U.S. and the rest of the world must cooperate for the benefit of all

Wednesday, May 03, 2017

[mpen-dayton] Greater Miami Valley Events & News

FYI.  Best, Munsup

P.S. Please reply back to me with 'unsubscribe' added to the subject line if you no longer want to receive my e-Newsletters. The convenient link to unsubscribe is no longer available due to security reasons to protect my email servers.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  • (May 4) FW: May 4th Vigil for Peace
  • (May 11) FW: You're Invited! One City: Many People, Many Voices
  • (May 13) FW: SPAN Ohio Local Organizing Meeting
  • (Save the Date: May 20) Save the date for the annual Peace Bridge
  • FW: A message from GetUp Montgomery County
  • FW: WSU News Worth Sharing

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Logan Martinez
Subject: May 4th Vigil for Peace


May 4th Vigil for Peace
Thursday May 4, 2017 at 4:30 PM
Rep. Mike Turner's Office, 120 W. Third St., Dayton OH 45402


At 5:30 PM we will meet at the house behind the Trolley Stop, 530 E 5th Street, for a roundtable discussion on how to build the peace movement here in Dayton. Please share. https://www.facebook.com/events/284244845348511/


End the Wars!  Remember Kent State!


Thursday May 4, 2017 is the 47th anniversary of the Kent State shootings during an anti-war protest by students at Kent State University.  In the spring of 1970, the Nixon administration orchestrated the overthrow of the Cambodian government, setting up a military dictatorship and paving the way for a US invasion.  After 11 years of war in Vietnam, the American people were growing weary of the cost in lives and money. Across the country student protests had increased both in numbers and militancy.

At Kent State there was a sharp confrontation between police and student protestors.  On Saturday night May 2nd an unknown arsonist burned the Army ROTC building to the ground. Governor Rhodes called out the National Guard and on May 4 they fired into unarmed protesters killing 4 and wounding 9. Across the US, campuses and communities erupted into massive protests against the war, the draft and the shooting at Kent State. Hundreds of college campuses were shut down as students went on strike, the largest student strike in US history. In Mississippi, two black students were killed the next week. Black and white students united in calling for black studies courses, more minority enrollment at colleges, and opposition to the war.

Wars continue throughout the Middle East and Africa. Billions of dollars are being squandered in this quagmire; money that could be used to create jobs here in the US.  Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, two of the longest wars in our history. American foreign policy is aimed at making the world safe for US corporations.  The world needs a peace movement now more than ever.

 

 

From: Karla Garrett Harshaw, Melissa Bertolo, Catherine Crosby and David Greer
Subject: FW: You're Invited! One City: Many People, Many Voices


A fundraiser to support vital services for Greater Dayton's immigrants and refugees

May 11, 2017 | 5:30- 8:00 PM
Montgomery County Fairgrounds, Historic Roundhouse
1043 South Main Street, Dayton

Beer, wine, and appetizers celebrating Dayton's international flavors.
Entertainment by Rev. Cool


One City: Many People, Many Voices fundraiser is seen as the first step of providing a means for the Greater Dayton community to invest in welcoming the immigrants who are already here and who may come in the future. In light of some of the changes occurring at the federal level, Welcome Dayton and community partners decided that it was important to come together to raise awareness, friends, and funds so that programs that assist immigrants and refugees in the region continue to have a stable, financial foundation.
   

  • $100 PATRON | $250 GRAND PATRON | $500 TRADEMARK SPONSOR
  • $1,000 PATENT SPONSOR | $2,500 INNOVATION SPONSOR


To purchase tickets, a sponsorship, or make a donation online, use the Online Donation form on ablelaw.org. Under Gift Information, please select "One City Donations" in the Donation Options dropdown list. In the Comments box, indicate the level of sponsorship or number of patron tickets.


One City Tickets Donation


Our top priority for the fundraiser is an Immigrant Legal Defense Fund through Advocates for Basic Legal Equality (ABLE). Given the recent Executive Orders related to immigration, there is a great need to provide accurate information and legal consultation to the many immigrant families impacted by these changes. Additional funding is necessary to support the legal counsel and representation immigrants will need under the current administration.

Additional priority fundraising areas directly support Welcome Dayton's education and outreach efforts with immigrant and refugee communities, as well as opportunities to build stronger social and economic inclusion in Dayton. The funds raised during this event are for immigrants who have already moved to Dayton and will not be used to attract new immigrants to Dayton.

We hope you will consider being a part of the fundraiser that will create and provide an opportunity for the Dayton community to continue to demonstrate that it is inclusive, welcoming, and supportive of its newest residents.


onecity.ablelaw.org

One City

One City Sponsors

Click anywhere on the invitation below to access tickets and more information.

http://files.constantcontact.com/247971e7001/cfeeacac-142a-4e0e-8882-c3bcd42b436d.jpg

 

 

From: Matthew Noordsij-Jones (nj); Region 7 Coordinator, SPAN Ohio
Subject: SPAN Ohio Local Organizing Meeting


Now is the time for Single Payer in Ohio! Join us to organize in the Miami Valley. We will be meeting on Saturday May 13th at 4pm to discuss and plan many upcoming events and welcoming new advocates to the cause.

There is a change in venue from our normal get-togethers. We will meet at the Community Room of the Electra C Doren Library at 701 Troy Street in North Dayton.

If anyone has activities or topics that they would like talk about please let me know or just bring them to the meeting. We will have snacks/refreshments. Please feel free to invite anyone else who may be interested in helping to organize as we build this movement!

From: Colette M. Harrison, PhD, Greater Dayton Unites!
Subject: Save the date for the annual Peace Bridge

The annual Peace Bridge event will take place on Saturday, May 20. It will be followed by a 2-part workshop (with dinner): Healing Our Nation - A World Without Racism. Registration for the workshop & dinner is $15. People can contact me (at UnityInDiversity_2015_Dayton@yaho.com) for additional information and to reserve their place as the workshop is limited to 25 participants.


 

From: GetUpMC
Subject: A message from GetUp Montgomery County

What a busy start to the year it has been! I have enjoyed meeting new partners and working with many of you in Montgomery County. Please read the Spring 2017 GetUp Newsletter and note GetUp's partnership with Dayton Metro Library's Summer Challenge, as is seen here:


 

 

From: WSU Retirees Association
Subject: WSU News Worth Sharing

WSU Retirees Association

Never a dull moment at Wright State, or so it seems. If you haven't been paying attention recently, here are the news items that have been posted this month. Access these stories and more at the RETIREES WEBSITE.  -- Abe Bassett, Web Master.
   


Four more recent DDN Articles (added by Munsup):

  1. Wright State's executive vice president resigns
  2. Central State taken off fiscal watch as Wright State edges toward it
  3. Wright State trustees implementing new financial 'guardrails'
  4. Moody's Investors Service downgrades Wright State's credit rating

 


Wright State's executive vice president resigns

Updated: 5:11 p.m. Friday, April 21, 2017 | Posted: 9:04 a.m. Friday, April 21, 2017


Wright State University's executive vice president of planning is resigning, the Dayton Daily News has learned.

Robert Sweeney's last day as part of the WSU administration will be May 20, said spokesman Seth Bauguess. Sweeney also serves as secretary to the board of trustees.

Sweeney will return to a finance faculty position in the Raj Soin College of Business. He will begin teaching full-time again either this summer or in the fall, Bauguess said.

RELATED: Top administrators looking to leave WSU for new jobs

Sweeney was not immediately available to comment on Thursday.

RELATED: Top Wright State official gets $60,000 extra for debate prep 

Sweeney's resignation comes just days after this news organization learned that provost Tom Sudkamp and associate provost Steven Berberich are looking to leave the university. The two leaders were named as finalists for jobs at two different universities in Arkansas.

Robert Fyffe, Wright State's vice president of research and graduate school dean, also recently announced he would resign, effective Sept. 30.

RELATED: Next WSU president talks about budget cuts, STEM jobs, working with faculty

Fyffe's resignation came less than two weeks after an audit of WSU's research funding was released by the board of trustees.

The leadership changes come as the school is dealing with a financial crisis that requires the administration to cut $25 million from next year's budget to balance the books.

Wright State trustees have said they expected administrators to resign as the university begins the transition of bringing its next president into office.

5 HIGHER ED MUST READS
   

 

Central State taken off fiscal watch as Wright State edges toward it

Max Filby, Staff Writer, 5:40 p.m Thursday, April 27, 2017 News


As Central State University exits fiscal watch by the state, Ohio's higher education chief warned that Wright State University could be on the brink of entering it.

Chancellor John Carey visited CSU early Thursday to make the university's improved financial position official.

"You went through some very rough times and made some very difficult decisions for the benefit of the campus and for the students," Carey said.

RELATED: Wright State may lay off up to 120 people to save $8 million

Central State was placed on fiscal watch in 2015, after it fell below a state threshold measuring financial health two years in a row.

The state measures every public college's fiscal health with something called a "Senate Bill 6 score," an annual rating of 0 to 5. Any school that falls below a 1.75 two years in a row is put on notice.

Central State scored a 1.3 in 2013 and a 1 in 2014. Since then, CSU's scores increased to 2.3 in 2015 and then to 2.8 last year.

To get removed from fiscal watch, a university must meet a rating of at least 2.4 and must also remediate all conditions that led to its financial troubles.

"This is very important for the university," said president Cynthia Jackson-Hammond . "No one likes to be on fiscal watch but it was an opportunity for us to regroup, rethink, re-strategize and re-position ourselves for a better future."

A decline in enrollment and students' difficulty in qualifying for federal financial aid were major challenges for the historically-black university, Jackson-Hammond has said.

TWEET: Follow reporter Max Filby on Twitter for more higher ed news

CSU's fall enrollment decreased by more than 15 percent from 2,068 in 2013 to 1,751 in 2015, according to the state. As of fall 2016, that number had ticked up to 1,804, according to a preliminary state enrollment report.

Central State and Owens Community College near Toledo are the only two Ohio colleges that have been placed on fiscal watch. Wright State is trying to avoid becoming the third.

With a Senate Bill 6 score of 2.1, WSU now has the lowest rating of Ohio's 14 public universities and 23 community colleges. WSU's score is down from a 2.4 in 2015, according to state records.

Wright State would still need to fall below the 1.75 threshold two years in a row but Carey said it could happen.

"I think there is that possibility," Carey said after the announcement Thursday. "They're working very hard to avoid going into fiscal watch… if they're unable to make the right decisions within enough time, they could go into fiscal watch."

WSU, just 20 minutes northeast of CSU in Greene County, has to slash $25 million from its upcoming budget while also increasing reserve funds by $5 million. Wright State may lay off up to 120 people in order to save $8 million but layoffs won't be announced until next month, school officials have said.

RELATED: Central State celebrating its 130th birthday this year

"If you use the Senate Bill 6 standards, there is a distinct possibility that Wright State could be put on fiscal watch," said Michael Bridges, chairman of the WSU board of trustees. "We'll already be getting healthier by the time that happens though."

Central State implemented its own budget constraints to correct its finances. CSU cut expenses by more than $10 million in 2015 and also sought to boost enrollment. Like Central State, Owens has also been removed from fiscal watch.

CSU's president offered some support to WSU leaders as they prepare to face down their own financial problems.

"I think Wright State has the right leadership and the right team there to be able to work through whatever challenges that they're having," Jackson-Hammond said. "I trust that they will be as successful as we are."

5 HIGHER ED MUST READS
   

 



Wright State trustees implementing new financial 'guardrails'

Max Filby,  Staff Writer, posted at 12:08 p.m Friday, April 28, 2017 News


Wright State University's board of trustees is rewriting the school's financial reporting policy to require more details to be provided to the board on a regular basis.

The new policy the board will follow sets up financial "guardrails" or indicators that measure finances to quickly alert trustees if a downturn is looming. The details, such as calculations of revenues versus expenses and reserve fund level, among others, were not regularly reported to the board, said Doug Fecher, chairman of the board's finance committee.

RELATED: CSU removed from fiscal watch as Wright State edges toward it

Wright State is in the midst of a financial crisis and must cut $25 million from its next budget for the school to regain its financial footing.

The last time the board updated its finance policy was in 2003. Fecher suggested that the 2003 policy was just "shelfware."

He said that the new policy will serve a clear purpose and will be reviewed annually by trustees.

"We need an effective policy and one that works," Fecher said. "Last updated in 2003, it was in many folks estimation not strong enough for the university we run today."

WSU's finance committee deliberated the new policy after a public session Friday morning in which the full board heard from staff and students who expressed concern and disdain about how the university's budget issues came to be.

One staff member complained about how administrators and trustees said they would try to limit the number of faculty that are laid off as opposed to staff. Laying off staff seems to be the "soft place to land" in times of crisis, said Jerry Hensley, president of the unclassified staff advisory council.

RELATED: Wright State may lay off up to 120 people to save $8 million

The university may lay off between 80 and 120 employees next month, officials have said.

"We are angry at the negligence and the lack of accountability that has brought us here," Hensley said.

Wright State has spent more money than it brought in since 2012, the Dayton Daily News reported last month. The university is projected to have overspent by more than $120 million over the last six years.

Separately, the board of trustees voted to elect Fecher to be the next chairman of the board and Anuj Goyal was named the next vice chairman of the board. Fecher is the president and CEO of Wright-Patt Credit Union and Goyal has a medical practice that includes pulmonary disease, critical care and sleep medicine.

5 HIGHER ED MUST READS



Moody's Investors Service downgrades Wright State's credit rating

Posted: 6:20 p.m. Tuesday, May 02, 2017


Moody's Investors Service has downgraded Wright State University's credit rating as school officials are dealing with an ongoing financial crisis.

Moody's decreased Wright State's rating from A2 to Baa2 based on the college's "severe financial deterioration in a short period of time." Wright State is projected to have overspent by more than $120 million over the past six years, spending down most of its reserve funds.

RELATED: WSU could lay off up to 120 to save $8 million

"We shouldn't be surprised after years of overspending," said Doug Fecher, chairman of the WSU board of trustees finance committee. "It was inevitable there was going to be a downgrade like this."

Universities sometimes take out loans to build new buildings on campus, something the new Moody's rating could prevent WSU from doing.

"With a rating like this, we simply wouldn't be able to," Fecher said.

The school does not have any plans to take out loans for anything anytime soon though, officials have said. The downgrade will not have an impact on the $68 million in outstanding debt WSU already has, Fecher said.

"This is more of a reputational issue than a financial issue," Fecher said of the downgrade.

TWEET: Follow reporter Max Filby on Twitter for more higher ed news

Wright State officials must slash $25 million from the school's upcoming budget while also boosting reserves by $5 million.

The university is expected to lay off up to 120 people to save $8 million. As many as 50 more jobs may remain vacant to save another $5 million, according to an outline of proposed budget cuts.

The credit report from Moody's cited WSU's "inflexible expense base" as to why it will be difficult for the college to regain its financial footing.

"Realizing adequate savings to align with revenues will prove challenging," the report reads. "Should the university not accomplish its expense realignment plan, it will continue to have deficit operations and potential further draw downs on liquidity, which could trigger additional downward rating pressure."

The college has already implemented some preliminary cuts such as prohibiting overnight travel for officials and no longer reimbursing employees for work-related cell phone use.

RELATED: Incoming Wright State students unfazed by school's recent troubles

To improve its credit rating, Wright State would need to improve its cash flow and reserves relative to its debt, according to Moody's. Failure to so could lead to another credit downgrade.

Fecher said he's confident the university will be able to realign its budget and eventually turn the rating around though.

"It's just part of what we have to go through to get to where we have to go," Fecher said. "We're moving forward with the budget remediation. We have to."

 

End of MPEN e-Newsletter

posted by lucas at 6:28 PM

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home