At YSU, lots of bobbing, weaving

There probably is a theory in academia that would explain the recent personnel moves made by the administration at Youngstown State University, but to a cynic, they certainly resemble an elaborate misdirection play.
The most glaring example has to do with Dr. William Bruce Neil, an associate professor of human ecology, who allegedly misrepresented some of his employment history.
On March 23, The Vindicator published a story saying that YSU officials were investigating allegations that Neil's advanced degrees came from a nonaccredited university.
According to university spokesman Walt Ulbricht, Neil had received his master's and doctorate degrees from LaSalle University in Louisiana. The distance-learning institution was raided by the FBI in 1996 and its founder spent time in federal prison, the news story said, quoting from an October 2002 report by The Chronicle of Higher Education. After changing its name, the university eventually closed in 2002.
Reaction to the allegations on and off campus was intense. Neil's salary of $60,000 not only raised the shackles of other faculty members, but became a flashpoint for students and taxpayers.
State funding cuts
YSU, like other state institutions of higher learning in Ohio, has been sharply increasing tuition to make up for cuts in state funding. Students are facing an 8 percent tuition boost in the fall. Given previous increases, the doubts that have been raised about Neil's credentials have fueled the discontent among students, many of whom have to work full time and carry a full academic load (if they want to graduate before they're eligible for the Golden Buckeye Card.)
So how did the administration of President David Sweet respond? On April 2, The Vindicator ran a story saying that YSU's Office of Human Resources has hired a firm to review the credentials of all new hires.
Staff in the human resources office had been responsible for conducting such reviews; now YSU will pay between $20 and $100 depending on the number of credentials to be verified.
But the hiring of Gall and Gall Co. of Dayton does not answer these overarching questions: How could someone with questionable credentials not only get a teaching position at YSU, but rake in $60,000 a year? Is anyone on campus going to be called to account for this mess?
A full explanation from Sweet and those who were involved in Neil's screening is warranted.
Another example of the misdirection play has to do with the university's decision not to renew the contract of Terry Ondreyka, vice president for financial affairs. Ondreyka is the third-highest paid administrator at $140,569 a year. His contract expires June 30, but he will remain on the payroll until Sept. 30.
The story of Ondreyka's nonrenewal appeared in the April 1 edition of The Vindicator. Neither Sweet nor any other top administration official offered a definite explanation for the decision, but the story noted that it came on the heels of an external audit of fiscal year 2003. The audit by Ernst & amp; Young found deficiencies in some of accounting procedures and made 20 recommendations, including one that was termed a "reportable condition." That means it warranted greater attention than the others.
Reaction
So how did Sweet deal with the fact that he was dumping his first major administrative appointment? Ondreyka, was hired in 2001. The president issued a prepared statement in which he announced that YSU's financial affairs division will be merged with the administrative division effect July 1 and that the new Division of Administration and Finance will be under the supervision of his right-hand man, John Habat.
Habat, who came to the university with Sweet from Cleveland, is vice president for administrative affairs. He is also interim general counsel for YSU. That's because general counsel Sandra Denman's contract, which expires in June, was not renewed.
Denman, who was hired by former President Leslie Cochran, has been reassigned to the vacant position of director of Environmental and Occupational Health.
If the university's lawyer wasn't up to the job, why is she being kept on the public payroll -- at a time when money is tight and students' pockets are being picked?