Category: college

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Google Censors?

Warren Baker Aging President of Cal polyWell, for those who haven’t noticed… tech savvy folks have been trying to lower the boom on opinions they do not like by getting folks like Google to drop their site.

My wife’s site ( http://www.laurafreberg.com ) hasn’t been visited by Google since June… and here we are in August 2008. Why is this? Laura’s site has nothing to do with politics and everything to do with Psychology, but it seems that everyone is getting whacked here.

The biggest problem is Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and I would like to lay the problem at their door and … there seems to be some evidence. The picture you see on the left appears to be a parody of Cal Poly’s aging President… the great Warren Baker. Well, there was a time when you could do a ‘Google Search’ and find this picture when you searched : Cal Poly, Cal Poly & Saudi Arabia or Warren Baker.

Today, nothing comes up on the search. Why is that ol Googly eyes?

There was another picture of Osama Bin laden in a Cal poly engineering sweater that can’t be found… it is very funny…

There is a story of how Google is suppressing blogs that use their site… but I will leave that to your reading….(Hint) it’s on one of the YAHOO lists.

So, here are a few things you can’t find on Google:

Cal Poly Graduation: Be ‘coul’ dude

Who’s really embarrassing Cal Poly?

Cal Poly & Saudi Arabia: Send in the clowns!

Behind the Cal Poly & Saudi Arabian Green Door

ssshhh… Saudi Arabia is watching you!

Cal Poly degrees for Sale? (contains a picture of Osama Bin Laden in a Cal Poly Engineering Sweater)

Want more fun? Check out all the posts under Cal Poly!

So…. Google…. let my bloggers go!

Roger Freberg

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Ode to daughters

My daughter Karen Freberg and her evolving life
As readers of my blog know… I have three daughters: Kristin, Karen and Karla. Although I was not either trained or prepared to raise daughters, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Daughters need fathers in ways sons seldom do…. and best of all… they keep in touch.

I was thinking these past weeks while two of my daughters were site seeing in and around Beijing, how much they have changed, grown and off doing many interesting things.

Although the picture above goes from right to left on Karen’s ‘evolution’ from a middle school thrower to a Ph.D. student at the University of Tennessee, it reminds me of the many challenges met in her varied athletic experience. One of the fortunate lessons from her mother was to develop a ‘life after sports’ and this can be easily viewed in watching her strong academic efforts.

Just a note , ladies, you all make me proud to be your daddy.

Roger Freberg

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Who’s REALLY embarrassing Cal Poly?

Warren Baker, who is REALLY embarrassing Cal Poly?

Who’s Really embarrassing Cal Poly?

Recently, a member of the engineering faculty was called into what appeared to be a administrative ‘disciplinary meeting’ but ended as a rant by the engineering dean and the provost regarding how certain disgruntled folks were ‘embarrassing the university.’ Little did they know, it aint one guy!

Well, the only advice I can give Cal Poly is ‘don’t do anything embarrassing.’ Unfortunately, according to one expose’, Cal Poly has a lot of things that might be called ‘embarrassing’; here are a few select quotes:

1) “Declining morale and a high level of turnovers also plague the college. During the past three years, staff turnovers have exceeded 50 percent. In addition, six chairs have stepped down and numerous faculty and staff have voiced dissatisfaction.”

2) “… this year’s anticipated $1.3 million shortfall.”

3) “Noori also is the guiding force behind a controversial effort by Cal Poly officials to provide College of Engineering expertise and personnel to help start a similar institution in Jubail, Saudi Arabia. Critics of the plan contend women, Jews and other minorities will be excluded.”

4) It appears as though both Dean Mohammad Noori and Provost Bill Durgan worked at the same small college years ago which may explain why:

Cal Poly Professor Mike Cirovic said, “Durgin wanted to quell rumors that would not help, and in fact, would harm the college.”

5) Yet, Mohammad is “the highest paid dean, adding salary and perks, in the California State University system”…. And in spite of faculty objections has been rewarded by higher administrators by having his: “salary has increased 11 percent over the past two years; his $900 monthly housing allowance is additional to his $213,000 annual salary.”

6) One can only wonder why Cal Poly even entertained employing Mohammad Noori after comments like this were made by North Carolina State University:

“He is an incredible bully who doesn’t respect his faculty,” said Larry Silverberg, Professor and Associate Head of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at NCSU. “This place shut down while we waited for his contract to run out.”

In any event, the one thing I have learned about Cal Poly is that everything starts at the top. Nothing, from my observation, happens without Cal Poly President’s Warren Baker’s tacit or expressed approval.

So, who is really embarrassing Cal Poly? Don’t be surprised after all this; Warren gets a 21% raise.

Roger

For the complete story on the recent Cal Poly Follies!

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Kristin, Karen in Beijing with the Reputation Institute

New friends ni China

Karen had her big presentation at the Reputation Institute in Beijing, yesterday and she sounded like she was ready to go to sleep when it was all over! Kristin said she did a great job… and I know how much that means to Karen.

Here’s  Karen’s Blog  on the event complete with paper and power points! She was discussing Yahoo’s public relations relatively recent nightmare.

Have fun, ladies!

Dad

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Cal Poly & Saudi Arabia : Send in the Clowns!

Cal Poly and Saudi Arabia: Send In the Clowns!
For those folks who know me, I rather be spending time cooking! In fact, I just came back from a fun trip to Hawaii & Chicago where the culinary delights were a wonderful distraction… however, all good things come to an end and here I am back in Cal Poly Folly land.

As I mentioned before my trip, Cal Poly has a way of getting caught up in their own misspoken statements ( ‘lies’ sounds so judgemental and may not be completely accurate… ahem!)

As it happens a lot, certain incriminating ’emails’ were leaked. I have seen them and they are enlightening in their apparent eagerness to skirt the law and seal the deal. The Cal Poly Mustang Daily did a reasonable job in reporting the issue as did our own investigative favorite reporters at uncoveredslo.com. Check it out!

Cal Poly’s aging President Warren Baker has a tough time talking before any group larger than 1, which is why we don’t see him very often… anywhere. This is why he sent in ‘the clowns.’ Unfortunately, they know what their objective is… but they can’t get there by telling everyone what’s going on. Looking at the emails, we can certainly see why. Here’s one example as quoted by uncoveredslo.com:

“I really, really hope we can avoid asking for a clarification of this phrasing and simply tell them we’re ready to sign. I’m quite afraid that another round of ‘pickiness’ on our part could be the proverbial straw on the camel’s back.”



So, let me understand a few things here:

1) This contract appears to involve direct or indirect hiring discrimination… but we’re not supposed to know about it?

2) We’re just supposed to ‘sign’ the Arabic version of the contract (also the ‘binding version’) without knowing what it says? What independent source is doing the translation?

3) If this contract really doesn’t benefit our students, but will actually replace our faculty with first year grad students, why are we doing this?

4) Who is this REALLY benefiting? Cal Poly? or a key donor? I hope this doesn’t depend on what the meaning of ‘is’ is?

Cal Poly’s administration — including Warren Baker and Mohammad Noori — have failed to provide a transparent process, have not been forthcoming when questioned, and apparently continuing to push forward regardless of long term consequences.

Let’s just say, if any of them worked for me… they’d be long gone.

Roger Freberg