DRC: UNT athletic department undergoing quiet summer makeover

UNTFan23 · July 24, 2017

7 minutes ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

Not sure who you were talking to, but I would think Baker would tell a person he's firing some kind of story like this so he can hide behind it.
"Oh, I'm so sorry to do this, but I have to let you go... Budget cuts above me. I'd love to keep you around, believe me, but it was out of my hands...." When, in reality, it was due to underperforming. Happens all the time in my field.

Layoffs are almost always about budget cuts and the lowest performing are the easiest to get rid of. That's not always the case though; sometimes you have duplication of roles and so someone unfortunately gets cut who was a great worker.

SilverEagle · July 24, 2017

18 hours ago, KRAM1 said:

I agree with you. But, in this case, as I was told by a staffer who was let go last Thursday, these cuts are budgetary in nature and a result of the University pushing back on the AD's proposed budget. This is budget planning time, and cuts are coming across the University due to cuts in Austin from this year's legislature. Not as big of cuts as could be, but cuts none the same. So, the timing of these cuts are the result of University mandated budget cuts. Or so I was told by a person affected.

Thanks Mark. I forgot about the issue of the "fiscal year" with the state ( Sept. 1 thru Aug 31st), and how that could impact staffing during the summer.

KRAM1 · July 24, 2017

4 hours ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

Not sure who you were talking to, but I would think Baker would tell a person he's firing some kind of story like this so he can hide behind it.
"Oh, I'm so sorry to do this, but I have to let you go... Budget cuts above me. I'd love to keep you around, believe me, but it was out of my hands...." When, in reality, it was due to underperforming. Happens all the time in my field.

Well...in this case...the AD's budget was sent forward and returned...with the stipulation to cut. Or, so the person let go I was chatting with said...and he was part of that very budget process. It is what Wren Baker and Jared Mosley told him about his situation when he was told. Now, how the actual people were selected, I have no clue, and it would only be speculation on any of our parts. He also said two others were let go as well.

I hate to see anyone lose their job...especially long serving employees...with families, etc., etc. But, know it is part of the employment world. It absolutely can happen to anyone...anyone who is working for "someone else" rather than themselves. And, if you are self-employed, your clients can "lay you off" at any moment. Doesn't make it easier to accept that you were laid off for budgetary reasons rather than being fired for poor performance or some other "breech of contract", but it is a better situation regarding future employment.

MGNation92 · July 24, 2017

15 minutes ago, KRAM1 said:

Well...in this case...the AD's budget was sent forward and returned...with the stipulation to cut. Or, so the person let go I was chatting with said...and he was part of that very budget process. It is what Wren Baker and Jared Mosley told him about his situation when he was told. Now, how the actual people were selected, I have no clue, and it would only be speculation on any of our parts. He also said two others were let go as well.

I hate to see anyone lose their job...especially long serving employees...with families, etc., etc. But, know it is part of the employment world. It absolutely can happen to anyone...anyone who is working for "someone else" rather than themselves. And, if you are self-employed, your clients can "lay you off" at any moment. Doesn't make it easier to accept that you were laid off for budgetary reasons rather than being fired for poor performance or some other "breech of contract", but it is a better situation regarding future employment.

Please be Nitardy and Capper. Please be Nitardy and Capper

Go2UNT · July 24, 2017

34 minutes ago, MGNation92 said:

Please be Nitardy and Capper. Please be Nitardy and Capper

Go Fish...

MGNation92 · July 24, 2017

51 minutes ago, Go2UNT said:

Go Fish...

Too bad. Maybe Wren hasn't found the right guys to replace them yet.

Complacency continues to run rampant in the AD and those two(I'm sure others are doing their best to help) are spearheading it

Brett Vito · July 24, 2017

http://beta.dentonrc.com/sports/mean-green/2017/07/24/video-mcclain-discusses-upcoming-season-longtime-unt-staffer-departs

TreeFiddy · July 24, 2017

Oh no, not Batchelder. The humanity!!

GrandGreen · July 26, 2017

On 7/24/2017 at 1:48 PM, KRAM1 said:

Well...in this case...the AD's budget was sent forward and returned...with the stipulation to cut. Or, so the person let go I was chatting with said...and he was part of that very budget process. It is what Wren Baker and Jared Mosley told him about his situation when he was told. Now, how the actual people were selected, I have no clue, and it would only be speculation on any of our parts. He also said two others were let go as well.

I hate to see anyone lose their job...especially long serving employees...with families, etc., etc. But, know it is part of the employment world. It absolutely can happen to anyone...anyone who is working for "someone else" rather than themselves. And, if you are self-employed, your clients can "lay you off" at any moment. Doesn't make it easier to accept that you were laid off for budgetary reasons rather than being fired for poor performance or some other "breech of contract", but it is a better situation regarding future employment.

Makes a lot of sense to me, hire mega buck guys and cut the lower level staff.

GMG24 · July 26, 2017

On 7/24/2017 at 9:00 AM, MeanGreenTexan said:

Not sure who you were talking to, but I would think Baker would tell a person he's firing some kind of story like this so he can hide behind it.
"Oh, I'm so sorry to do this, but I have to let you go... Budget cuts above me. I'd love to keep you around, believe me, but it was out of my hands...." When, in reality, it was due to underperforming. Happens all the time in my field.

Nah, hopefully Baker said hey, you suck at your job and that isn't ok. You're out of here! Pack your stuff and get gone!

Christopher Walker · July 26, 2017

On 7/23/2017 at 2:25 PM, KRAM1 said:

I agree with you. But, in this case, as I was told by a staffer who was let go last Thursday, these cuts are budgetary in nature and a result of the University pushing back on the AD's proposed budget. This is budget planning time, and cuts are coming across the University due to cuts in Austin from this year's legislature. Not as big of cuts as could be, but cuts none the same. So, the timing of these cuts are the result of University mandated budget cuts. Or so I was told by a person affected.

On campus we hiring managers are on slight pins and needles awaiting the BOR to finalize our FY18 budget and begin allowing us to make hires for this upcoming year. Late August is going to be... interesting.

KRAM1 · July 26, 2017

16 hours ago, GrandGreen said:

Makes a lot of sense to me, hire mega buck guys and cut the lower level staff.

Show me an industry or public or private...that does not do this very thing. Just happened with Lucky Whitehead in the NFL. Examples are made out of the role players. But, this happens in the financial services industry, public schools, city governments, airlines, major consumer companies, state governments and within the federal government consistently. Nothing new here at all.

Not saying it is good or bad...just saying it happens all the time across the board and I would guess you know this already. Still doesn't make it any easier on those involved.

UNT90 · July 26, 2017

11 minutes ago, KRAM1 said:

Show me an industry or public or private...that does not do this very thing. Just happened with Lucky Whitehead in the NFL. Examples are made out of the role players. But, this happens in the financial services industry, public schools, city governments, airlines, major consumer companies, state governments and within the federal government consistently. Nothing new here at all.

Not saying it is good or bad...just saying it happens all the time across the board and I would guess you know this already. Still doesn't make it any easier on those involved.

You are right. It happens all the time. I've seen it happen...

And every single time it was in a terribly ineffective organization.

No difference at the worst AD in America.

KRAM1 · July 26, 2017

1 hour ago, UNT90 said:

You are right. It happens all the time. I've seen it happen...

And every single time it was in a terribly ineffective organization.

No difference at the worst AD in America.

You mean like at TCU and Tarrant County? Those "terribly ineffective" organizations? 😂😂😂

Happens everywhere...you know it...stop trying to always be "that guy" and come enjoy some Mean Green football. It is your university after all.

GrandGreen · July 26, 2017

1 hour ago, KRAM1 said:

Show me an industry or public or private...that does not do this very thing. Just happened with Lucky Whitehead in the NFL. Examples are made out of the role players. But, this happens in the financial services industry, public schools, city governments, airlines, major consumer companies, state governments and within the federal government consistently. Nothing new here at all.

Not saying it is good or bad...just saying it happens all the time across the board and I would guess you know this already. Still doesn't make it any easier on those involved.

Unfortunately, most that work are going to be on one side or the other of the exit interview desk. Layoffs in my experience at least early on are about eliminating those that are deemed poor performers.

Frankly, I was somewhat disappointed to learn that some if not all the recent terminations are due to a reduce staff mandate and not just a managerial decision to strengthen the Athletic Department. Sure, the layoffs have the some of the same effect, but they don't illustrate that Baker can make the hard decision.

1 hour ago, UNT90 said:

You are right. It happens all the time. I've seen it happen...

And every single time it was in a terribly ineffective organization.

No difference at the worst AD in America.

Not even close to right, great organizations as well as poorly ran ones often face the dreaded downsizing if not a complete shutdown. Downturns due to market changes, technical advances, changing laws, etc. often lead to layoffs. Layoffs are actually part of a lot of successful companies' strategy.

UNT90 · July 27, 2017

6 hours ago, KRAM1 said:

You mean like at TCU and Tarrant County? Those "terribly ineffective" organizations? 😂😂😂

Happens everywhere...you know it...stop trying to always be "that guy" and come enjoy some Mean Green football. It is your university after all.

Never miss a chance at passive/aggressive shots, do you? Maybe you wanna bring up my past relationships again for messageboards points, eh sport?

Good thing you never have to worry about ever learning one personal detail about me again, eh?

And to Grand, any organization that blames failure on mid to low management for self preservation is doomed to failure. Early returns on Baker skew to this conclusion. Hope I'm wrong, but it looks like the same old UNT.

UNTLifer · July 27, 2017

8 hours ago, UNT90 said:

You are right. It happens all the time. I've seen it happen...

And every single time it was in a terribly ineffective organization.

No difference at the worst AD in America.

Thought you were a horny toad season ticket holder now. Times must be slow on KillerFrogs or you just really miss us.

GreenMachine · July 27, 2017

8 hours ago, UNT90 said:

Never miss a chance at passive/aggressive shots, do you? Maybe you wanna bring up my past relationships again for messageboards points, eh sport?

Good thing you never have to worry about ever learning one personal detail about me again, eh?

And to Grand, any organization that blames failure on mid to low management for self preservation is doomed to failure. Early returns on Baker skew to this conclusion. Hope I'm wrong, but it looks like the same old UNT.

Nothing passive/aggressive about his statement, it was a direct shot. Based on your response, it was a bullseye. Good job Kram, you melted a snowflake today.

Ryan Munthe · July 27, 2017

9 hours ago, UNT90 said:

Never miss a chance at passive/aggressive shots, do you? Maybe you wanna bring up my past relationships again for messageboards points, eh sport?

Good thing you never have to worry about ever learning one personal detail about me again, eh?

And to Grand, any organization that blames failure on mid to low management for self preservation is doomed to failure. Early returns on Baker skew to this conclusion. Hope I'm wrong, but it looks like the same old UNT.

I mean it's not really any "digging" since you proudly proclaimed you were a TCU season ticket holder like a week ago.

GreenMachine · July 27, 2017

16 minutes ago, Ryan Munthe said:

I mean it's not really any "digging" since you proudly proclaimed you were a TCU season ticket holder like a week ago.

Hope he's ready to drink his beer with his pinky in the air.

GrandGreen · July 27, 2017

15 hours ago, UNT90 said:

And to Grand, any organization that blames failure on mid to low management for self preservation is doomed to failure. Early returns on Baker skew to this conclusion. Hope I'm wrong, but it looks like the same old UNT.

Not sure what you are responding to. These layoffs are reported as part of a state-wide edict to cut costs, so I don't see any blaming of anybody.

The first wave of a layoff is usually employees with documented performance issues and the newly hired.

In the case of Baker and NT, the question is are the employees almost immediately replaced meaning the layoff was just a rationale for terminating someone with no positive effect on the bottom line. No one outside is going to know, but it appears that most of the relatively small turnover in the AD are terminations not layoffs because they don't appear to be reducing the total number of employees.

Edited July 27, 2017 by GrandGreen

KRAM1 · July 27, 2017

14 hours ago, UNT90 said:

Never miss a chance at passive/aggressive shots, do you? Maybe you wanna bring up my past relationships again for messageboards points, eh sport?

As has already been pointed out "sport", that was a shot right over your bow. Nothing, nada, nil, zero passive aggressive at all. You need to bone up on your basic psychology. Maybe they have a class at TCU.

And, you have posted about your career in discussions on this very board and you have, on several occasions on here, proclaimed your new found love for TCU. So, "Sport" nothing new or personal that you ,yourself, have not previously discussed openly on this board.

when you throw out some baseless claim in an attempt to disparage your own Alma Mater, you might want to prepare for some blowback. Kinda how it works around these parts...especially for fans of other programs who come on this site to troll.

UNT90 · July 28, 2017

Well, I see I drew out every single loser in Harry's Hit Squad with that post. You guys are so easy.

And to Mark Miller, you are the only one who uses personal information you gain through private conversations on a public message board in failed attempts to intimidate those that disagree with you. It's juvenile, dishonest, and nasty. It's speaks directly to your character.

Keep sucking that UNT ass to feel good about yourself.

I would be a UNT basketball fan if the had a men's basketball team. They don't. Baker disbanded it last March.

Go Frogs!!!

As to the rest of the losers in Harry's Hit Squad that love losing so much they defend recruiting football players with no other offers without seeing UNT is headed down a worse road than the DMac driven version, keep lying to fans as attendance and interest dwindles. I mean, you guys couldn't give a crap about winning anyway. All you care about is being a self-perceived big fish in a minute puddle.

So, go ahead.

Edited July 28, 2017 by UNT90