Bill McEwen, a columnist for The Fresno Bee, wrote Saturday that Fresno State President John D. Welty should stay at Fresno State, an odd position for the Welty-hating writer.
In typical McEwen fashion, there was a sarcastic catch. Welty must raise $37 million dollars in 90 days if he wants McEwen’s blessing — $10 million more than the combined verdicts for three female athletic department employees.
Classy, McEwen. It̢۪s as if under Welty̢۪s administration, Fresno State hasn̢۪t enjoyed the lion̢۪s share of success.
The Madden Library expansion will make Fresno State̢۪s library the largest in the California State University system.
Love it or hate it, the Save Mart Center is probably the best venue in the Valley.
Fresno State had Title IX problems before Welty got here, and yet Fresno State achieved Title IX compliance in 2001.
University High School is the 36th best high school in the whole of the United States, according to the U.S. News and World Report. Read that again.
What did Welty have to do with this? I̢۪d take a guess that Welty̢۪s involvement with most of that was minimal. I̢۪m sure McEwen would agree, because saying so would make his call for Welty̢۪s firing all the more credible.
It̢۪s remarkably convenient for columnists like McEwen to ignore the achievements of Fresno State when Welty might have something to do with it, but the near $30 million settlements are definitely his fault.
Let’s not forget that Stacy Johnson-Klein’s ludicrous $19.1 million judgment is colored by her jurors “partying” with her after delivering the verdict.
Remember that her lawyers were willing to settle for near $1 million. In light of the verdict, that seems downright reasonable.
Why would Fresno State take the offer, when they had so much against Johnson-Klein?
Maybe the jurors saw what they wanted to see in the case, rather than the evidence. Maybe it̢۪s that they were so excited to be in another Vivas-like case that they got a little ahead of themselves.
They must have missed how Johnson-Klein treated her basketball players. I̢۪m not sure how sex talks at her home during a team unity sleepover were appropriate. Don̢۪t forget that she pocketed per diem, and skimmed off the top of her subordinates̢۪ bonuses. There̢۪s always the use of her players̢۪ prescription painkillers. That̢۪s pretty illegal.
Someone should really fire her. Oh, wait.
Welty did, or at least one of his subordinates did, and it was the right thing to do. They̢۪re getting the heat for it now.
I̢۪m glad McEwen̢۪s twisted mind could make some sense of this mess. I can̢۪t.
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In other news: shootings move out of the schools and into the churches; to some, Oprah is the only meaningful endorsement; and a family film based on “God-killing” books underperforms at the box office.