Sternberg Museum Update

Hello all!

Looks like there is more and more that has been unfolding with the Sternberg Museum closure. Here is an update on things that have been going on here recently. 

First off, there are many thank-yous that need to be mentioned. Thank you to all the people who have shown support for the Sternberg Museum, for signing and sharing this petition, for speaking out against the closure, and for doing everything you can to help change this horrible decision. Thank you to those who have helped promote this petition to get the word out to farther audiences, and to those who have donated to the fundraiser in helping to keep the Sternberg open for another year. Thank you to the community and the public for speaking out, doing their research, and holding those in power for this decision accountable. Thank you for showing your outrage, sadness, mistrust, disapproval, and so forth towards the ones who made this decision behind closed doors. Thank you for showing support, love, generosity, assistance, and care towards both the museum and its staff during this time.

Our voices are being heard. Our outrage and confusion are getting answers (still very little, but answers nonetheless). More things are coming to light about the wrongdoings and deceit behind this decision. There have been many people who have used their resources and connections to get the word out to others all over the country, and even some parts of the world, and call for help to stop this museum from closing. More pressure and demands are being made on the university about everything that went into this decision. And it looks like FHSU is just digging its grave deeper and deeper, from the FHSU Foundation's 'Save the Sternberg' goal now being increased by President Mason, from $850,000 to $1 million with no stated reason why, to a recent interview with President Tisa Mason about "pivoting" their decision on closing the museum. 

A recent interview with President Tisa Mason was released earlier this week, in which she was asked to give more insight into this decision and other questions people from the community have been asking. A main point that came up was when Tisa made this decision. She couldn't pinpoint the date! The timeline would have been after the State Legislature announced the budget cut back in March, and before this news became public through an employee of the museum. She had known about this for the last 6 months and seems to have waited until the last moment before making her decision public (now coming across as a shameful and despicable way to make sure nothing could be done to alter this course). She stated that she consulted an FHSU executive team of six administrators, yet none of them were employees of the museum. Even Dr. Reese Barrick, the Director of the Museum, was left out of the decision. Tisa also mentioned that "It was very unfortunate that I didn’t get a chance to sit down and have a conversation with the staff because it all went viral so fast," yet museum staff were told on Sept. 21st about this decision, before the official announcement became public on Sept. 28th. There was never a sit-down with ANY museum staff PRIOR to this decision being finalized, so why would there be one for her to personally talk to the staff after the fact? The museum staff was never included or a part of this discussion at any time, no matter what President Mason may say to try to cover her huge mistake. 

Another topic that was brought up during this interview was whether the Sternberg collections were going to be sold. Tisa did not plainly state that items from the collections were not going to be sold. She said that neither she nor her team had contacted an auction house, but she did contact an international expert, now identified as Salomon Aaron, after hearing him on a podcast about a recent dinosaur fossil being sold to another museum (a podcast... about how to make money selling precious collections... this is how she goes about finding insight on how to handle the Sternbergs 3+ million collections... without telling/asking any museum staff). During the time of the interview, President Mason stated that she didn't know if he was connected to an auction house or could even recall his name. Couldn't recall his name... or even have the knowledge or do the research to see who he was affiliated with. Reaching out to a so-called expert about overseeing this museum's priceless collections, and she can't even say who this person was? Suspicious, deceitful, immoral, corrupt, shady, and dishonorable are a few words that come to mind when hearing all of this. Tisa Mason said, "Talking to outside people seemed prudent to do,". Well, many would think that talking to museum staff would also be prudent, but she failed to do that. The university has only seemed to seek consultation from one outside source (an 'expert' who makes lots of money on selling fossils) about the importance of ethical deaccession, i. e., permanently removing objects from a museum's collection! There were two conversations with Salomon Aaron, one in early June and another in early September. JUNE. Reaching out to this person IN JUNE about selling collections and possibly deciding the fate of the Sternberg. And again, yet no one inside the museum was let in on these discussions, or even made aware that this fate was even on the table. And though Tisa "emphasized that museum employees' expertise is now part of the collection review", why wasn't their expertise sought out sooner? Employees who have dedicated their LIVES and careers to preserving fossils, mammalian collections, herpetology specimens, and so much more were left on the sidelines this whole time and not asked ONCE by Tisa Mason. 

Outside of this interview, that has been another new piece of information that has been shared. An assessment of the Sternberg Museum building was done on Oct. 6th by Mr. David VanDoren, who has been a licensed contractor for decades, and even owns and operates large buildings himself. He helped ease some of the concerns regarding the $20 million in 'deferred maintenance' that has been shared by FHSU. He says that the building itself is "fine", and there isn't anything that is needed right now in reference to maintenance or repair. “Sternberg staff and FHSU maintenance have done a great job of maintaining the Sternberg Museum and repairing or replacing things as needed. The only noticeable item is the animated T-Rex, which needs new mechanisms for the action, but that is an exhibit issue and nothing to do with the building facility,”. Mr. VanDoren was also able to give insight into the deferred-maintenance list, which he was able to look at for the museum. Basically, a deferred maintenance list is simply a list of things that will eventually need repair or replacement, but doesn't specifically represent current problems with the building. It is used to show what might need maintenance in the future. Related to some of these future repairs, Dr. Reese Barrick, Director of the Museum, even said that the electrical and heating systems are getting old (understandable due to the age of the building), some of the carpets need to be replaced, and eventually the museum will need a new roof. Overall, this $20 million in deferred maintenance is very misleading, but doesn't pose impending threats or concerns to the building itself. When President Tisa Mason was asked about the deferred maintenance and releasing the finances that led to this desicion during her interview, she did not provide any insight or details and simply said to go through the Kansas Open Records Act and submit requests from there. 

So, overall, there has been a lot of new information that has come to light this week. And quite honestly, this is helping prove that the decision to close the Sternberg Museum is WRONG. Looking at the bigger picture, things are coming across as if Tisa Mason and the FHSU administration are thinking only about how to make themselves more money, being deceitful and shady about going behind the backs of museum staff and the pubic as a whole, and seeming to now say whatever they can to cover themselves from more backlash. Well, the outrage and backlash from the community is strong, and it's a good thing. The people of this community have been wronged! We seem to have been lied to, deceived, and/or misled countless times. And FHSU has NOT been transparent about this decision regarding our beloved museum and seems to continue to lack transparency on all fronts. The public has every right to be outraged and to demand more answers. We need to continue to put pressure on the decision-makers of FHSU and let them know that we are not going to take this lightly. Since this news became public, it looks like the common people have done more to save this institution than the actual people who are pulling the strings. They can fake sincerity and act like they are doing everything they can, but with this new information, it's setting it in stone that there was so much more time and energy that could have been put into keeping this museum alive, and the people in power at FHSU. Did. Nothing. They kept things quiet behind closed doors, didn't reach out to the public for help in any way, and waited till the last minute to try and sweep all of this under the rug. They are trying to destroy a national treasure to the scientific community and a Kansas legacy to the people. Don't forget that the Sternberg name was one of the college's claims to fame. And casting it aside, dismantling it, throwing it away, and leaving it to fall apart... is a disrespect that will never be forgiven.

We ARE going to continue to fight for the Sternberg. We ARE going to stay angry and be vocal about this wrong decision. And we ARE going to save this museum. The public deserves honesty. We deserve to have this precious resource in our community, and available to anyone who wishes to see it. (And personally, we probably deserve a change in power at the university if this is how they chose to go about major decisions that impact EVERYONE in our community). Continue to stand up for the Sternberg! Continue to sign this petition and share the Sternberg news everywhere! Continue to make your voices heard! #SaveSternberg