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Isiah Thomas’s Hiring Is Hailed at Florida International University
SOURCE: New York Times
Isiah Thomas, the new men’s basketball coach at Florida International University, sat on a platform Wednesday with Pete Garcia, the athletic director who hired him. With room there for no one else, the university’s provost, Ronald M. Berkman, took his mark on the basketball floor.
Isiah Thomas gives, receives on his first day at FIU
SOURCE: Miami Herald
As more than 100 media members gathered at U.S. Century Bank Arena on Wednesday, the thought of Isiah Thomas as FIU’s basketball coach appeared to be a bit surreal to some at his introductory news conference.
New FIU coach Isiah Thomas raises hopes, concerns
SOURCE: Miami Herald
Several TV cameramen and media engaged in a game of hide and seek with Isiah Thomas at Miami International Airport and Hollywood/Fort Lauderdale International Airport.
Thomas Gets Another Shot With FIU
SOURCE: The Washington Post
Isiah Thomas, the beloved former Detroit Pistons point guard whose tenure as a coach and executive of the New York Knicks was characterized by controversy, has accepted the head coaching job at Florida International University.
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What about all the articles with negative comments on Isiah Thomas? Censored huh? FIU Athletics is such a waste. [EDITED]
You must not have read these articles. Censorship? Not quite. Every single article included in this particular post references his lackluster coaching record and the sexual harassment suit he was at the center of when he was at the Knicks. I think this is a horrible hiring for FIU, but I hope I'm wrong.
What about Greg Cote's article that completely bashes the selection? Don't tell me that I am not reading something. I just happen to see the bigger picture.
PhD
The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum – even encourage the more critical and dissident views. That gives people the sense that there's free thinking going on, while all the time the presuppositions of the system are being reinforced by the limits put on the range of the debate. Thats how corporate-controlled free speech works under capitalism. They don't bash your heads to believe something as in an authoritarian state. However, capitalism controlls your mind completely with all its corporate actors (medica, lobbyists, and think tanks) to the point where you think what you believe is out of your own "independent" mind. Please! And this is exactly what FIU is doing here. Releasing the article…the ones that have comments that are not so critical…in order to reinforce itself as an institution that accepts all views and critiques. Your being blindsided and so is FIU. Well, what can I expect. All of America is completely controlled by the corporate/military interests and the Wall Street imperialists.
PhD
Dear Editor,
Why do you not provide a reference to the New York Times article interviewing Laurie Shrage of Women's Studies that was printed on Friday 17? Surely you want members of FIU to know that there are several conversations going on about the importance of Thomas' hire? That article is a good counterbalance to the ridicule FIU has suffered because of this, e.g. on Letterman. The article reveals that we as an academic institution are not oblivious to the fact that this hire will give the public a multifaceted impression of FIU (excitement, ridicule and disbelief being some of these). I choose to believe that the absence of this reference is just an oversight and not "censorship" as suggested by an earlier commentator.
The article is available here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/17/sports/basketba…
Sincerely,
Ingvild Torsen
Assistant Professor of Philosophy
Why would we post negative articles on our own website? Seems a bit silly to me. We are not deleting comments if they are on topic but why would we want to consciously publicize articles that criticize our university.
While one can applaud Laurie Shrage's desire and push to educate the public and do things in a "constructive" way, the fact of the matter is that those of us who are idealistic and wish to have a world free of sexual harassment, are ultimately doomed to fail with these "constructive approaches." All that Shrage's activities will do is sweep things under the rug. It allows bygones to be bygones. It sends the wrong message to students. It tells them that engaging in sexual harassment will only land you a slap on the wrist. We are sending them the message that they can go and "pick up the pieces elsewhere." It also sends the message that anything goes in the sports world. Just look at Pete Garcia. The FIU Athletic Director has gotten away with murder with the way he has treated his employees. The FIU Faculty needs to wake up and challenge this adminstration. They are as sleep at the wheel. You are also kidding yourselves if you think the FIU adminstration does not try to control all types of things at FIU. I will give you just one example. President Maidique only invited the scholars to the inaguaration of the FIU International school (The Rising Powers) that fell in line with his elitist world view. It was a sham that had no input from the FIU political science or international relations departments. But, of course, if you would read the "HEADLINES" it would see as if FIU was an open institution that invited all types of views. This institution is shackled by the politicians and elitist comumunity that controls its funds. C'mon FIU Faculty. WAKE UP.
Professor Torsen, thanks so much for including the link to the story in your comment. That's a great piece. I hadn't seen it. Cookie — you mention Greg Cote's piece in the Herald and criticize the university for not including a link to that article. What about Michelle Kaufman's piece (another sportswriter for the Herald), where she defends Thomas and says he deserves a second chance? In her column, she relates numerous personal anecdotes that make Thomas appear to be a virtual saint. Neither one-sided piece was included in this post. What was included were links to a few stories from reputable news outlets that included news of the hiring as well as references to his past troubles. I see no evidence that university officials are trying to discourage or silence the critics among us. If they were, none of these comments would have seen the light of day!
I don't think any member of the university community, including me, is being "blindsided" because of the particular links FIU's news site chose to include in this post. Nor would I expect a single post to have that power. I would certainly hope not. Again — I think this is a horrible, awful hiring on the part of Athletics. But because I love this university, I hope that I am wrong.
Non-PhD
Reputable huh? I don't find the mainstream press to be reputable in the least. See Iraq War debacle. Oh, they certainly analyzed whether we should or should not invade?? NOT. They acted more like corporate imperialists. Which is what they are. FIU won't censor this because what we are writing here DOES NOT really matter. I am just venting here. Nothing here is constructive. This is as constructive as sending money to obama and claim that we are engaging in a revolution for change (Sureeeee. While WALL Street lined Obama's pockets to the T!!!!). FIU, and all universities really, will not publish stories that make them LOOK really bad. That is a fact. And in my view, that is a reflection of this society and its corporate media. It will repress things that go againsts its corporate interests. But fine…don't open up your eyes to the Matrix around you.
I am not critisizing FIU. I love FIU. I am critisizing the FIU adminstration for hiring this guy. So wow….you critique a university decision and your anti-FIU? Just like when Icritisized the iraq war I was anti-American? Oh my.
Who said you were anti-FIU? Not me. Our comments are supposed to remain on-topic (in this case, the hiring of Isiah Thomas) so I won't respond to your other ramblings.
To answer some of the comments above, I think openly telling the world about the coorrupt things that goes on in our school is not "washing our dirty linen in public". The leaders of FIU have failed. Their choices and decisions are nothing to write home about. How can a school that boast of itself as a Research institution close down ACADEMIC DEPARTMENTS AND LAY OFF seasoned PROFESSORS? What are the priorities of the leaders of FIU? Is FIU a sports college? It is so disgusting and even mind boggling for them to hire a person who has sexual harrassment case hanging over his head. What were they thinking?That we will fold our hands and watch them bring our school's name into disrepute? Isaiah Thomas must go…
Gene and cookie are correct. The win at all costs mentality is sickening. I received an autograph from Isiah Thomas long ago. I am going to burn it. I am not going to make money off of that jerk.