In the morning Gupta's secretary sent out an announcement that Ryan will be on campus on July 25 and "(a)ll are cordially invited to attend his presentation".
By mid-afternoon, staff were being ordered to attend. One reader wrote:
PATHETIC!!! At least three directors and VP's have sent out notices demanding that their staff attend the Chancellor's meeting. This is going to be a win-win for Gupta: The place will be packed with compliant staff, so the Chancellor will be impressed with our interest and strong participation, and the president gets to have the Chancellor on campus during a time when there is no one around to shout that the emperor has no clothes. WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PLACE???Shortly after that post, another reader wrote:
I got a notice from my boss too telling me to go to the Chancellor's presentation. I guess they're worried about turnout...As our reader notes, Gupta wants to fill the seats at Orvis with people who aren't able to speak freely. Gupta's tactics are disgusting. She's afraid she can't hammer the faculty and its leadership into submission, so she decides to take the staff hostage instead.
If you really feel that you are being forced to attend the Chancellor's presentation and you're not happy about it, you can let him know by sending a note to this e-mail link.
The form asks for a name and e-mail address, but if you aren't confortable revealing your name, the words "Anonymous" and "anonymous@alfredstate.edu" work just fine. Let Chancellor Ryan know why you are uncomfortable about revealing your name.
* Potemkin Village: An impressive facade or display that hides an undesirable fact or state; a false front. (From Dictionary.com); Something that appears elaborate and impressive but in actual fact lacks substance. (From The American Heritage Dictionary).
