This is the same kind of template reply that everyone who has emailed Petersen, Simek, Bursten, and the Governor has been receiving all summer. It says nothing other than the UT administration is not willing to budge an inch and by extension, is not looking at alternatives to killing the UT ASP academic programs.

I particularly loathe the statement Simek made in this, which is part of the mantra they've all been reciting: "If the proposal passes, we will work diligently to help currently enrolled students complete their degree plans in a timely manner. During the phase-out period, faculty and staff will continue to deliver courses, advise and provide other services."

That is complete crap. Current and prospective students in the ASP programs know that the ASP academic programs are facing elimination. The non-tenured faculty and the staff supervisors are beginning already to look for work elsewhere. These programs cannot be continued long enough to allow all current students to graduate. ASHA (the national organization of audiology and speech pathology) has very stringent accreditation guidelines regarding graduate education.

If the ASP programs are eliminated on Oct. 23, department employees will start going elsewhere, and soon, key areas required by ASHA for accreditation will no longer be taught. Therefore, graduate students would have to transfer to other ASP programs to graduate. This all plays into Petersen's hands.. the sooner the academic program is incapacitated, the better.

Petersen, Simek and Bursten have already made much headway on their elimination, because they've caused this long-standing, effective, high-lauded academic program a great deal of damage by keeping it in limbo from June 20 through October 23.

They are not saying a damn thing publicly about the budget cuts, and they are not talking to ASP officials, although the Trustees specifically asked Petersen to come up with alternatives to cutting the program. He's sitting on his butt and going to go back to the Trustees on Oct. 23 and tell them nothing can be done, and for the good of the University, the ASP programs have to be cut.

Petersen wants to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on Cherokee Farm, ORNL/UT-Battelle, and on the Neyland Stadium Master Plan. He doesn't want to spend any "unnecessary" money on the main UTK campus academic programs.. things like faculty positions, office supplies, and raises for deserving and underpaid faculty and staff. Read David Patterson's article. (link...)

Delays in, or revisions to, these massive projects and their concommitant outlays would free up millions of dollars that could be used to improve the main UTK academic operations. These three programs on the block could be saved, and vacant faculty positions across the board could be filled.

Why is it so important to President Petersen that the Audiology and Speech Pathology programs be eliminated? If a true answer could be found to that question, much about the inner political machinations of UT could be learned.