Oh, the ire over the Easley hire and resulting fire

Lots of letters this week on the situation at N.C. State. Here are a few online-only comments. Look for more letters on tomorrow's editorial page and in Sunday Forum this week.

As the events of the Mary Easley saga continue to play out, there are people out there who really believe that Mrs. Easley’s process to her position was “due process.” There are people out there who actually believe that Mike Easley, Jim Oblinger, McQueen Campbell and Larry Nielsen did not nothing wrong.

What happened to these individuals is nothing new in the wide and broad scale of government. I do not know whether I should be mad, sad or glad. However, I think all of us as reasonable adults know that we have all been a part of the “who you know” society. That does not mean that I condone what the Easleys and the administration from N.C. State have done.

To make things worse, they all, at some point, have lied about their involvement in this debacle. Had the N.C. State administration been forthright, this might not have been such a major story. Also, for Mrs. Easley to not step down, knowing that everyone knew how she got her job, was a little bit over the top.

Arrogance has no place in government, especially when the heat is on. We still live in a “who you know" society and always will. As I write, I’m looking for someone to help my daughter get a job at McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s or anybody who is hiring teenagers. At least I’m being forthright about it, and I’m not trying to hide behind any arrogance. I just hope I know “somebody.”

Marcel Webster
Durham

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The removal of the politicos within NCSU isn’t enough. Now that the corruption of the system has been brought to light, it’s time for a much broader sweep. Erskine Bowles and the others in charge over NCSU should also go, on the malfeasance charge of “clueless.” We’re paying him a bloated $425,000 to find and fix corruption under his nose before it gets to this stage.

How does Bowles justify approving a contract system of buy-outs for teaching when one quits ahead of getting fired? As adjunct professor at NCSU, I earned $7,000 for two courses; that’s the max rate these offenders should get, if anything. They’ve lost all credibility. I sure won’t let my daughter take classes with these corrupt professors and seek other professors for those subjects if necessary.

Capt. Michael P. Soehnlein
Raleigh

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Great reporting on the NCSU coverup. There is just one thing I do not understand. If I manage a company and cost them hundreds of thousands of dollars and resign rather than being relieved of my duties, how come I cannot go back to work for the same company? I am given the opportunity to find work elsewhere.

Now we have a chancellor and a provost who did just that, and they get to go back to work for NCSU? It must just be because it is taxpayer dollars so that is not important.
Perhaps it is time for the president of the UNC system to step up to the plate. I won’t hold my breath.

George Toth
Raleigh

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James Oblinger’s claim that he forgot about e-mails in regard to hiring and giving an 88 percent raise to the then-first lady of North Carolina is about as believable as a college student claiming the dog ate my homework.

Dan MacBride
Cary

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It sickens me to read of the NCSU boondoggle. I applaud The N&O for reporting this! Former Provost Larry Nielsen has a cushy parachute allowing him to eventually make $150,000(?) for teaching one class and maybe writing a book or doing some research after he thinks about it for half a year. Nielsen’s decision to hire Mary Easley with a huge increase in pay and under what could be and is perceived as political influence was irresponsible. It doesn’t pass the smell test to the regular folk outside the upper echelon of academia.

At this point, why is former Chancellor James Oblinger employed by the university at all? Oblinger’s decision to bypass protocol and pay Nielsen more than a faculty salary for three years has hosed North Carolinians. Now does Oblinger get a golden parachute, too?

Someone needs to get hold of this unacceptable practice of golden parachutes and sweetheart deals. From my perspective, these people have betrayed their positions and responsibilities. But the story should not end here. The State of North Carolina needs to address fat salaries and termination practices before charging the students their usual increase and shaking down the taxpayers for such nonsense as the whole Mary Easley ordeal.

Marty Lewis
Durham

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All right, so Governor and Mrs. Easley may have pushed their influence a little too far, taken advantage of friends who might have offered favors for influence and maybe done a few more sketchy — but not particularly unusual for politicians — things. But none of it warranted the screaming headline on your June 9 front page, with a font size befitting a Pearl Harbor or a September 11!

All your muckrakers are mighty proud of themselves, but it’s become more and more evident that this is not a high-minded investigation — it’s a political and personal vendetta. Enough is enough!

Terri Ring
Cary
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It made me angry to read that Jim Oblinger denied knowing about the ongoing communications concerning Mary Easley’s job until reading the e-mail. That implies that he thinks the general public is stupid enough to believe him. Most of us are not that stupid or naive.

And, in one quote, UNC System President Erskine Bowles says “it made him sick” (Oblinger’s lying, I guess). However, it must not make him very sick, because he says Oblinger and Provost Larry Nielsen made “some bad judgments in their administrative capacities” and might be able to teach again. The last thing they deserve is to work again for NCSU, in any capacity, especially teaching!

The whole situation is so awful — the money spent, the lies told, the behaviors of so many individuals — that it makes one wonder what is going on in the other areas of higher education. I appreciate The N&O’s bringing this to light —even though it is hard to read without becoming upset.

Mary McGowen
Wallace

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I am a graduate of NCSU as are my husband and many of his family. Three of my four children graduated from there also. I am sad to say how disappointed we State graduates are about the Oblinger/Nielsen situation. This comes after the damaging reputation State seems to be acquiring with the Mary Easley situation.

North Carolina as a state is suffering right now, with layoffs, cutbacks on services, reduction of benefits, which make the news coming out of N.C. State even more troublesome. My two daughters are teachers, and they don’t know whether they will be hired back next year due to Wake County budget cuts. My two sons-in-law were both recently laid off from their respective jobs, and both are also college graduates. It is a shame that they cannot continue to be paid while pursuing their future plans, as Nielsen is able to do.  

It is disgraceful what is happening right now at the university. This type of publicity can only harm NCSU and create animosity among employees at the university. It certainly has put a sour taste in my mouth. I used to be a proud Wolfpacker. I still love the Pack, the athletics, the academics and the energy generated by such a diverse university. But I am  embarrassed at the fiasco going on right now with the Chancellor, Mary Easley and Nielsen. Someone needs to clean up this mess before it gets any worse.

Dorothy Overby
Cary

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N.C. State University has long been looking for a way to step out from under the shadows cast by its renowned neighbors just down the road, Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It would appear that its leaders have finally figured out a way to make that happen.

Joe Dew
Morrisville