Just a general question about President Leath

  • After Iowa State won the Big 12, a Cyclone made a wonderful offer to We Will that now increases our match. Now all gifts up to $400,000 between now and the Final 4 will be matched. Please consider giving at We Will Collective.
    This notice can be dismissed using the upper right corner X button.

jkclone

Well-Known Member
Bookie
Jan 21, 2013
5,834
2,360
83
Urbandale
I guess I don't really understand the VEISHEA deal. When I was a student back in the early 1980's anyway, it was viewed as mainly a Greek thing and a drinking thing. The Greek community did events they could put on their resumes and the other students went to the bars.

I rarely did anything connected to VEISHEA other than watch the parade if I didn't have work that day, which I usually did since I worked several jobs while in college, and some of the intramural sports they did connected to VEISHEA.

As far as I can tell from having a recent graduate, everyone still goes to the bars during what would have been VEISHEA and the rest of the year too. I suppose the crowds are smaller because fewer people come from out of town. They still run intramurals. I really have no idea what the Greek community does. I guess student groups have lost fundraising opportunities connected to VEISHEA, which I don't remember much of when I was a student. It seems like there are other times with lots of people on campus, like commencement, where they could make up some of their lost income.

With the number of instances of rioting, I am not sure what Leath should have done differently other than perhaps suspending it with a set time to reevaluate it once more time was spent on trying to fix it, but I think they tried that before. I guess he could have instituted other events in its place and given it a go. I just have less problems with the loss of VEISHEA than the political patronage and cronyism.
I never got to experience it because this happened my freshmen year, but I do have a couple things. Homecoming is the Greek one. VEISHEA is the one that seemed to include the whole school. I think that a big part is that now the school seems very segregated by college.

When it comes down to the specifics of how to fix VEISHEA it always comes down to the Ames PD didn't plan how to handle it. I know it was a Tuesday, but there was no excuse for the limited amount of police officers during VEISHEA. Second I will never understand who thought it was a good idea to break up multiple parties and send everyone to campustown. This years shooting has proven that the issue isn't VEISHEA the issue is warm weather in the spring. It could be improved by setting up an area to consolidate an control the drinking. Then for off campus parties if they need to be broken up disperse the crowds away from campustown. Party hosts also need to take on the responsibility that if they are going to host a party they also have to deal with some of what comes with it. I've heard that the hosts would call to have the party broken up. While police should assist there should be a more gradual slow down of the party.
 

carvers4math

Well-Known Member
Mar 15, 2012
20,370
16,030
113
I texted my student during the last day of VEISHEA to see where he was, being I think a Tuesday. He was actually in the library, I guess it wasn't crowded much then. He was working with another student in one of those library rooms where groups can work, and the other kid had seen about the mess going down on social media. My son of course wanting to go do one of those watch the train wreck things, but convinced him just to go home to Freddy Court.
 

ruxCYtable

Well-Known Member
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Aug 29, 2007
7,132
3,926
113
Colorado
I just don't get this fear. It should be a non starter for a president that wants to come in and make changes to athletics.
A non-starter for who? As someone pointed out the BOR, for the most part, is heavily biased to the school in the east.
 
  • Agree
Reactions: carvers4math

SCarolinaCy

Well-Known Member
Jun 20, 2011
3,147
1,289
113
Greenville, SC
I think concerns about whoever the new president in caring about athletics are misguided. The value of having a successful AD is so much more clear than it was even 10 years ago. Whoever it is will care about having good sports programs. We should be more concerned about how they'll lead the academic side of the university and how good of a leader they'll be.
I would be MUCH more concerned about reading that Pollard was leaving. Good by and good riddance to Leath.
 

SCarolinaCy

Well-Known Member
Jun 20, 2011
3,147
1,289
113
Greenville, SC
That's the role of the Foundation. They have dozens of development officers who beat pavement to raise funds. Depending on the prospect, they may visit with Leath and he will formally ask for support.

The $100 million gift likely wouldn't happen without Leath. Support of that size requires faith in leadership.
Who gave the $100 million? When?
 

SCarolinaCy

Well-Known Member
Jun 20, 2011
3,147
1,289
113
Greenville, SC
There's looking to grow and there's looking to grow at a reasonable pace. Campus is well over capacity right now. It was probably that way when I started and it's just gotten infinitely worse in my four years. We need slower sustainable growth and continued infrastructure improvements.

With that my issues are numerous. Simply it comes down to poor decision making. I think he is excellent at most of the day to day stuff but really struggles with big decisions. Bubu, VEISHEA, land deal, plane, and the hiring issues are all important.

It is important that we get a new president that is better, but I don't get why people think it will be so hard. We obviously need someone who will value athletics but I don't see why people think we will not get one.
 

AuH2O

Well-Known Member
Sep 7, 2013
10,959
16,693
113
This is the exactly what I've been hearing too. Faculty are getting frustrated with oversized classes and no room to put more classes in, let alone provide decent instruction.
Wickert will address this more aggressively. BTW, I hear engineering misses him...
While as others point out, some of these challenges are occurring lots of places, but Leaths mistake has been spending money on ither things while not addressing the problems, especially in engineering. he put in money for research initiatives that probably aren't going to develop into anything big at ISU, put big bucks into buildings like Research Park and on campus, some of which is needed and some of which is duplication of existing infrastructure.
While the internal audit found no major wrongdoing, I have good sources that know between Knoll projects, travel, social engagements etc he and his wife spent like drunken sailors. Do that, hire your buddies into VP jobs with no advertisement on one hand, meanwhile letting serious problems go largely unaddressed.
 
  • Agree
Reactions: majorcyfan

SpokaneCY

Well-Known Member
Apr 11, 2006
13,294
8,484
113
Spokane, WA
It really does suck that the VEISHA deal is all hung on by him for a lot of people. Now as an adult beyond college and have enjoyed both sides of VEISHA. We did it to ourselves. I was of that generations that we did have some great fun then we had the few years that we had to "reform" it and it was a dry VEISHA for a few years. And here we are now a few years later and it got ruined again by just really a small group of people that didn't have respect for what it was all for and because they were asked to not have their fun they thought going down welch and trashing it would get their message heard that they shouldn't have to obey what they cops were trying to keep under control. Time and time again there has been a dark cloud that over shadows how great VEISHA was. So how many chances does the student body and alumni deserve when we keep lighting that dumpster ourselves and rolling it down the street?

We're of the same vintage and I looked at VEISHA as a week off from class and an chance to vomit outside in spring-like weather.

If I remember, it was the largest student-run celebration in the nation? Part of leading the effort is policing the effort and my vague recollections are the VEISHA folks weren't in the forefront of making changes and regulating the affair.

I know I'm off the mark some, but that's how I remember it.
 

NetflixAndClone

Well-Known Member
Sep 6, 2015
5,155
6,085
113
The State of Hockey
To me, him wanting to be at good old-boy SEC school like Auburn tarnishes him even more in my eyes than his questionable issues.
I think it has to do more with money.

I don't have the article now but I'm pretty sure Auburn paid their last president around 2.5 million and he only made 535,000 here. I would take that kind of pay raise anytime.
 

CYdTracked

Well-Known Member
Mar 23, 2006
16,950
7,650
113
Grimes, IA
I really don't have a strong feeling about Leath 1 way or another. The mess with the plane sure didn't help him so I get that but what I don't get the anger around the VEISHEA situation because that problem was already simmering well before he came to ISU and it's the idiots that participated in the events that led to it being canceled as the ones to blame not Leath. VEISHEA has always been on thin ice since the 90's so it was only a matter of time before the plug got pulled on it with how it had been trending with all the negative things that were out shadowing the good of the event.

Leath was very supportive of athletics from what I can tell, look at the hires and improvements that happened while he was here. Pollard gets a lot of credit for that and deservingly so but he still needed a boss to sign off on all of it too and we haven't always had that kind of support from the leadership in the past if you remember the Jischke days. Leath also had record enrollment while at ISU which is an accomplishment. A good timeline of the good and bad I thought: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/st...steven-leaths-five-years-iowa-state/99394698/

Overall it was probably in everyone's best interests for him to move on and get a fresh start. I still am biased about what a great president Dr. Geoffrey was so he had some big shoes to fill but overall I think there was probably more good than bad that came out of the time Leath was here. He was very supportive of the Ag College I hear which is what ISU is mostly known for academically.
 
  • Agree
Reactions: jsb

ImJustKCClone

Ancient Argumentative and Accidental Assassin Ape
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Jun 18, 2013
58,601
42,290
113
traipsing thru the treetops
I always felt the dislike for him stemmed from the Bubu and Veishea situations.

Nope. But they didn't help.

Just a reminder of my original comment.

For many, it's not about VEISHEA specifically, and it would be wrong to focus on just that as a reason that people are not sad he's leaving.
 

FatNTired

Active Member
Jun 3, 2015
147
81
28
Yes, I remember now. For some reason, I somehow do not think this is money in the bank?

You're correct. It's essentially a stock gift that Iowa State can decide when or if to sell. Most often, shares of stock are sold almost immediately.
 

SCarolinaCy

Well-Known Member
Jun 20, 2011
3,147
1,289
113
Greenville, SC
You're correct. It's essentially a stock gift that Iowa State can decide when or if to sell. Most often, shares of stock are sold almost immediately.
So, the $93 mil is there or is not there? If it were there immediately, I am sure ISU would sell it and put it in the bank. It is not avail immediately, one has to think the future value is less, perhaps much less?