President contests, investigates $4,000 restaurant bill
Nearly $600 worth of wine—not included
Editor
Fresh off of his month-long sabbatical, Washtenaw Community College President Larry Whitworth wants to set the record straight about the Board of Trustees’ retreat dinner at 24grille in Detroit: Contrary to what The Washtenaw Voice was told by another administrator, a $4,023 dinner bill at the board’s retreat last month did include alcohol—nearly $600 worth of wine.
In an interview on the day he returned, Whitworth also emphasized that the arrangements for the dinner were made by him and not members of the board.
Whitworth also believes the college was charged too much for the dinner, and said that in the future he’ll watch costs more closely and be clearer with hotels and restaurants about how much the college expects to pay.
“The food was good; the service was good, but I think they overcharged us and this is something I will watch very, very carefully in the future,” he said. “This is just an effort for me to kind of set the record straight. I think there were implications that somehow the trustees were arranging this to have a big whoop, and that isn’t, in fact, that case.”
Rachel Leemis, the 24grille’s manager, said WCC was charged appropriately.
“I have the correspondence and I have all the information that was agreed to by the Washtenaw Community College board, signed and approved,” Leemis said. “Actually, they assembled the menu and there wasn’t anything on their bill that they were charged for above and beyond what was discussed either prior to or on March 5.”
Leemis noted that she does not usually comment on guest experiences because it’s confidential information, but she needed to defend her establishment.
“This was an arrangement signed, contracted out, specifically spelled out with prices and with exact, itemized requests of what was ordered,” she said.
After thoroughly checking out the restaurant tab, Whitworth said he’ll be investigating how the charges got so high.
“There was an error in reporting that there was no alcohol,” he said. “There was wine at the dinner. There was a miscommunication, a misspeaking.”
As The Voice reported in our March 28 edition, Vice President of Administration and Finance Steven Hardy said the bill did not include alcohol.
“The college doesn’t pay for alcohol. That’s just our general policy,” Hardy said at the time. “If someone had an alcoholic drink, they paid for it on their own dime.”
Whitworth, however, said it’s not uncommon for him to buy wine.
“I have authority to entertain and it’s part of my responsibility. It’s not unusual,” he said. “I host a number of dinners and different events during the year and I do purchase wine as a regular part of my job and my responsibilities. Steven, on the other hand, and the rest of the institution, does not buy it, but I have authority.”
On March 25 The Voice submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to obtain an itemized copy of the receipt. That receipt shows $573 worth of wine, or 14 bottles. Minus a 20 percent gratuity, administration fee and the cost of the wine, the bill came out to about $96 per person.
If anyone is to blame for dinner arrangements, Whitworth said, it’s him.
“Most importantly, I think it needs to be clear that the administration, that I, personally, made the arrangements and the board members were not the people that were engaged in this,” he said.
Whitworth was very clear on one point: the dinner was strictly for work purposes and both he and Stephen Gill, chair of the board, made speeches during the two-hour meal.
“We had a nice dinner,” he said, “but it certainly was not a party and it certainly was not a large gala that might’ve been implied.”
Let’s break it down this way:
Both my husband and I are students at WCC, in January of 2009 he lost his job and due to the economy the way it is, we cannot find jobs. Luckily our commute to WCC is that of 10 minutes. We were approved for food stamps along with his unemployment and wow, we were offered a whopping $20 a month! Yes, twenty! I also am on a Board for a non-profit organization that I volunteer my time to daily, I believe in the cause. I believe I can make a difference in the lives of those around me because I was given this opportunity. Guess what we get for “working weekends”? A variety of $5 pizzas. So yeah, spending $96 per person on a dinner for someone who volunteers their time is more than absurd.
As far as Dr. Fitzpatrick is concerned, of course you think it is a small compensation for their time. According to the Faculty Salary Schedule, for the 2009-2010 semester you between $49,000 and $85,000 plus kickbacks. If I knew your rank of seniority I would have an exact figure which I am guessing is still more than most if not all of the students at Washtenaw.
The more time I spend at your self proclaimed superior college I realize how disgusted I am. There are few faculty I would consider professionals and when I hear from instructors about their disdain for the institution they are employed at, it really makes me less than uneasy. I wouldn’t expect Whitworth to accept responsibility without throwing in some sort of justification excuse. After all, he wanted his students to risk their lives in bad weather just to come to class. Keep digging your hole Whitworth…
Here’s a keen idea, put me on your B of T where I will volunteer my time, without compensation, to make the college a better place. On second thought, a nice holiday thank you card around Christmas would be nice.
Over the past several years, I’ve noticed that The Voice appears to Have an abundance of editors on staff. Over the past several years I have also noticed an abundance of errors in the paper. I often wondered if the editors have “edited” their own stories.
sub headline: “Nearly $600 worth of wine—not included”
first paragraph: “…dinner bill at the board’s retreat last month did include alcohol—nearly $600 worth of wine.”
while I know what was intended, it isn’t clear by the contradiction in the first paragaph.
Try to come correct when exposing The “unneeded bias” truth your editorial claims.
I don’t know how much money is usually spent on these outings. $4000 maybe normal, less than average or way over the top. To the average WCC student who buys subway for lunch, $4000 seems like extreme opulence on the student and tax payer’s dime. But thinking about EMU located just around the corner, WCC does not have a mansion built on school grounds to entertain the Board or other would be school donors. That mansion could have bought a lot of $4000 dinners.
With that said, I am with a fellow commenter who suggested the board dine on food prepared by our eager and talented culinary students. Maybe we can even through in a spa day in our nice, new, gym across the street.
So Whitworth bought wine on the public’s dime and then just forgot to “report it.” He’s also at a loss over why the prices are so expensive, huh. I’m sure that’s because he’s not used to looking at the prices! Some people live like that (and take month long vacations).
If you want a fancy dinner then spell it out in a contract with the College. Anything else is strictly at the whim of the powers that be (on his “authority”) and is probably unethical. I’m sure Whitworth (and his supporters here) would have preferred we never hear about this.
To David Fitzpatrick: You don’t seem to understand that it isn’t your place to say what is or isn’t a story, especially for someone working at WCCC. You work for us (the public); we don’t work for you. Or do you just feel that it’s for you and the other people at WCCC to decide how the College’s resources are spent and none of our business?
I agree with Dr. David Fitzpatrick. If the Community College springs for an expensive meal every once in a while for Board of Trustee members who volunteer their time that shouldn’t be construed as being irresponsible. Now if they received full working pay and this was a common event that might be another thing. The President and Board did nothing wrong.
Hey, a dinner on a working weekend? Fine. Yep, nice thing for those you donate their time.
Spending outside the system when it is unnecessary, is appalling and an insult to WCC culinary system.
I think WCC provides quality education at a reasonable price but that’s no excuse to waste taxpayer and tuition money in Detroit.
You want me to “go green” by riding a bus to school and not requiring a parking spot but you all drive down to Detroit to have a “working dinner”? Give me a break. This is wrong on so many levels.
Keep in mind. NO one forces the Trustees to seek this office. This is something they do completely on their own. If the Trustees feel they must be compensated for their time, let them find an opportunity that does not use taxpayers money in such a frivolous fashion.The voters and taxpayers of Washtenaw County vote them in. WCC has a fine Culinary Arts program. What better way to have the Trustees appreciated such a fine program than to actually use it. It would have been a lot cheaper, plus educational for faculty and board members. Once again, the taxpayer must foot the bill for excesses of its public officials
Mr. Fitzpatrick,
The B&T members are B&T members because they want to be members, it’s their decision. THIS IS A STORY and The Washtenaw Voice has done an excellent job covering the B&T dinner.
How many Subway subs would $4000 buy? I want a sub and a coffee for my time attending WCC and paying tuition.
The B&T members could have chosen to dine at the WCC Culinary Arts restaurant and enjoyed a coffee and cupcake from Bakuzio’s.
Mr. Can’t find a parking spot
Student
Washtenaw Community College
and lets add Mitch(and all the others) here to the list of entitlement seeking crybabies.
you asked how many would love to go to school and can’t afford it. How much tuition does $4000 buy?
not much at the university of Mi that’s roughly a 1/4 to 1/2 a freshman semester.EMU at nearly $400 a credit hour not including textbooks,parking passes(and that is if you CAN find a spot) so 1200 for 1 class or $960 for 12 credit hours @ wcc. if you do not like the idea of a $96 dinner or a $7 dollar tuition hike. than show them enroll somewhere else (I can use your parking spot)
I think folks just need to shut up with this crybaby approach that these people don’t deserve a dinner for the work they do.
I will give you two options
A) let the school hire people to do this.(how much you think that’s going to cost??)
OR
B) you can do all their work they do. you do all the research and paper work. you make the phone calls and take the notes, and etc….
so if you don’t like wcc & the policies enroll somewhere else.
Totally inappropriate. $96 per person for one meal at a time when this state is hurting and many would love to go to school and can’t afford it. How much tuition does $4000 buy?
“‘I host a number of dinners and different events during the year and I do purchase wine as a regular part of my job and my responsibilities.’”
Please! Add school presidents to the list of overcompensated wall street and health insurance CEO’s.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but anytime the college spends over $10,000 in a single weekend, shouldn’t it be considered news.
Actually, don’t correct me: anytime the college spends over $10,000 over a single weekend on nothing that actually benefits the students, it’s news.
The members of the B of T are not compensated for the hundreds of hours they put in every year on behalf of the college. This, indeed, was a working weekend, as your newspaper as well as the Ann Arbor Chronicle reported in great detail.
If, then, the College spent $4000 on a working weekend for the Board, it seems to me small compensation for all of the time they give the College gratis in service to the College, to its students, and to the community as a whole.
This is a non-story.
Dr. David Fitzpatrick
History Instructor
Washtenaw Community College