Sylvester investigation needs investigating

To the editor:

The seemingly extravagant $71,000 payoff to the former Mat-Su College director Stephen Sylvester by the University of Alaska raises many more questions than it answers. Officials have stated the director was on a one-year contract that did not have to be renewed. So why the payout?

Was this just a standard example of administrative back-scratching? Does every person with a University of Alaska one-year contract get such a bonus when his or her contract is not renewed? If not, why did Dr. Sylvester deserve this windfall, including $7,500 in moving expenses plus $1,200 to separately move his books? (Apparently the library was so vast it couldn't be shipped with the rest of the belongings.)

It also seems Dr. Sylvester was given no opportunity to respond to allegations made against him. In an Aug. 13 interview for the Havre (Mont.) Daily News, Dr. Sylvester states he is still unaware of the specific charges, even though the investigation into those allegations lasted almost four months.

If University of Alaska officials truly did not give the director the details of the charges, that in itself is alarming. (Although some of the allegations were reported in the Frontiersman and Anchorage Daily News, they were apparently not brought to the director's attention.)

If Alaska taxpayers are concerned about this unusual and expensive agreement, they might wish to contact Senate Majority Leader Loren Leman, whose e-mail address is: Senator_Loren_Leman@legis.state.ak.us.

Maybe this is one investigation that ought to be investigated.

Doug Giebel

Big Sandy, Mont.