Re: paleonet FW: Potential closing of the University of NebraskaState Museum

[Leigh Van Valen <leigh@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

  "Wherein I do not know, thereof I shall not speak." - Wittgenstein

  The Nebraska State Museum is one of the major museums in the country 
and is notably strong in later Cenozoic mammals.  It has a strong 
curatorial staff, at least most of whom I am glad to see are tenured. 
This fact will probably eliminate much of the stated savings; if not, 
a serious confrontation with AAUP will occur, with the university 
unlikely to prevail.

  The problem is obviously one of priorities.  I also know nothing of 
Nebraska's financial status.  However, nonscientists, especially 
anti-evolutionists, can easily see as superfluous a unit which they 
don't understand and which they perceive as lacking political clout. 
The request is for outsiders to try to remedy these lacks.

Leigh


>Requests such as this are dreadfully sad, but also sadly 
>inappropriate. We know nothing of the context. Some Solomon 
>somewhere is obliged to cut babies in half and they like doing that 
>no more than we like having it done to us.
>
>There is a reality out there that relates to money. For whatever 
>reason(s) at the moment the economy is a secondary issue and we are 
>all involved in a deep recession. As a result we are in some rather 
>dreadful Darwinian times. At issue may be the survival of whole 
>university departments and programs. But why should we be immune 
>from this tragedy but not concern ourselves with the cuts applied 
>across the board to Buildings and Grounds staffs or to Housekeepers 
>in our dorms or to Joe down the road who just lost his job...? 
>Places that are important hardly need a writing campaign to justify 
>their continuation or future existence.
>
>You have my deepest sympathy but I don't know enough about your 
>state, your university, etc. to provide a meaningful letter.
>
>Chris Baldwin
>
>Michael Cuggy wrote:
>
>>I am forwarding this message sent to me from a friend in SVP.
>>-----------------------------------------------
>>Michael B. Cuggy
>>
>>>To SVP Members,
>>>
>>>At the University of Nebraska, we, like so many institutions, have been
>>>undergoing severe budget cuts over the past several months. The University
>>>of Nebraska State Museum had been left spared from these cuts - until
>>>yesterday. We received news of the Chancellor's recommendations for a
>>>portion of the third round of cuts, as quoted from the Chancellor's email