Oral Roberts University to lay off 100 employees

[Robbien]

Source: AP

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Oral Roberts University will lay off about 100 employees, days after it agreed to a near-$450,000 separation agreement with its former president who resigned amid a spending scandal.

The layoffs represent roughly 10 percent of the university's work force, but the school did not specify which departments would be targeted.


The school, with a budget this fiscal year of about $91.8 million, is more than $17 million in debt. Last year, it revealed it was more than $50 million in the red. It has since whittled the figure down thanks largely to billionaire Oklahoma City businessman Mart Green, who took the reins at ORU in January after donating $70 million and pledging to restore the public's trust in the school.

. . .

Fagin said Roberts' payment package and the layoffs were unrelated issues. "The reduction in force is necessary regardless of what happened in any separation agreement," he said.

Fagin said he anticipates cutting 100 employees will be enough, but refused Monday to rule out additional budget cuts. "It always is a moving target no matter what business you're in," he said.

Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j9XJtq8scoszIFZLWUjrR8mPuBFQD94HABC80

[GodlessBiker]

1. Bwahahahaahahahahahaha!

That is all.

[Ian David]

2. "restore the public's trust in the school."

That's like trying to "restore the public's trust" in phrenology.

[Botany]

3. From what I read Mrs. Roberts helped in the lay and oral areas

:rofl:

[tanyev]

4. Yikes! They made a guy chairman of the Board of Trustees

just because he was willing to give them 70 million? Scary. BTW, he made his money from Hobby Lobby and Mardel stores.

[Robbien]

8. Not only that, they blew through that $70 mil and are still $17 mil in debt

The guy bought himself a university which is a money pit.

[RaleighNCDUer]

16. I caught that too - seems a little odd that they could be 50 mil

in the red, he donates 70 mil, and instead of being 20 mil to the good, they're still 17 mil in the red.

Somebody's not telling the truth about something, somewhere.

[SpiralHawk]

12. You mean the Oral 'chair-man' was a 'hobbyist'

I am shocked, shocked, shocked I tell you.

These so-called 'christians' seem to have a peculiarly Wide Stance.

[tanyev]

13. Heh. There was an adult store in the county I used to live in called the Nobby Lobby.

I worked in the sheriff's records department, and I had to chuckle every time I saw that name.

[Ian David]

5. Layoffs at dog-beating masturbation-enthusaist James Dobson's Focus on The Family, too

More layoffs at Focus on the Family
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=3606271&mesg_id=3606271

[4_TN_TITANS]

23. No pity here...

While they rail against abortion, gay marriage, etc., they take the fall with us when the important issues aren't addressed. Wake up and smell the poverty, hunger, homelessness like Jesus begged you to.

[Phred42]

6. Good! NOW let's review their 501 c-3 status

[Rebubula]

7. OH CRAP

I guess that this means that God will be calling Oral home unless he is able to raise some money!!!

Just in case no one remembers - Oral Roberts claimed that God told him to raise a certain amount of money or he would 'Call him Home'

Guess what...the ignorant faithful helped Oral stay on Earth.

That said....one of the nicest people that I have met in my life was an Oral Roberts graduate. But...to his discredit he still believes in his sky fairy...

[Wednesdays]

14. Oral Roberts is a bit of a loon, but IIRC,

he's not as rabid a rightwinger as say, Robertson or Falwell. And he and his institutions have in fact, given heavily to the poor.

Not to defend him too much, just putting things in perspective. If ORU turned into a secular college, becoming say, an annex to the University of Tulsa, I wouldn't shed any tears.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

9. Where to cut? They layed off the Science and History depts. years ago.

[DUgosh]

15. who needs science and history

they have been writing their own for years

[LeftishBrit]

10. Together with the Focus on the Family latest news...

this REALLY shows that the religious-right faith-based organizations are MUCH more efficient and reliable and better at managing money than any program that a sinful government could organize!

:sarcasm:

[hughee99]

20. I don't know,

the government's fiscal management is nothing to brag about either.

[SpiralHawk]

11. "Whooopeeeeee!" - Jesus Christ

"It's about time these Pharisees got taken down. Purge the Hypocrites and Hate-Freaks from the Temples of Academe."

- Jesus Christ

[LynneSin]

17. Again, just like with AFA, I do feel for these families

A university is usually a place that has plenty of folks from the community for all sorts of jobs. Some of these people may work here not because their fundies but because they wanted good paying jobs and some universities will provide free education to employees.

And I believe Karma is a bitch. You mock these people losing their jobs and one day that karma might turn around and hit back at you for it.

I hope they get to the bottom of the spending scandal and that these families can somehow turn it around and make it thru the holidays.

[uppityperson]

22. Me too Lynne. I feel sorry for those being laid off and hope they get to the bottom of

the spending scandal.

[Turbineguy]

18. Repubs have lost so many seats in congress

the Oral Sex Department can be shutdown.

[investintrains]

19. It is those universites which have promoted war

It is those universites which have promoted war, execution
and animal slaughter in violation of the teachings of Jesus,
Isaiah and Genesis which find themselves in this predicament

[AlbertCat]

21. Do the World a favor

Shut down the whole "university".

Use the space for a REAL institution of learning. Perhaps a stem cell research facility.

[Liberal Gramma]

24. Too bad it's not 100%

They are a joke as an academic institution, and a blot on the political landscape.

[PurityOfEssence]

25. So, did that come straight from the 900 foot tall Jesus?

And so he sayeth unto the accountantites: "lose a few peons, wouldja? The plate's a bit bare..."

[onager]

26. Local joke in Tulsa

Which BTW, is a nice city with a great variety of strip clubs. Or at least it was in the 1990's, when I went to several conventions there.

Outside the Oral Roberts spookery, there is a big statue of "praying hands"--two hands closed in the prayer position.

Tulsa residents say the hands used to be open, palms up. Then somebody walking by dropped a quarter...