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“One department spent $1 million without getting any kind of approval, the auditors reported.”

How can YOU hire the sort of university president who can make this happen for YOU? That is the question American universities want answered.

Track down Betsy Cantwell, whose last name is an ironic reversal on her can-do approach to public service. This is a woman who, when president of Utah State University, bought herself a circa $20,000 “climate-controlled golf cart.” It CAN be done!

Betsy might go to jail because she broke a bunch of state laws, but meanwhile she got out of USU PRONTO when things started getting hot for her (her term there lasted one year) and can now be found hiding in plain sight at notorious Washington State University, whose somewhat malsain operations this blog has followed for years. WSU clearly felt an immediate affinity with ol’ Bets and wrote up this uh selective account of her uh operations at USU.

They forgot to mention not only the golf cart (and the bidet for her office) but the possibly criminal malfeasance.

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Now you’d think WSU would be all in a tizzy – their shiny new prez might soon be hauled in front of a congressional panel and then maybe a judge – but take a look at this and ask yourself: Would Mike Leach find uncomfortable questions from government representatives embarrassing? UD knows WSU and Betsy Cantwell will brazen this out beautifully.

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Crap schools are crappy for a reason. You need to start with trustees that are corrupt and absolutely bewilderingly stupid. And way into football. Current WSU athletics debt is around a quarter billion dollars. Betsy’s the frugal money manager.

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’Items Cantwell purchased have been inventoried, [and one person handling the scandal notes that] the school could consider selling them off to make up the funds.

But “Removing a bidet will cost money.”’

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ONE USED BIDET LADIES AND GENTLEMEN WHO WISHES TO START THE BIDDING

Margaret Soltan, January 31, 2026 10:01AM
Posted in: just plain gross

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2 Responses to ““One department spent $1 million without getting any kind of approval, the auditors reported.””

  1. MattF Says:
    January 31st, 2026 at 12:55PM

    That academic resume tells quite a story. Bachelor’s degree in Human behavior at Chicago to Wharton MBA to Berkeley Ph.D in Mechanical Engineering. Most people don’t realize that mechanical engineers make their livings running large, sophisticated numerical simulations of complex mechanical systems. She’s expert in several different very complex areas.

  2. Margaret Soltan Says:
    January 31st, 2026 at 2:34PM

    There are several other examples – see Shirley Jackson –

    https://medium.com/@sctt212/the-complicated-and-controversial-legacy-of-dr-shirley-ann-jackson-42d15e6b9d69

    – of presidents with insanely impressive backgrounds who have dramatic moral flaws. Bigtime greed, for one.

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