An embarrassing series of emails between the Kansas University School of Education and an Indiana animal-lover last week actually originated with the dean of the school, and not with the associate dean who apologized last week.
It was Dean of Education Rick Ginsberg who first passed along, on Dec. 26, an email joke about recent animal cruelty allegations involving a rented turkey at a KU fraternity house, according to copies of the correspondence obtained by The Lawrence Journal-World.
Dean of Education Rick Ginsberg
He kept his joke, which included a slang term for masturbation, within a circle of school administrators. But when Jim Lichtenberg, an associate dean, accidentally included Jennah Dibiase, of Terre Haute, Ind., on the email chain, it became a national news story.
Ginsberg said the fallout, including widespread criticism directed toward Lichtenberg, has been "awful."
"He's gotten death threats," Ginsberg said. "It's been very hard on a number of people."
Police responded Dec. 14 to reports that KU's Beta Theta Pi chapter had rented a turkey for an annual celebration and then abused it, chasing and injuring it before, according to police, someone killed the bird to "end its suffering." That story reached across the country within days, including to Terre Haute, Ind.
Dibiase, of Terre Haute, read those accounts and emailed the education deans in protest, choosing them specifically because their email addresses were some of the first she found on the university's website. She asked that the students involved be held responsible.
"What your students did is deplorable," Dibiase wrote. "They should be expelled from your school."
Ginsberg said he had been traveling abroad, was unfamiliar to the turkey abuse case, and was surprised and confused when he received Dibiase's email. The School of Education, he said in a phone interview Friday, had nothing to do with the fraternity or any disciplinary measures or a criminal investigation that could be directed against them.
The local chapter of the fraternity has been suspended "indefinitely" by its national organization.
"Why something like that came to me, I had no idea," Ginsberg said. "The incident is awful, and I think the university is handling it."
But only two minutes after receiving Dibiase's email, Ginsberg sent a copy of it, along with his joke, to associate dean Lichtenberg. Lichtenberg added his own joke, and accidentally copied Dibiase on the reply.
Associate Dean for Graduate Programs Jim Lichtenberg
Lichtenberg tried in vain to recall the email, which the offended Dibiase turned over to The Kansas City Star. Other news media picked up the story.
Lichtenberg apologized to Dibiase and called his joke "stupid, unprofessional and embarrassing."
"That I would craft such an email was most certainly a significant lapse in judgment on my part," he wrote.
Both Ginsberg and Lichtenberg stressed that they did not intend to make light of the abuse of an animal.
Jill Jess, a university spokeswoman, said the university considers the reported treatment of the turkey reprehensible and expects anyone involved to cooperate fully with ongoing investigations.
"The disrespectful levity used in this email does not reflect the opinions or actions of the university on this issue," she wrote in a statement.
Sgt. Trent McKinley, a Lawrence Police Department spokesman, said an investigation of animal cruelty offenses is ongoing.
Comments
costello 4 months, 2 weeks ago
"He's gotten death threats," Ginsberg said. "It's been very hard on a number of people."
Death threats. Good God.
"Sgt. Trent McKinley, a Lawrence Police Department spokesman, said an investigation of animal cruelty offenses is ongoing."
Is anyone investigating the death threats against the human beings?
MacHeath 4 months, 2 weeks ago
Whomever did not think of a slang term for masturbation when they first heard this story, throw the first stone.
I mean, "turkey pull"...really?
Whomever is making death threats over a silly issue such as this, are the ones I am wondering about.
Per, per Jenna. I am sure the shock of seeing such a tasteless attempt of humor put her off her stroke for days.
Haiku_Cuckoo 4 months, 2 weeks ago
Does KU have any sort of policy that prohibits its employees from sending sexually themed emails to coworkers? It seems highly inappropriate for any employee, particularly a Dean, to send a masturbation email to a female coworker.
Pywacket 4 months, 2 weeks ago
Not to detract from the point of your comment, but what female coworker? As far as I can determine, the only female recipient identified was Diabase, who has no reported ties to KU.
But it does seem that these two clowns (Ginsberg and Lichtenberg) should face disciplinary action for having the stupidity and indiscretion to bring shame down on KU. The sheer stupidity of risking their positions and the university's good name by sending out salacious, juvenile comments using their KU email addresses boggles the mind.
I understand that humor is complex--and that the comments they made in jest are not necessarily incompatible with genuine compassion for the turkey--but any private jokes should have been shared via personal email addresses, and the jokesters most certainly should have double checked the recipient names before hitting "send." Now they both look like buffoons or worse.
Those who tortured the innocent bird should face charges and expulsion. Their parents should insist that they go to a therapist. I would be deeply disturbed if any of my kids took part in such a vicious melee. As others have noted, abusers of humans often start by abusing animals. That is not normal behavior.
Haiku_Cuckoo 4 months, 2 weeks ago
This article indicates tht the email was sent to a female coworker at KU:
http://www.kansascity.com/2012/12/27/3984240/ku-officials-e-mail-about-turkey.html
I agree with your comments, too. Good points made there.
Pywacket 4 months, 2 weeks ago
Thanks for clarifying. Sorry to have questioned your info. I should have known better than to assume that this LJW article was comprehensive!
fiddleback 4 months, 2 weeks ago
Assistant Dean Sally Roberts was also included, but allusions to frat boys masturbating frankly strikes me as on the lower end on a 1-10 scale of sexual inappropriateness. Still, I think it offers a very good learning opportunity for the entire university about professional discretion.
seagull 4 months, 2 weeks ago
Isn't there any real news? It must be a slow day in the news business if this is the best the LJWorld can do. You've put a new spin on the meaning of "local" news.
NotReallyChuck 4 months, 2 weeks ago
In August, a Terre Haute woman was charged with animal cruelty on what prosecutors called the worse case of animal abuse they had ever seen. http://wibqfm.com/news/articles/2012/aug/02/animal-cruelty/ Perhaps one of these hard hitting reporters from the Star or LJW could ask Ms. Diabase why she's not making news complaining about what went on in her own hometown.
50YearResident 4 months, 2 weeks ago
My Google search brings up the correct spelling of Jennah's name as "DiBiase", not Diabase.
Ian_Cummings 4 months, 2 weeks ago
Yes, thanks. I have it as Dibiase from the email.
toe 4 months, 2 weeks ago
Very dishonorable Dean..
KRichards 4 months, 2 weeks ago
"Lichtenberg tried in vain to recall the email" Good luck moron. You pushed send. As soon as it arrived a second later in her email inbox, it would be virtually impossible to recall without hacking her email account.
kansasplains1 4 months, 2 weeks ago
The Dean of Education should be FIRED!
This is not the kind of person I, and many others want, to take care of the future education of our children!
And to think students and we are paying tax dollars for this kind of person.
It is time for the Chancellor of the University to let the public know her opinions on this.
There are lots of people out there who would find a job like Dean Rick Ginsberg has to be exciting and challenging. Fire him and choose a decent person to run the Department of Education.
Over and over again we see top people in Kansas University's top rank make serious mistakes and there is nothing done about this. This HAS to change!
Perses 4 months, 2 weeks ago
I find it remarkably stupid that neither of these educated individuals have the common sense not to post stuff like this in an email and then not check the addresses it was being sent to. I would fire them for simply being an embarrassment to the University. My guess is that they were both "chokin the chicken" and were distracted.
50YearResident 4 months, 2 weeks ago
You are making a mountain out of a molehill. Let the person without sin cast the first stone. Is that you?
fiddleback 4 months, 2 weeks ago
What I find annoying is that even after getting copies of the actual emails from KU, the LJW still won't just print the jokes and allow the truth to set us free of disproportionate responses...
Ian, maybe if we could read what's most likely a pretty tame and obvious set of quips, these deans wouldn't be getting death threats, and maybe readers might be less inclined to howl for their termination. Maybe we could all agree that this indiscretion warrants some disciplinary action but not demolishing their academic careers.
At this point, the fact that the LJW won't print the jokes, or that KU dissuaded them, just suggests that the emails are more salacious and incriminating than they probably really are. The mystery that's being perpetuated allows the most emotional readers to assume the worst, imagining that these deans are somehow just as boorish and calloused about animal cruelty as the frat boys who committed the actual crime.
Or, I guess you can just wait for the KC Star or another newspaper with less sensitivity to KU's PR wishes to come along and finally print the dang jokes...in any case, full sunshine seems the best disinfectant especially when minor indiscretions get so overblown.
Ian_Cummings 4 months, 2 weeks ago
The jokes are pretty much exactly what you would think. We don't omit them in order to create any false mystery - it's just a standards and practices policy we follow in all stories. I regret any frustration on readers' part.
fiddleback 4 months, 2 weeks ago
"The jokes are pretty much exactly what you would think."
That's just it -- the spectrum of what people imagine seems to be pretty wide. If the actual emails are withheld to be consistent with a broader publishing policy, okay, but as it is, this follow-up story just seems to add peripheral details (and fuel) to a story in which the actual exchange in question could offer readers the most perspective and sense of proportion. I guess if your hands are tied, then it can't be helped, but I do think these folks receiving death threats or demands for termination is in part due to this missing piece of disclosure and looser cannons assuming the very worst.
MacHeath 4 months, 2 weeks ago
oh please! put you off your stroke too, huh?
tanzer 4 months, 2 weeks ago
KU email is set up so that when hitting reply to one person an entire group originally sent an email can be included if someone has created a group address and individual email addresses are not always obviously displayed. I know several people intending to respond to the sender only who have replied to an entire group on KU email.
The majority of students attending KU are adults.
kuguardgrl13 4 months, 2 weeks ago
A fine example is a recent email to students reminding us to purchase spring parking permits if we don't have them. A freshman hit reply all and got lots of responses I'm sure.
50YearResident 4 months, 2 weeks ago
Ban all Jokes.....Jokes have killed more careers than Guns. And as a reminder, "Choking the Chicken" does not kill a bird, nor is it animal abuse.
beatrice 4 months, 2 weeks ago
Is that what was said? I would have figured him for a "turkey jerky" jokester.
LarryNative 4 months, 2 weeks ago
It's two co-workers telling jokes to one another, lighten up. What a moronic knee jerk reaction it is to attack these men. If this blown out of proportion story had any national coverage, Jay Leno would be telling these jokes to the entire country who would be laughing. The turkey story is a giant softball waiting to be hit out of the park by referencing choking the turkey and chicken similarities. If you are offended by this then you are the thinnest skinned person alive.
Taxpayer 4 months, 2 weeks ago
Not the best and brightest leading our School of Education. Even elementary school kids know not to send e-mails that can be forwarded...
PhilChiles 4 months, 2 weeks ago
Here's a good idea. People should only be allowed to be offended a certain number of times per month, say 4 or 5. After you reach that point, you have to leave people alone for the rest of the month.
fiddleback 4 months, 2 weeks ago
Reminds me of this:
“Every man is a damn fool for at least five minutes every day; wisdom consists in not exceeding the limit.” ― Elbert Hubbard
flyin_squirrel 4 months, 2 weeks ago
IT WAS A JOKE! It was not meant to be sent to her and he made a mistake. I cannot believe this is even newsworthy or that I am commenting on someone making a joke that offended someone.
lunatic 4 months, 2 weeks ago
Get over it people. Everyone makes fun of things from time to time. And really, sending it to the news because she was "offended"! Geeze! This is insane!
rockchalker52 4 months, 2 weeks ago
No harm, no foul...unless you were the bird. Then it's plenty of harm to the fowl. Don't lose sight of what makes this disgusting. It isn't the email.
sunshine_noise 4 months, 2 weeks ago
Seems to me LIchtenburg is the culprit in the email abuse to me and should be reprimanded if not fired. Wonder how many he's fired for doing the same thing or the like? As for the turkey (poor thing) who in the heck approved to allow these student to get a live turkey in the first place. What do they think they would have done with it anyway? If the students wanted a turkey they should have bought one at the grocery store. Idiots!! And they call this a higher institution of learning. Nuff said.
voevoda 4 months, 2 weeks ago
This is not even close to a "firing offense" for a tenured faculty member.
Alpenglow 4 months, 2 weeks ago
Perhaps not firing, but formal probation and admonishment for certain. A tenured colleague was put through the wringer for an email sent within his department that another staff member perceived hostile. Which it was not. The treatment he received was reprehensible from the powers that be. The overall drop in morale university wide rests firmly in the laps of the the top two leaders of KU. This entire turkey email debacle is much ado about nothing.
KU7679 4 months, 2 weeks ago
How is this news? These kinds of jokes have been exchanged around water coolers for eons. I guess the sin was putting the joke in writing, and it's pretty stupid to think it wouldn't end up in the wrong hands, but please. . . Could we over-react a little less?
I expect the 4-5 students whose behavior was over the line will be kicked out of the frat house, and all will be well in a few weeks.
smot 4 months, 2 weeks ago
The fraternity boys made stupid decisions while under the influence....I am sure that all of you who are calling for their beheadings and banishment have never made stupid decisions under the influence. It is unlikely these offenders have ever made mistakes in judgement resulting in injury to an animal prior to this. We still don't know how sadistic their behaviors were and I suspect their may be some embellishment (or at least different sides to the same story) in the amount of abuse and torture that occurred at thefraternity house. Punish appropriately those who transgressed and make the fraternity boys contribute their time to the humane society and lets move on.
edson443 4 months, 2 weeks ago
So what.
Paul R. Getto 4 months, 2 weeks ago
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.......
Kontum1972 4 months, 2 weeks ago
makes one not to eat turkey anymore....
oletimer 4 months, 2 weeks ago
OMG!! Another day, another wacko animal lover goes nuts! What drugs do these idiots take with their veggies. Animal rights groups are so far out of control and reality it is scary. The last time I saw a group this far gone was the anti-abortion group, right before Tiller was assassinated. Normal people need to wake up and step in before it is too late. I am not sleeping with cows. pigs, and turkeys. They are food and need to be treated as such.
hedshrinker 4 months, 2 weeks ago
we don't typically drag caged food animals around parties to be tormented until the only kind thing to do at that point is to put them out of their misery. Most people who raise animals for slaughter know that the quality of the end product depends on your good care....garbage in. garbage out, so to speak...Temple Grandin has been a tremendous advocate for humane slaughter which prevents the animals fr being terrified and releasing adrenaline which degrades the meat quality. Educate yourself a bit before you rant.
gl0ck0wn3r 4 months, 2 weeks ago
Am I the only person amused by the fact that the woman simpy went to the KU website, picked two names essentially at random and directed her complaints to them? Lazy activists.
psycho_theclown 4 months, 2 weeks ago
I like turtles
parco814 4 months, 2 weeks ago
First, thank you to the LJ World for reporting this story of unprofessional and stupid conduct among the upper echelons at KU. What galls me more than anything is that if the emails had been sent by contingent faculty or GTAs, their positions at KU would be at risk. But these educated and credentialed fools will only suffer embarrassment and death threats from a few cranks. Real role models, they are--and at the top of the heap in the School of Education, no less.
irtnog2001 4 months, 2 weeks ago
They could at least be lent to FHSU for a semester or two as punishment.
MacHeath 4 months, 2 weeks ago
If you are upset by all this; have your brain pickled for prosperity.
parco814 4 months, 2 weeks ago
You say prosperity, I say posterity, let's call the whole thing off...
riverdrifter 4 months, 2 weeks ago
Great shot!
oxymoron 4 months, 2 weeks ago
Really, are these two the best KU can get for these jobs?
beatrice 4 months, 2 weeks ago
"Both Ginsberg and Lichtenberg stressed that they did not intend to make light of the abuse of an animal."
Wrong. They absolutely intended to make light of it, hence making a joke. What is a joke if not making light of something? Does this mean they condone such behavior? Of course not, but they fully intended to make light of the situation, they just meant to do so amongst themselves. They didn't mean to offend by making light of the situation is what they meant to say.
Beyond that, just remember to NEVER hit "reply all" unless you mean to. Oh, and say no to Dibiase's invitation for Thanksgiving -- they are likely serving tofurkey.
blindrabbit 4 months, 2 weeks ago
Kansas: Land of Speaker of the House Owens racial jokesters! Sea of Galilee swimmers! Dean of Education crude e-mailers! State Representative shooters of aliens from helicopters! Board of Education evolution deniers! Home of supposedly Christian funeral protesters! Koch-a-Kola voter suppressors! No wonder we are the "laughing stock" for the rest of the country
toe 4 months, 2 weeks ago
I guess sex jokes help prime the education graduates for their eventual indictments.
Alceste 4 months, 2 weeks ago
Clearly Ginsberg is underpaid in his ever so important slot with the "family" of the "University" of Kansas having only pulled in a paltry $191,684.60 in 2011. He needs to be paid more so he has more to do, eh? Facts obtained from: http://www.kansasopengov.org/StateGovt/PayListings/KansasGovernmentEmployeesover100000/tabid/1551/Default.aspx
And, for that matter, grossly underpaid Jim Lichtenberg simply needs to be better appreciated for what he does, what with being a "family" member and all. The poor Jim Lichtenberg only pulled in $131,265.28 for 2011 per http://www.kansasopengov.org/StateGovt/PayListings/KansasGovernmentEmployeesover100000/tabid/1551/Default.aspx
Alceste simply cannot understand how these fellows survive on such low wages and is convinced these low wages lead to mischief................and misunderstandings........probably more of the latter......misunderstandings. Uh huh........
Liberty275 4 months, 2 weeks ago
He has publicly stated it was a lapse in judgement. So put a note in his dossier and leave him alone.
His lapse in judgement wasn't the joke. His lapse was telling such a somewhat sophomoric joke on what I assume are government owned computers during a period when he was "on the clock" or however you smart people say it Latin.
Give me a bit of free speech and I'll make you talk about sex and poultry just to try to stop me from offending you. His personal speech is as protected as mine.
As his employer, I would merely ask he not do similar things in the future. Otherwise, keep up the good work.
Now the real questions.
1: Who would rent a turkey, and why would they rent one?
2: Who rents out turkeys?
UselessToRemain 4 months, 2 weeks ago
Anyone making six figures should know better. At every trivial job I have ever had making $10/hour or less, I have had to read and sign extensive sexual harassment information and sometimes attend classes and take tests on the topic. Sure it was a joke, but it's a major problem that this man likely sends routine emails of a sexual nature to co-workers. Is there not a policy against that? Shouldn't a dean be held as much responsible as the people getting paid the least at the organization?
Alceste 4 months, 2 weeks ago
UselessToRemain:
Please understand these impoverished civil servants are not subject to the same set of rules and regulations the rest of working people are subject to: They're special because they're part of the "university" "family".
What all that mumbo jumbo means is that these fellows are NOT accountable; are easily "forgiven", irrespective of their actions; and, despite their poverty and pitifully disgusting low wages, are operating under a totally unique set of "rules and regulations".
Alceste wants to stress just how badly these two fellows have it in the "work" environment (does any "work" really go on at "KU" by their "class" of employee???) given their obvious lack of work assignments such that the two can spend a good deal of "work time" sending out and receiving/reading emails in the jocular arena. Poor, poor, poor overworked and underpaid KU administrators.
Get with the program, UselessToRemain.
Alceste 4 months, 2 weeks ago
PS:
If these two underpaid and overworked School of Education types do this kind of "stuff", isn't one compelled to ask "Just exactly WHAT is being TAUGHT in the School of Education"????
KU_cynic 4 months, 2 weeks ago
This is an embarrassing example of political correctness run amok.
I feel sorry for the poor turkey, but frankly what would impress me would be if Ginsberg et al. would merely respond with, "&%@ 'em if they can't take a joke."
riverdrifter 4 months, 2 weeks ago
My GAS switch is locked into the off position on this one. Next.
JackMcKee 4 months, 2 weeks ago
Death threats? Over a turkey joke? Are these people serious?
I've killed hundreds, if not thousands, of deer, bunnies, birds and fish over my hunting career. Come and get me vegans.
anticommunist 4 months, 2 weeks ago
I care not so much about this dude passing along less than PC comments. But I say fire him for not not being a professional. This kind of press stains the reputation of the university. It also seems to indicate this sort of unprofessionalism is widespread among the school of ed leadership. Kick him to the curb. One less dork bringing in 200k, stifling the fowl all day and not thinking about how he represents KU at large.
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