Should Kara still be on the Board Of Trustees?

#53
#53
One of the truly GREAT achievements of Coach Summitt is the shear amount of former players and assistant coaches now playing or coaching at their perspective programs. Moreover, a number of former Lady Vols are achieving great things on the airways as journalists. This is probably Coach Summitt's greatest accomplishment, growing young ladies into professional women. That being said, I think Kara should resign her trustee position, out of respect to her own professional integrity, complete transparency, commitment to her new position as the head basketball coach at Duke University, and out respect for the professional standard that Pat instilled in her.
 
#54
#54
The statement of responsibilities of a board member lists over thirty areas. #29 is the only one that makes mention of athletics. The majority deal with—Surprise!—education and related economic affairs. WBB is a small subset of a subset. UT is, when all is said and done, an academic institution.

With the above as context, all the sincere and heartfelt handwringing over the very faint possibility that a selected member of the Board, selected for loyalty to her beloved institution as well as competence to further the goals of the Board just might suddenly behave traitorously…. It really suggests that some folks might just be projecting their own cynicism.

The Board has approval rights over much more than academic concerns.

The Board has in number 2, “full authority over all University funds”, including number 7, “approval of the annual operating budget and thereby confirming the salaries of all University employees”, numbers 8 and 9, approval of proposed capital outlays, maintenance budgets, construction of buildings and other capital improvements.

21. Approval of policies and procedures, including campus handbook provisions, governing (1) academic freedom; (2) appointment, retention, promotion, tenure, evaluation, and termination of faculty members; (3) faculty workload; (4) intellectual property rights; and (5) compensated outside services by faculty members.

11. Approval of a facilities master plan.

They also have approval rights of degrees offered, retirement, loans to students, basically everything that concerns students, faculty, and facility building and maintenance.

Degrees offered, and facilities do help a recruit decide which University to attend.

Much more effects our athletics than just the item of number 29.

29. Overseeing and monitoring the operation of the intercollegiate athletics programs, including proposed actions reasonably anticipated to have a long-term impact on the operations, reputation, and standing of the intercollegiate athletics programs or the University.
 
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#55
#55
When I was a student, long, long ago, we were taught that a prerequisite of insightful and incisive analysis was close reading of text. While I am mildly honored that you quoted my prior post, it is disappointing that your rebuttal seems to have overlooked what I wrote.

“The majority deal with—Surprise!—education and related economic affairs.”
Emphasis added.
 
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#56
#56
When I was a student, long, long ago, we were taught that a prerequisite of insightful and incisive analysis was close reading of text. While I am mildly honored that you quoted my prior post, it is disappointing that your rebuttal seems to have overlooked what I wrote.

“The majority deal with—Surprise!—education and related economic affairs.”
Emphasis added.

As your comment shows you have missed the main point of my post which was: “Much more effects our athletics than just the item of number 29”.

Actually my “close reading of text” shows your “and related economic affairs” to refer to education only, which does not include athletics, but many of the Board decisions can affect the athletic departments as well.
 
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#58
#58
Didn't Kara Lawson, just about one year ago, more or less call the University of Tennessee a racist organization because it did not have any black head coaches?

If so, then she would likely raise the racist card again if the Board asks her to resign, and they would not want bad publicity, and she knows that.
 
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#59
#59
If so, then she would likely raise the racist card again if the Board asks her to resign, and they would not want bad publicity, and she knows that.

Former Lady Vol Kara Lawson calls out Lack Of Diversity at highest levels of Tennessee Athletics

"When I look at my alma mater, Knoxville, there is not a single African-American coach at that institution. That is not the same for the majority of the SEC."

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Former Lady Vol Kara Lawson is addressing the lack of diversity at the upper echelons of the University of Tennessee's coaching staff.

The WNBA All-Star addressed her fellow Board of Trustee members in a virtual meeting on Friday, bringing specific attention to the fact that there are currently no Black head coaches at UT.


Former Lady Vol Kara Lawson calls out lack of diversity at highest levels of Tennessee Athletics | wbir.com
 
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#60
#60
Former Lady Vol Kara Lawson calls out Lack Of Diversity at highest levels of Tennessee Athletics

"When I look at my alma mater, Knoxville, there is not a single African-American coach at that institution. That is not the same for the majority of the SEC."

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Former Lady Vol Kara Lawson is addressing the lack of diversity at the upper echelons of the University of Tennessee's coaching staff.

The WNBA All-Star addressed her fellow Board of Trustee members in a virtual meeting on Friday, bringing specific attention to the fact that there are currently no Black head coaches at UT.


Former Lady Vol Kara Lawson calls out lack of diversity at highest levels of Tennessee Athletics | wbir.com

why you putting words into her mouth she didnt say it was racist organization she just called them out for the lack of diversity which is a fact.
 
#61
#61
why you putting words into her mouth she didnt say it was racist organization she just called them out for the lack of diversity which is a fact.

This is a quote from the article which is not true. "It’s not just striking. There isn’t any. When I look at my alma mater, Knoxville, there is not a single African-American coach at that institution. That is not the same for the majority of the SEC," Lawson said.

The article says she means head coaches.
There are obviously many black Coaches in the sports at UT.
She says she’s going to go through all the staffs, senior staffs, and those doing the hiring.

Well, who does she want fired because they’re white? Barnes? Heupel? Vitello? Karen? Kellie? Eve, the volleyball Coach building up the team? Rowing, golf, swimming, tennis Coaches? How about the new AD?

Nobody should be hired or fired because they’re black or white.
 
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#62
#62
This is a quote from the article which is not true. "It’s not just striking. There isn’t any. When I look at my alma mater, Knoxville, there is not a single African-American coach at that institution. That is not the same for the majority of the SEC," Lawson said.

The article says she means head coaches.
There are obviously many black Coaches in the sports at UT.
She says she’s going to go through all the staffs, senior staffs, and those doing the hiring.

Well, who does she want fired because they’re white? Barnes? Heupel? Vitello? Karen? Kellie? Eve, the volleyball Coach building up the team? Rowing, golf, swimming, tennis Coaches? How about the new AD?

Nobody should be hired or fired because they’re black or white.
who said fire?? lol it isnt a big deal the fact is there are 0 black head coaches at UT is that not a fact????
 
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#63
#63
who said fire?? lol it isnt a big deal the fact is there are 0 black head coaches at UT is that not a fact????

I do not know whom all our Coaches are, but I am assuming each Head Coach was hired because they were believed to be the best possible available Coach for their sport at that time.
 
#64
#64
I do not know whom all our Coaches are, but I am assuming each Head Coach was hired because they were believed to be the best possible available Coach for their sport at that time.

Many believe this job came down to Kellie and Kara Lawson. Obviously time will tell, but given Fulmer's track record as AD don't be surprised if/when the day comes we look back at that moment he didn't hire the minority candidate as yet another one of his blunders...
 
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#65
#65
Many believe this job came down to Kellie and Kara Lawson. Obviously time will tell, but given Fulmer's track record as AD don't be surprised if/when the day comes we look back at that moment he didn't hire the minority candidate as yet another one of his blunders...

Nope, Kellie was a great hire. After hiring Pruitt, who had never been a Head Coach before, he couldn’t make the same mistake with Kara, who also has never been a Head Coach anywhere before Duke.
 
#66
#66
Nope, Kellie was a great hire. After hiring Pruitt, who had never been a Head Coach before, he couldn’t make the same mistake with Kara, who also has never been a Head Coach anywhere before Duke.

Time will tell if Harper is a great hire or not. But your justification for not hiring Lawson is correct. As added justification, note that Warlick had never been a head coach, either.
 
#67
#67
Many believe this job came down to Kellie and Kara Lawson. Obviously time will tell, but given Fulmer's track record as AD don't be surprised if/when the day comes we look back at that moment he didn't hire the minority candidate as yet another one of his blunders...

Are you saying that despite the lack of any head coaching credentials, Lawson should have been hired over someone with positive head coaching credentials simply because she was a minority candidate?
 
#68
#68
Umm, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees already issued a statement about this a year ago when Kara took the coaching position at Duke and said there was no policy that prohibited Kara from continuing on the Board, and Duke likewise said there was no conflict of interest. I'm not sure why this dead horse is being flogged again.

Even if there were a conflict on a particular issue, Kara can recuse herself from voting on it.

It's not uncommon for university BoT's to include administrators or faculty from other schools.

Kara Lawson: Duke coach will remain a Tennessee trustee
 
#69
#69
Nope, Kellie was a great hire.

Someone should tell recruits that.

After hiring Pruitt, who had never been a Head Coach before, he couldn’t make the same mistake with Kara, who also has never been a Head Coach anywhere before Duke.

You're getting your facts mixed up. Pruitt's hiring had no bearing on Kellie's. After Kellie was hired, Pruitt was signed to extension because he was such a "great hire" after two seasons. Seems familiar...
 
#70
#70
Someone should tell recruits that.

We're trying. She's trying. The staff is trying. Wanna join us or just keep forever complaining?

You're getting your facts mixed up. Pruitt's hiring had no bearing on Kellie's. After Kellie was hired, Pruitt was signed to extension because he was such a "great hire" after two seasons. Seems familiar...

You got it right the first time: Pruitt's hire had nothing to do with Kellie's. So why do you link them?
 
#72
#72
The lack of minorities on our coaching staffs at UT is something other SEC teams use against us in the recruiting wars. It is also something that recruits take note of. It's a helpful thing to point this out to people at UT doing the hiring.

Is Tennessee the only program in the SEC without a minority head coach? If so, it's definitely not a good look...
 
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#73
#73
The lack of minorities on our coaching staffs at UT is something other SEC teams use against us in the recruiting wars. It is also something that recruits take note of. It's a helpful thing to point this out to people at UT doing the hiring.
Interesting. Pat had very few Black staff members and had no trouble recruiting Black players. I don’t think recruits are color blind, and most of them want to play where they are wanted and valued.
 
#74
#74
The following is from early 2020.

Black head coaches in the SEC
SEC members Alabama, Arkansas and Texas A&M also don't have Black head coaches.
Florida leads the SEC with three Black head coaches: Mike Holloway (men's and women's track since 2008), Anthony Nesty (men's swimming since 2018), and Bryan Shelton (men's tennis since 2012)
Auburn with Terri Williams-Flournoy (women's basketball since 2012) and Ralph Spry (track and field coach since 1997); Mississippi State with Chris Woods (track and field since 2019) and Nikki McCray-Penson (new women's basketball coach); and Ole Miss Connie Price-Smith (track and field since 2015) and Yolett McPhee-McCuinn (women's basketball since 2018), South Carolina with Curtis Frye (track and field since 1996) and Dawn Staley (women's basketball since 2008), and Vanderbilt with Derek Mason (football since 2014) and Jerry Stackhouse (men's basketball since 2019), each have two Black coaches.

Georgia with Joni Taylor (women's basketball since 2015), Kentucky with Lonnie Greene (track and field since 2018), LSU with Nikki Fargas (women's basketball since 2011), Missouri with former UT coach Martin (men's basketball since 2017) all have one Black coach.

In UT program history, there have been only three Black head coaches: Wade Houston (1989-94) and Cuonzo Martin (2011-14) in men's basketball, and J.J. Clark (2001-14), who led women's track and field from 2001-11 and director of both the men's and women's programs when the two combined in 2012 through 2014.
UT lists 15 individuals as senior staff members. All are white and four are women.


UT president responds
UT System President Randy Boyd said he is committed to looking at metrics of diversity on staff, and making those numbers public.
"We have to make a concerted effort to improve diversity," Boyd said during a press conference later in the day.
The current lack of diversity is "definitely something we're conscious of and want to address," he said.
"It’s got to be a focus," Boyd said.”

In other words, Boyd agrees with Lawson. Yet another example of somebody’s perfidious disloyalty.



source: Kara Lawson calls on Tennessee to address diversity in athletics
 

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