Dr. Russi Log

Dr. Russi Podcast

2010-01-11T14:34:00.006-05:00

After 4 months of waiting, Dr. Gary Russi appeared on my WXOU radio show this morning. On the show we discussed a variety of issues including the promises made during his forum, the new medical school, men and women's basketball, and more.

The interview went very well. Dr. Russi and I spoke about returning to the show later this semester or over the summer.

Click Here to listen to a podcast of the interview.

Photo by: Steve Wiseman

Podcast: Russi Watch - 11/30/2009

2009-11-30T15:46:00.005-05:00

On today's show Kay Nguyen from The Oakland Post joined me in studio to kick off a new weekly segment called "Russi Watch". Each week Kay and myself will examine promises made at Dr. Russi's forum and follow the progress made on those promises.

An update to today's show, Dr. Russi has been confirmed to appear on my show January 11, 2010 at 11:30am!

Click Here to listen to the podcast.

BREAKING NEWS: Dr. Russi To Appear On The Show In January

2009-11-30T14:25:00.003-05:00

Just received word from Oakland University Media Relations that Dr. Russi is CONFIRMED to appear on The Erik Anderson Program on Monday January 11, 2010 at 11:30am!

Tell Your Friends!

Faculty Gather For Dr. Russi Forum

2009-11-19T23:01:00.005-05:00

Over 150 members of Oakland University Faculty gathered for an Open Forum with University President Dr. Gary Russi this afternoon. Members of WXOU, The Oakland Post, and myself were in attendance at the meeting.

I was very impressed with today's forum. Tough questions were asked of Dr. Russi. He answered every question openly and honestly in my opinion. Today's appearance was a big step toward changing the "isolated" image that is sometimes associated with Dr. Russi, and another big step in improving the lines of communication between faculty and the President.

Today's forum was a great jumping off point for my future interview with President Russi. I'm told by Oakland University Media Relations that a specific date will be nailed down very soon. We're planning to tentatively have Dr. Russi appear on my radio program at the start of the 2010 Winter Semester in January. More details on that, as they become available.

Campus Editor of The Oakland Post, Kay Nguyen has written a FANTASTIC article covering today's forum. The article also includes links to past stories covered by The Post relating to topics discussed at today's forum.

Click Here to read Kay's article.

Professor David Garfinkle Interview

2009-11-16T15:53:00.004-05:00

From today's show: Oakland University Professor David Garfinkle stops by the studio to discuss a group of OU Professors who are organizing a vote of no confidence against University President Dr. Gary Russi. The group is hoping Dr. Russi will step down or be removed from his position. I talk with Professor Garfinkle to find out why.

Click Here to listen to a podcast of the interview.

Click Here to download a copy of the Professor's Bill of Particulars which was discussed during today's interview.

Click Here to download a copy of "The Failure of Leadership At Oakland University" which was also mentioned during today's interview.

I'm hopeful Dr. Russi will appear on my radio show to discuss these accusations made by the professors. I'm told a date for the interview is still being worked on.

A Nice Shoutout!

2009-11-10T22:25:00.002-05:00

My thanks to The Oakland Post (www.oaklandpostonline.com) for mentioning this blog in this week's Staff Editorial regarding Dr. Russi.

Russi does seem isolated at times — just ask WXOU General Manager Erik Anderson. He’s been trying to pin Russi down since the beginning of the semester, documenting every step of the way on his Dr. Russi Log (found at www.erikandersonprogram.com). The fruits of Anderson’s labor have yet to grow. But how much time does a president of a university have to spare? And who gets to decide which people deserve his limited time?

Click Here to read the full editorial.

It's Been Awhile

2009-11-07T15:48:00.001-05:00

No new news to report. Still waiting for a confirmation on a date and time from Dr. Russi's camp.

Stay Tuned...

Day Ten

2009-10-01T16:54:00.002-04:00

Received a phone call from Oakland University Media Relations today.

We're in the process of getting details worked out but, Dr. Russi is willing to appear on my radio program. The interview will tentatively happen later this semester since Dr. Russi is already booked for the next month or so.

More details to come as they become available.

Day Eight & Nine

2009-09-30T23:30:00.004-04:00

It's been a productive couple of days. Received an e-mail from Oakland University's PR department. They received my e-mail request to interview Dr. Russi and are currently trying to work out a way to make it happen.

I also received an anonymous tip. I can't say what it is yet but it could be an "ace in the hole" if all else fails in getting Dr. Russi on the show. In case you're wondering, no, it doesn't involve anything illegal or unethical.

More to come...

Interview Request Letter

2009-09-28T16:51:00.004-04:00

The following is a copy of the e-mail sent to media relations at Oakland University. Yes, it's very similar to the e-mail I sent directly to Dr. Russi. Hopefully this will get the ball rolling in setting up an interview with him.

Hi!

My name is Erik Anderson, I'm the General Manager of Oakland University's Campus Radio Station WXOU. I'm also host of The Erik Anderson Program which airs Mondays from 11am to 1pm on WXOU. I wanted to send an email to openly invite Dr. Gary Russi to appear on my radio program. I've never interviewed him and I think it would be great to have him on the air. I don't have any pre-set agenda to discuss and I'm open to discussing / promoting whatever he wants to talk about on the show. I'll be open, honest, and fair with him as long as he does the same in return.

Please contact me to set this up. Let me know what I can do to help make this happen. I can be reached via this email address or by phone. My campus extension is 4324.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Regards,
Erik

Day 7

2009-09-28T16:50:00.001-04:00

No calls or e-mails from Dr. Russi or his PR people. I did send a formal e-mail to them in hopes of getting the ball rolling.

Day Four, Five, and Six

2009-09-26T16:51:00.004-04:00

No calls or e-mails from Dr. Russi.

I have been receiving a lot of positive feedback from various sources. Thanks to everyone who has either written a note or talked to me directly in support of this blog. I appreciate the support and words of encouragement.

Please tell your friends about this blog. I'll make an effort to have banners and buttons sometime next week so you can post them on your favorite websites.

Enjoy your weekend!

Day Three

2009-09-23T22:58:00.000-04:00

Saw Dr. Russi while walking across campus today. He was walking with some people and a person who appeared to be on security detail. While I wanted to yell HEY DR. RUSSI! DID YOU GET MY E-MAIL? I didn't think it would be appropriate nor did I want to run the risk of possibly being tasered.

Other than that, no calls or e-mails from him. I'll keep trying "Official Channels" for awhile.

Day Two

2009-09-22T16:56:00.002-04:00

No calls or e-mails from Dr. Russi. However, one WXOU staff member ran into him on campus this morning. The staff member didn't have the chance to ask him why he (or another representative) hasn't contacted me to setup an interview yet.

So close! Oh well...next time!

Day 1

2009-09-21T14:46:00.001-04:00

No calls or e-mails from Dr. Russi.

The Postcard

2009-09-19T17:53:00.002-04:00

During the Oakland University Professors Strike, students were given cards to send into Dr. Russi as a show of support for the Professors.

This is a photo of a card I mailed in.

That was over a week ago...so far no calls from Dr. Russi.

Open Invitation E-Mail Sent To Dr. Russi

2009-09-19T17:45:00.001-04:00

The following is a copy of an e-mail I sent to Dr. Russi today giving him an open invitation to appear on my radio show.

Dear Dr. Russi,

My name is Erik Anderson, i'm the General Manager of Oakland University's Campus Radio Station WXOU. I'm also host of The Erik Anderson Program which airs Mondays from 11am to 1pm on WXOU. I wanted to send an email to openly invite you to appear on my radio program. I've never interviewed you and I think it would be great to have you on the air. I don't have any pre-set agenda to discuss and i'm open to discussing / promoting anything you are interested in talking about on the show. I'll be open, honest, and fair with you as long as you do the same in return.

Please contact me to set this up. I can be reached via this email address or by phone. My campus extension is 4324.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Regards,
Erik

The Quest Begins

2009-09-19T15:09:00.002-04:00

Welcome to the "Dr. Russi Log".

This blog is going to showcase my attempt to get Oakland University President Dr. Gary Russi to appear on my WXOU Radio show, The Erik Anderson Program.

As time goes on, I'll post updates on how the quest is going. David Letterman kept a similar "Log" during his attempt at getting Oprah to appear on The Late Show several years ago. I hope to accomplish the same thing with this blog.

I came up with this idea during the 2009 Oakland University Professors Strike. During the strike, we constantly heard from Union representatives and other University administrators, but rarely from Dr. Russi outside of a press release or two. I wondered what would happen if he appeared on my radio show. What would he say, what would we talk about?

Hopefully over time, we'll find out the answers to both of those questions.