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More Parsky Watch Parsky Watch - The Magazine Take the Parsky Watch IQ Test Visit the Parsky Watch Store	Back to Parsky Watch archives Parsky takes over UC Board of Regents with Dem votes Parsky Watch #64 July 26, 2004 UNFIT TO LEAD Thrilling! As if the UC system didn’t have enough problems what with budget cuts, escalating tuition and a large number of eligible high school graduates for whom there is no room – now they have to endure a year of Gerry Parsky as Chairman of the UC Board of Regents. No doubt, he will demonstrate the same dazzling flair for savvy leadership that made such a shambles of the California Republican Party. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/education/20040712-9999-1n12parsky.html If the recent past is any guide, his shilly-shallying over a resolution effectively censuring his predecessor as Chairman is clear example of Parsky’s lack of real conviction – which translates into rudderless hair-splitting, rather than true leadership. “What are you talking about?” the PW reader might ask. We are talking about a tempest that blew through the UC Board of Regents in March of this year. Then-UC Regents Chairman John Moores published an op-ed in Forbes magazine stating that UC Berkeley was practicing de facto discrimination against Asian-American students by admitting 1,000 unqualified applicants – thereby taking spots away from otherwise eligible students, most of whom were Asian American. In effect, Berkeley was circumventing Prop. 209. This, of course, offended the more sensitive souls on the Regents, who crafted a resolution stating “that the views on UC admissions policies expressed by Regent John J. Moores in the March 12, 2004, edition of Forbes magazine do not represent the views of the Board of Regents.” Did Gerry Parsky -- President Bush’s man in California and presumably possessing the President’s laudable proclivity to stand up to such nonsense – leap to his feet, crying “None shall dare censure nor silence this man for speaking the truth! Not while I sit on this Board of Regents! By god – this is the University of California, after all!” Not quite. Gerry did stand up and suggest to the other regents what while he believed Moores has a right ot express his opinion, “suggested that a different issue pertained to Regent Moores’ role as Chairman of The Regents, because a statement by the Chairman could be interpreted as the views of the entire Board, when that is not the case.” Parsky “noted that the Forbes article identified Regent Moores as Chairman” and “urged the Committee to amend the resolution to indicate the objection to Regent Moores’ expressing his views in his role as Chairman” as follows [you’ll have to read it very carefully to detect Gerry’s minute change]: AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the views on UC admissions policies expressed by Regent John J. Moores, as Chairman of the Board of Regents, in the March 12, 2004, edition of Forbes magazine do not represent the views of the Board of Regents. Well, that makes all the difference in the world! Thank God for Parsky’s determined leadership skills! It’s too bad Parsky didn’t follow the example of fellow regents Ward Connerly and Peter Preuss. “We are contemplating the adoption of a resolution to censor a member of the board,” objected Connerly. “Why do we need to do this? This isn’t right.” Connerly made the common sense suggestion that Regents who disagreed with Moores should “submit another article articulating that viewpoint.” “This is not the congenial board I entered 10 years ago where I felt proud about disagreeing with others,” said UC Regent Peter Preuss. “What’s happening to this body?”When Parsky’s amended language came up for a vote of the Board of Regents, he ended up voting against himself! That’s leadership for you. EDITOR’S NOTE: You can read the Moores article at this link (it’ll cost you $2.95). http://www.forbes.com/premium/archives/purchase.jhtml?storyURL=/forbes/2004/0329/040.html&_requestid=25390 You can read the minutes of the above-referenced UC Board of Regents meeting at these links http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/regents/minutes/2004/board304.pdf. http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/regents/minutes/2004/edpol1304.pdf. You can also read this article from the Daily Californian: http://www.dailycal.org/article.php?id=14658