The controversy surrounding Coventry Lane property continues as professors publish letter supporting investigation.
As concerned faculty, we endorse Athens News editor Terry Smith’s call for a third-party investigation into the propriety of recent negotiations between Ohio University administration and local proprietor John Wharton.
We would like to believe Vice President for Finance and Administration Steve Golding’s statement “that all those involved with the gift acted in good faith and without any improper intent.” Yet reasonable people will wonder what President Roderick McDavis and Senior Associate Athletic Director Ryan White discussed “at length” at a basketball tournament on March 14. We can understand Mr. Wharton not wanting to comment publicly, but reasonable people will ask whether Wharton, a real estate agent, knowingly entered into an arrangement to sell his house above market value to the OU Foundation in return for major donations to Intercollegiate Athletics. The timing and substance of exchanges over both home and gifts are troubling. A neutral investigation that includes testimonies under oath from the parties involved would help to settle these doubts.
The best outcome for the university would be to exonerate the administration from lingering doubts about whether malfeasance took place, something that an internal investigation, however well-intentioned, can never satisfy. At the same time, as faculty who believe we have a central role to play in the stewardship of university resources and preserving the value of its academic reputation, we would hope that if something unethical or illegal occurred it would immediately be brought to light. Only then could we complete the task of restoring the trust of the Ohio University community — students, faculty, alumni, and staff — as well as the members of our local Athens community and the citizens of Ohio to whom our university belongs.
As members of a public university, we agree with Terry Smith that either the Ohio inspector general or the Ohio Ethics Commission would be an appropriate body to investigate possible ethical violations and financial malfeasance. Such a body would have the credibility and the clout to get at the truth and, we hope, answer the serious questions that remain. We invite other faculty to add their names to this letter, which we will consider sending to state representatives if action has not been taken in the meanwhile, by emailing ou.aaup@gmail.com. We share the administration’s desire to restore the reputation of our university as a community that practices ethical behavior and responsible stewardship.
