"None of your business": Albany Times Union hypocrisy

"The Issue: Too often, government keeps secrets for no apparent good reason [...] Tuesday is Election Day. It's a good day to remind government, from town hall to the state Capitol, who's in charge."

"None of your business." Albany Times Union. November 3, 2013: D1 cols 2-4.

Typical Albany Yellow Journal: the publisher George Randolph Hearst III reminding politicians who's in charge (while pretending to subscribers and voters that they matter): filthy rich hypocrites like himself.

Why do UAlbany, the City of Albany, etc. ignore questions, FOIL requests, even calls for help from the public? Could be because Hearst's President of the Board of Directors of the UAlbany Foundation, among other things. Owning politicians and law enforcement is easy when your late father was one of Forbes' 400 (Filthy) Richest Americans and your ancestor was the red-baiting, brownshirt-chummy, yellow journalist - altogether colorful in every wrong way - William Randolph Hearst, no?

That UAlbany, that the City of Albany, Albany County, New York State, do nothing about UAlbany's Clery Act violations, its threats to victims, witnesses, whistleblowers in connection with anything that has to do with athletics (or anything important to Hearst; tobacco money, pseudoscience, etc.) when Hearst profiteers off of UAlbany's vain and dangerous athletic ambitions (to emulate Joe Paterno and Penn State) at the expense of academic integrity, campus security, and the safety of students, faculty, staff, and visitors to the UAlbany campus (including VIPs like President Clinton and President Obama)... well.

William Randolph Hearst: "A man as low and mean as I can picture" - Governor Al Smith

Journalistic ethics: a matter best ignored by Hearst journalists?

Tobacco, the Times Union, and conflicts of interest

                "Hearst in War, Hearst in Peace, Hearst in Every News Release,

                Spreads His Filth and Desolation to Increase His Circulation."

Anti-Hearst Examiner. August 1935. (quoted in Pizzitola, Louis. Hearst Over Hollywood: Power, Passion, and Propaganda in the Movies. NY: Columbia University Press, 2002. 347.)

The Truth, Hearst

Albany County Anti-Crime Victim and Pro-Sexual Violence Center?

"'High numbers are a good thing. And when I say that, that means that, to me, I think they're doing something right that people are reporting. When colleges report zero or very few rapes, that, to me, is a little suspicious,’ said Karen Ziegler, Albany County Crime Victim and Sexual Violence Center.”

Redick, Geoff. "Investigation into SUNY schools." October 31, 2013. YNN. http://capitalregion.ynn.com/content/news/703077/investigation-into-suny-schools/

High numbers don’t necessarily mean they’re doing something right - not SUNY, not the Albany County Crime Victim and Sexual Violence Center.

From: "Amador, Bernard"

Subject: RE: CVSVC Assistance?

Date: May 16, 2012 at 7:42:55 AM EDT

To: "Christopher K. Philippo"

Christopher:

Since this is not a criminal matter and no report is filed with the Albany Police department there is not much assistance we can provide regarding advocacy. I would recommend that you speak with your advisor and the University's Ombudsman.

~Bernard

Bernard Amador, Ph.D.

Supervising Crime Victim Caseworker

Crime Victim and Sexual Violence Center

112 State Street-Rm 1100

Albany, NY 12207-2077

Phone 518-447-5500/Fax 518-447-7102

Celebrating 35 years of serving the community

Worse than useless! Knowingly facilitating crime by doing nothing to help.

The City of Albany Police refused to even reply, much less investigate. The Albany County Sheriff's Office claimed they don't have jurisdiction, and their Senior Investigator claimed that after investigating the question of who does have jurisdiction, he could not arrive at an answer - which doesn't inspire confidence in his investigative abilities, or those of anyone who isn't the "Senior Investigator."

I'd press criminal charges if the law enforcement agencies at the local, county, state, and federal levels weren't all so corrupt that they've refused to take a report for two years! Aside from which, they're incompetent and corrupt in so many horrible ways: https://www.muckrock.com/foi/new-york-16/accreditation-program-records-for-police-departments-in-albany-county-7879/

My advisor was of no help to me, is no longer at the university, and refuses to reply. The university doesn't have an undergraduate ombudsperson - they announced they'd created the office of a (pseudo-)ombudsperson, then never actually created one: http://minervawept.blogspot.com/2012/10/committees-are-very-good-at-getting.html; http://minervawept.blogspot.com/2013/02/suny-albany-cafe-no-students-served.html; http://minervawept.blogspot.com/2012/12/syllabus-how-dare-you-ask-worthless.html; etc.

Albany: a great place to get screwed without consent. People really need to change this for the better, rather than cowering in fear, even advising others to do the same: "When a Women's Studies chair thinks reporting sexual harassment at UAlbany is hopeless..." http://minervawept.blogspot.com/2013/07/when-womens-studies-chair-thinks.html (Professor Hobson had been a very good professor in my experience, having designed a very good online course when some other UAlbany professors absent themselves all semester long from online courses, or deliver online open book tests. Her run-and-hide response to sexual harassment, discrimination, and retaliation at her university was a terribly disappointing surprise - arguably better than the other chairs of the Womens Studies Department who didn't reply at all, though!)

University at Albany: serial sex offender - and entirely unrepentant about it, too

"A three year investigation by the United States Department of Education has prompted New York's public universities to update policies on sexual harassment and sexual assault. As YNN’s Geoff Redick explains, the investigation centered on four SUNY schools, one of them, the University at Albany. […] the investigation also uncovered deficiencies in the way UAlbany handled complaints of sexual harassment and assault.

"The Department of Education said the university did not always conduct full, independent investigations, did not properly notify all parties of the schedules and results of disciplinary hearings, was not prompt in moving complaint cases along and did not always inform the accused of their right to appeal university decisions.

"In response, UAlbany released a statement Thursday, saying, 'We continue to proactively develop numerous resources to assist and support victims of sexual or relationship violence. These guidelines from the Office of Civil Rights will assist us in moving forward.’”

Redick, Geoff. “Investigation into SUNY schools.” YNN. October 31, 2013. http://capitalregion.ynn.com/content/news/703077/investigation-into-suny-schools/

UAlbany has the gall to say that when they have standing threats against me and my family.

The U.S. Department of Education had OK’d UAlbany threatening me and my family in writing and backing those threats with their armed corrupt police department with a history of firearms violations - when I’d reported academic dishonesty, faculty ethics violations, sexual harassment, discrimination, and retaliation. The U.S. Department of Education refuses to respond to questions about their “determination” despite having invited questions in it; they refuses to reply to a FOIA request. Does the bullshit, toothless three-year report they wrote mention any of that? Somehow I doubt it.

https://www.muckrock.com/foi/united-states-of-america-10/us-dept-of-ed-ualbany-communication-re-ocr-case-no-02-12-2157-4876/

Many people at SUNY (UAlbany and also SUNY system administration) belong in federal prison - likewise the politicians and law enforcement agencies (from the local to the federal) that are engaging in criminal facilitation and obstruction of justice so that UAlbany (and one supposes other SUNY campuses as well) may to continue to commit the same crimes repeatedly.

Your tax dollars at work!

Unreal - or rather, it should be.

NYS Code of Ethics for Educators

The Code of Ethics for Educators might be pretty good... if it weren't for the fact that it had taken them about four years to create and approve it (from 1998 to July 2002) and for the disclaimer at the end indicating that the entire thing can essentially be disregarded - which, in practice, it is.

"This Code shall not be used as a basis for discipline by any employer and shall not be used by the State Education Department as a basis for a proceeding under Part 83 of Commissioner's Regulations, nor shall it serve as a basis for decisions pertaining to certification or employment in New York State. Conversely, this Code shall not be interpreted or used to diminish the authority of any public school employer to evaluate or discipline any employee under provisions of law, regulation, or collective bargaining agreement."

http://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/resteachers/codeofethics.html

Whether SUNY ever evaluates or disciplines employees is an open question. UAlbany Lecturer Michael W. Barberich, for example, is permitted to (among his many other misdeeds and crimes) present his teaching assistants' work as his own, to joke about hooking up one of his teaching assistants to electrodes and shocking her until she screams (the only TA who might not have been writing his lectures and lecture notes for him which he'd then present in class and online as his own work) after the department chair had claimed she'd warn him about not engaging in further acts of sexual harassment, to get tip-offs from administrators when he's reported, and to file a false police report about any person who dares to report him.

I'm surprised, in a way, that Michael W. Barberich hasn't been made chair of the department yet with such a record! However, he has for many years been the faculty contact for the National Communication Association's honor society's chapter at UAlbany. The NCA and the Association of College Honor Societies take no issue with his behavior, sadly, perhaps proving that it's not just the keg party variety of Greek letter societies that lack academic and ethical standards.

Michael W. Barberich twice sent me (probably automated) invitations to join the honor society, but I'd neglected to respond each time because I had trouble deciding in time whether to join given who it was sending the invitation - a reticence I shared with my department advisor. He didn't send me a third invitation after I'd reported his faculty ethics violations, academic dishonesty, sexual harassment, discrimination, and retaliation. He did give me an A in his course that I don't seem to have earned, however.

As to my grades within the course, I had to file a FOIL request for those because he didn't provide them, my department advisor wouldn't help me obtain them, nor would the Registrar help, nor would assistant Dean Brian E. Gabriel help, nor would Dean Sue Faerman help, etc. When I complained about having to make a FOIL request for my own grades and how long it would take to get grades well after the course had ended, the Records Access Officer Lisa Taylor cc'd the supposed Senior Counsel John Reilly (Consigliere, more like) when informing me she'd take her time in sending the grades. She didn't even fully comply with the FOIL request, and then UAlbany never cashed the check and never explained why they didn't cash it. If it would have been a crime for them to cash it, it would certainly have been a crime for them to have charged for the records in the first place and to have received the check, surely?

Ms. Taylor also failed to respond to other FOIL requests entirely - causing at least one to be inappropriately, if not outright illegally, brought to the attention Clarence L. McNeill. Clarence "Incompetent" McNeill promptly e-mailed a threat to me never to communicate with anyone at UAlbany other than himself: coercive prior restraint on freedom of speech, association, inquiry, etc. without due process. He then sent the threat Certified Mail via the United States Postal Service.

Ms. Taylor, as seems apt to happen to any unethical SUNY employee over time (see e.g. http://minervawept.blogspot.com/2012/10/galling-memorial-disservice.html and http://minervawept.blogspot.com/2013/06/you-get-award-and-you-get-award-and-you.html , had not so long ago received an award for "excellence" http://www.albany.edu/president/awards/2010/excellence_awards_bios.shtml - presumably for her lack of respect for laws and constitutional rights and her willingness to violate them and to help others at UAlbany do the same? UAlbany's definition of excellence seemingly involves obstruction of justice and criminal facilitation?

Mad World

UAlbany Chief Information Officer Christine Haile: "Amazing that you were here at UAlbany recently. Feel free to drop by if you’re ever on campus."

UAlbany Director of Telecommunications (retired 2012) Tom Neiss: "Chris I wish I had known you were at UAlbany, I could have given you a job."

The State University of New York Computing Officers Association created a John Philippo Lifetime Achievement award in Dad’s honor around 2006 - at the urging of Tom Neiss, I understand, who was also the last recipient of the award. It’s a Waterford crystal sailboat mounted on wood with an engraved brass plate with the name of the recipient, the year, and the name of the award.

Amazing - I wish I had known the presentation was made to Neiss by Haile shortly after I'd graduated - and in between some of Clarence L. McNeill's written threats to me and my family.

SUNY Chief Information Security Officer Theodore K. Phelps: "This is the portrait of your father that SUNY uses in its Award honoring your father.

"In response to your request through Senator Neil Breslin, I opened our framed portrait, which was made by Elaine Neiss around 1994 from a scanned family photo, as I recall. It hangs in my office at SUNY System Administration in downtown Albany and gives me inspiration, especially when the need for patience and leadership wisdom presses on me. I worked in John’s unit with Tom Neiss doing networks in the 1990s and was one of the several hundred people who participated in his memorial here."

While UAlbany was sending threats to me and my family, a picture of me was framed on the wall at SUNY System Administration. I'm the black space (a dark blue blazer) over Dad's left shoulder; the photo was cropped from a picture of our family taken at one of my cousin's weddings.

Insincerely, Senator Neil D. Breslin

From: Neil D Breslin

Subject: Your E-mail

Date: October 22, 2013 4:01:33 PM EDT

My office is in receipt of your e-mail. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. Input from my constituency is of great importance to me. The volume of mail my office receives has increased tremendously, and I will respond as soon as possible if you have a specific inquiry. Please be sure to include your complete name and postal address in your e-mail.

If you wrote to share an opinion or viewpoint, but did not request a specific response, be assured that I read my mail and will take your views into consideration. If you are not a resident of my senatorial district, your inquiry will be forwarded to your state senator. If you contacted me about a federal issue, not state, your inquiry will be forwarded to your federal congressional representative.

If your e-mail is of an urgent nature, please contact my office at (518) 455-2225. Again, thank you for contacting the Office of Senator Neil Breslin.

Some of Senator Neil D. Breslin's more outrageous lies have been rendered in bold. I have a collection of such automated acknowledgements from Breslin's office. Matters he's unconcerned about are pretty extensive, including the mismanagement of SUNY sexual offender registries. He's evidently in favor of their mismanagement?

Not to pick on Mr. Breslin, though: other politicians, at every level of government, belonging to just about every party, are about the same.

UAlbany: Home of the Craigslist Killer and apologists for torture

"at the University at Albany, Mr. Markoff was a member of the College Republicans, and traveled to Washington in 2004 to hear speeches by Ann Coulter and Karl Rove."

Goodnough, Abby and Nate Sweber and Javier C. Hernandez. "Details, but Little Insight, on Craigslist Killing Suspect." N.Y. Times. April 28, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/28/us/28boston.html

I'd been at a debate between the College Republicans (of which the "Craigslist Killer" Philip Markoff was a member, as above noted) and the Campus Greens. The CReeps literally high-fived each other over an "argument" they made in which they excused torture at Abu Ghraib by equating it to fraternity hazing. If they're aware of fraternity hazing at UAlbany that rises to the level of the torture at Abu Ghraib, or even of any hazing whatsoever, they'd be obliged to report it.

"During his college years at the University at Albany-SUNY, he indulged in poker nearly every weekend, often all night. He was a bitter loser and not one to walk readily away from a losing streak. James Kehoe, a friend from Albany, said that in addition to poker, Markoff liked video games and golfand marijuana [...] Markoff belonged to a College Republican Club and to a medical fraternity. He supported the Iraq war and gun rights" (bold emphasis added)

Hawkins, Kristal. "The Illicit List: Crime and Craigslist." Crime Library on truTV.com. http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/classics/craigslist_crimes/3.html

Did his support of the Iraq war extend to supporting war crimes as it did for some of the other CReeps?

Granted, there has been hazing at UAlbany somewhat of the Abu Ghraib nature - e.g. in 1988 a pledge in his underwear was electrocuted in an electrified, cold, polluted stormwater runoff pond filled with metal debris: https://sites.google.com/site/notthenormalschool/

The electrocuted student's death was decided not to be the result of hazing because he allegedly consented to it. Yeah, right. Typical UAlbany administrative logic. Joe Paterno fan Bob Ford then pressured the electrocuted student's younger brother to join the football team.

As I found in the Communication Department in 2011, a middle-aged untenured white male American professor can joke about hooking up a young, petite, Asian female foreign national PhD candidate teaching assistant to electrodes and shocking her until she screams - and Jeanette Altarriba, the chair of the "Presidential Advisory Council for the Prevention of Sexual Assault" will ensure that such men can continue gratifying themselves in that way and that any students who report it are severely retaliated against. Go Great Danes! :-(

Some CReep writing:

" Take for example the claim that the media has been tracking in lieu of news lately, that President Obama was born in Kenya and faked his birth certificate, making his presidency illegal under the Constitution's Article 2 mandate for natural born citizens to serve as Presidents. The proponents of this theory have given liberals another reason to chuckle at those silly conservative wing-nuts.

"What I am suggesting is that the Obama administration itself is responsible for the resurgence in popularity of this theory. Seriously, think about it, who benefits the most from the theory? Barack Obama, that's who."

O'Neill, Matt. "Attention True Believers: the Truth About 'Birthers.'" UAlbany College Republicans. August 8, 2009. http://uacr.blogspot.com/2009/08/attention-true-believers-truth-about.html

Wingnuts either way.

More charming CReep writing, ignoring the possibility that firing someone for using a racial slur might also be a form of free speech and that perhaps society's better served by having people on the air who aren't morons:

Shock Jock Don Imus recently referred to the Rutger's Women's Basketball team as, 'nappy-headed hos.' The racial slur led to a two week suspension from his job broadcasting from CBS. MSNBC followed suit by dropping the simulcast of his morning show. This raises a few important questions: Are we becoming too politically correct as a society? Are people over reacting [sic] to Imus' comments? [...] If some one [sic] doesn't like an opinion, they don't have to read it or listen to it. Society is better served by having morons like Don Imus out there, than having the thought police regulating what can be said.

Novak, James. "Lynching Free Speech." Albany College Republicans. April 12, 2007. http://albanyrepublicans.blogspot.com/2007/04/lynching-free-speech-by-james-novak.html

As I recall, the CReeps proclaimed themselves the victors of the debate on their website. Markoff could've been one of the high-fivers; I don't recall what the young men looked like. One wonders what the other CReeps got up to after they graduated and whether they've turned out to be better or worse than their friend Markoff did.

I do hope other universities aren't quite as sick.