing yourself for scholarships, and be asked, especially in my Public Speaking class, to compete with those who may be pre-med, pre-law, etc. This course used to separate into Fundamentals of Public Speaking, for my sports people, and Public Speaking for communications majors. They have now combined these 2 into one. At best, this class should be 2 semesters. You are being treated like high school students, which I refuse to do. 60% oral, and 40% written - this is NOT an English class, it is a Public Speaking class. I have taught Public Speaking for 36 years. I have fought for you, over and over again, and it is obvious that the department is trying to dismiss me. I am fighting back. Please help me - communicate this to whoever you wish and please let students who wanted to take me in the summer know, that I will not be teaching. If you lose me, you will not have the person who fights the hardest for you. It's up to you.
I especially want to thank all my students, for 23 years, who I have loved and have loved me. I have treated you all as my own children - I guess this is a crime. You are welcome to send this to my former students, of which there are thousands, to any of the media, any administrator, the President of the University, radio and TV stations, etc. For example, you can send this to your advisors. If I am not going to be rehired, I am going down fighting. For those who know me, this is my style.
Subject: RABBI ROSENBERG
Hi Rabbi:
I sympathize with you and understand your pain. Unfortunately, the deck
is heavily stacked against you. It seems that the only path at your
disposal is to create enough public sympathy and demand from the
students to make it politically painful for the Public Speaking
Department to not hire you back. I think you are doing this well and I
hope your message is effective. A lot will depend on your former and
current students rallying for you.
FROM A FRIEND AT RUTGERS.
i have enough students that would take me to fill a class. I usually have 19 YESHIVA university students every summer alone. stern college and yeshiva college.
The only protection we have as PTLs is from being replaced by another PTL with less service. In particular, if you have 12 or more semesters of service (which you do), the courses you previously taught should not be offered to a PTL with less than 12 semesters of service. We cannot object to being replaced by TAs or full-time faculty. That is the administration’s practice and prerogative.
WARNING TO ALL PART TIME INSTRUCTORS. YOU MAY SOON NOT BE EMPLOYED AT RUTGERS. STUDENTS SHOULD TELL THEIR TEACHERS. IF IT CAN HAPPEN TO ME WHY NOT OTHERS. DR. ROSENBERG
They could say the same thing at the last minute for fall and spring and I will have no job at Rutgers. In fact, I was not told I was not teaching summer session. It was posted on line already and that is how I found out. I have taught 23 years. For most of the years I have taught 9 credits fall, 6 credits spring, 3 credits summer. This is a major part of my income to support my family. I would think after 23 years as a well respected member of Rutgers faculty I would be entitled to some consideration.
:52 pm
Subject: video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlhvPRkS9a8&feature;=youtu.be
No, there are no real details about this merger/takeover plan known to the public -- aside from the fact that the financially-struggling Rowan University/Cooper Medical School will gain control of the assets of Rutgers-Camden, an institution described as a “cash cow” by Sweeney. I guess that’s the only detail that George Norcross needs, as the deal will greatly benefit him politically and financially as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Cooper University Hospital. And I guess that’s the only detail that Sweeney and the other South Jersey Democrats who signed his vindictive letter need, as they’re nothing more than stooges controlled by Norcross’ purse strings. Sweeney, Lou Greenwald, and little Donnie Norcross (George’s brother) are nothing but mouthpieces for Boss Norcross. Want proof? The two statements released yesterday (one from Sweeney and his S.J. Dems, and one from George Norcross) were both sent from the same e-mail address!
So it’s refreshing to have a politician like Lautenberg have the spine and independent mindedness to question the implications of Christie and Norcross’ ill-conceived plan to sacrifice Rutgers-Camden for the good of Norcross’ Rowan/Cooper. I wish there were more politicians in South Jersey like him. Rather, our politicians try to bully the concerned citizenry into submission, and then feign faux-outrage when someone too prominent to bully like Senator Lautenberg comes along and calls foul.
There are few of them, but they are very clear: Rowan is broke, and can't fix itself. Moody's reports their credit is maxed out and need to revenue just to keep up with their current bad debt. Cooper is in even worse condition and Moody's rates their bonds one notch above junk status. They need money. The idea that has been floated is to strip Rutgers of its assets and hand them over to Rowan. This will be financially disastrous to the larger, more established, successful State University of New Jersey to bailout these other two, clean up their messes, and line Norcross's pockets. At the same time, the idea requires, in Norcross's words "billions of dollars" from New Jersey taxpayers, denies South Jersey rightful access to Rutgers, establishes a monopoly in higher ed in South Jersey at an already over priced little school that is demonstrably inadequate to the fulfill the 'vision' behind this idea.
Oh, and one last fact: Sweeney's just another moron on Norcorss's leash.