~11:32am~ EST
VICTORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!: If you ever doubted the power of the blogosphere... you shouldn't anymore... From KEZI in Eugene Oregon:
From Lars Larson's talk radio show, to a christian radio station (Kevin McCullough/WMCA) in New York City. News that the U of O told a university employee to remove two magnets from his car, has pulled a national PR nightmare to the U of O.
"We're surprised, in part, because the story was based on a misunderstanding, and then it took on a life of its own," Dave Hubin, Executive Assistant President, said.
Hubin says the media is reporting that the school is against employees displaying "support our troops" magnets on their personal cars. When, truth is, they're only against the ribbons (or anything for that matter) being displayed on state-owned vehicles (which is state policy).
That's why the University told employee Pete Baker to remove his ribbons.
"When a violation of a statewide policy is pointed out to us, we're in a position of where we do have to --irrespective of the message-- where we do have to comply," Hubin said.
REPORTER: "The University has received over 300 e-mails and phonecalls about the ribbon removal. Most of the calls originating from the East Coast, Florida, and Texas. And almost all of the callers found out about the story from conservative talkshows and on-line blogs."
For now, the U of O is left responding to hate mail, and getting its administrative offices "ribboned." An anonymous person tied these yellow ribbons outside the president's office. Ribbons officials say --for now-- will stay.
"Those are an expression that do not in that form, violate a specific policy. So, we are allowing them to stay," Hubin said.
All the garbage about the whole thing based on a misunderstanding is total hogwash. The University has had within its power from the very beginning to make a "corporate statement" of "supporting the troops". The University of Oregon could have supplied "Support the Troops" magnets to every university vehicle.
They went the other direction and it has erupted into a PR Nightmare...
And rest assured - if they are copping to 300 e-mail - they got 3000. I know for a fact that after a certain point they shut down the e-mail servers to prevent the e-mail from getting through late on Monday afternoon.
This isn't good for their effort to raise funds I am quite sure. My encouragement is to continue to keep the pressure on the University until they infact now go one step forward and actually go forward to the point where they do place the magnetic ribbons ON the university vehicles. (This they will never do of course because the liberal student body, and faculty will have fantastically sized farm animals over it...)
I am also actively searching for a producer of the yellow magnet ribbons who will donate 500 of them to place on the University fleet.
The saying I want on them would be "The University of Oregon SUPPORTS the Troops!"
If you can produce such and be willing to donate the efforts - I will see to it that you recieve Blogosphere fame - and I will give you three months of free blog-ads, and radio mentions...
Keep up the pressure though...
Office of President Dave Frohnmayer
E-MAIL:UNIVERSITY'S PRESIDENT
PHONE HIM:541-346-3036
-------------------------------------------------
(e-mail KMC,permalink,syndicate)
