Tulsa World: ORU gets checks for $62 million

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ORU gets checks for $62 million

By APRIL MARCISZEWSKI World Staff Writer
Published: 1/31/2008 1:15 AM
Last Modified: 2/11/2008 11:31 AM

For more: Catch up on previous stories and documents related to the ORU lawsuit.

The Green family’s donation signals acceptance of its deal with the university.

The response was immediate and enthusiastic on Wednesday when Mart Green handed Oral Roberts University Trustee Scott Howard three checks totaling $62 million.

Students and employees at ORU’s regular chapel service quickly rose, cheering and clapping in appreciation.

Interim President Ralph Fagin punched his fist into the air. He had just told students they were about to see a miracle and, echoing ORU founder Oral Roberts’ words, said, “Something good is going to happen to you!”

The Green family’s donation signaled acceptance of its deal with ORU, which requires the college to adopt shared governance, in which professors, administrators and trustees jointly run the university.

The deal was partly contingent on the Green family being “reasonably satisfied that all outstanding litigation involving the university” could “be settled on a fair and reasonable basis for the university,” according to the family’s proposal.

Two of the three former professors who sued the school in October, alleging they wrongfully lost their jobs, are continuing with their lawsuit, which kicked off a storm of criticism against ORU and its nowformer president,

Richard Roberts, who resigned but denied wrongdoing. Three other lawsuits — filed by two students and a former ORU accountant against ORU and its leaders — are pending.

Green did not talk about the lawsuits during the chapel service or in a written statement.

“Our family is humbled to be fortunate enough to make this donation and are excited to work with the board of trustees on how best to use these funds to help create a stronger ORU,” he said in the statement.

At chapel, Howard raised the Greens’ checks in the air and then prayed: “Heavenly Father, we thank you for this wonderful gift. . . . We pray for the future of Oral Roberts University, God, that the mission will go forth, . . . the vision will be strengthened, Lord, going forth in the future for generations to come.”

After the service, several students said they were happy about the donation. Senior Ricky Broughton expected the gift to pull ORU out of debt and to pay for campus renovations.

He said he did not know whether ORU needed a new governing board, but he thought the change could be good.

Student Ben Gallaher said everything he had heard about ORU’s new leaders was good, so he trusts them.

The 16-member board of trustees, led by Green, replaced the board of regents and met for the first time Wednesday.

April Marciszewski 581-8475
april.marciszewski@tulsaworld.com

By APRIL MARCISZEWSKI World Staff Writer

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	Report Comment Fifty Dollar Fine, (1/31/2008 1:29:54 AM) New wine, old wineskins.
	Report Comment The Oracle, Tulsa (1/31/2008 5:08:17 AM) Maybe ORU can gain some credibility and a degree from ORU will be more acceptable.The fact that little richard and lindsay are relegated to operating the money machine and not operating ORU is a plus for all concerned.....
	Report Comment Schmoracle, (1/31/2008 5:15:02 AM) But still the same old whiner $50
	Report Comment Beelzebub, Gotebo (1/31/2008 6:25:36 AM) Let's see how long it takes 'em to squander this $$ away...
	Report Comment Sarah R. Cooper, Columbus,MS (1/31/2008 7:07:57 AM) Just moey paid to keep truth from never coming out. To me it is rewarding bad bad behavior. Richard and wife will never face what they have done and what they are continuing to do. Damage can never be undone will millions JUST COVERED UP.
	Report Comment patsy, tulsa (1/31/2008 7:50:25 AM) I think silence speaks volumes in this case.no more attempting to justify actions .the correction has taken place & the answer is seen by all.the Roberts are out.period end of story. no more fear no more manilpulation its been taken out of their hands.watch & see, the results will astound all that look. we have seen the Lord take over now & bring good out of a dismal situation. thank God for the ones that are decent loyal full of integrity & more than that desire truth & righting things that were wrong.a new board....a new way of doing things.indeed something good is going to happen to ORU
	Report Comment George, (1/31/2008 7:57:07 AM) The urgent need for those on this board to continue to drag mud out of ORU an keep that mud in the headlines reflects a serious lack of a life. If the school has made the decison to move forward even though there have been mistakes made and sins sinned int he past, that is what is good for the school and for the students and the good people who work out there. And as much as you would like to deny it, the school is full of good people, more good than bad and what they are doing with those students is worthwhile and of value. So excuse the heck out of ORU for not being willing to feed your constant appetite for bad news. If the mud disappears from the TW and it starves the gholes on this board, well thats sad but not very sad.
	Report Comment question for #1-5, (1/31/2008 8:06:05 AM) I'm curious about why you guys feel that the situation won't be different, since the Green's have had no affiliation with ORU in the past, and have been proven to know how to manage money well (obviously, if they had this much to give). What is it that is making you think still nothing will be different?
	Report Comment FM, VB (1/31/2008 8:37:57 AM) Doors remain open. Not the outcome the "nay sayers" wanted. Strange how this all worked out "without the existence of God", at least according to $50. Concerning the Roberts, there have been no allegations shown to be true yet, so some of you acting as if there have been, shows your prejudice. As George said, even if there have been mistakes made, God is granting recovery to ORU. How many of you would not want Him to do the same for you?
	Report Comment GBW, (1/31/2008 9:11:59 AM) #9, where there's smoke, there's usually fire. Presidents don't resign when they've done nothing wrong. They don't easily relinquish power that they and their family have worked so hard to get. Unfortunately, this lavishness and goes along with health & wealth gospel folks. WWJD? Jesus was born in to humble means, seeking the poor and those on the fringe. He didn't have a golden campus, bright TV lights and a smile plastered on his face. He didn't wear a white suit blowing on people, collecting obscene amounts of money. God forgive ORU, et al.
	Report Comment NB, BA (1/31/2008 9:18:16 AM) Yes, I am happy for ORU as a school. But not as happy as Richard and his second wife was to have the ice storm come through....relief!
	Report Comment CG, SS (1/31/2008 9:19:15 AM) The Green family should be ashamed. ORU is nothing but a place where hateful ideas are dispensed, and people are taught that intolerance is acceptable if done in the name of Jesus. Tulsa does not need this madrassa. We can only hope Oral is "called home" soon and the whole school collapses under it's own stupidity.
	Report Comment Gail, Tulsa, Ok (1/31/2008 9:23:02 AM) To: FM, VB: Just b/c the doors are still open does not prove it is God's will. You need to get past signs and wonders.
	Report Comment Machiavelli, Houston (1/31/2008 9:47:05 AM) Very interesting that Green should override his own requirement and give the big check before all the lawsuits were settled. Perhaps $70 million is such pocket change to this family they could give this amount and know that ORU would still not be saved, but they would be helping it stay afloat for another period. I guess I don't see how anybody's degree is worthless because of a scandal like this. Sure, if you're going in the ministry, then being associated with crooks might not be the best thing on your resume, but if your degree is in Engineering (OK, I confess, I don't even know enough about ORU to know if they have Engineering), what matters is that your bridges don't collapse. And, say, your degree is in Journalism, what matters is that you can write a good article, cover a good story, then perhaps the scandal is even a plus! The news on these remaining lawsuits will be worth reading about. As for my first paragraph, perhaps Green has been moved/influenced by the idea that a "coverup" is not "godly," but doesn't feel like he is the one who should turn on the bright lights, rather letting it happen through the continuation of the lawsuits?
	Report Comment R, Owasso (1/31/2008 9:59:40 AM) Okay this is getting BORING!!!!! It's time to put this story to REST and get back to some REAL news because ORU and their crap AIN"T NEWS ANY LONGER. BORING SYDNEY, BORING.
	Report Comment WWJD, TTYL, (1/31/2008 10:08:14 AM) Put Gail, Tulsa, Ok on the prayer list, she is off her game and has become her own God. She believes, in the end we all go to Gail Heaven.
	Report Comment Been There, (1/31/2008 10:12:35 AM) So, by all accounts, shouldn't this be the end of the story for ORU? Why is still being covered in the TW? I'm surprised articles are still being published. The next news should be the appointment of a new President. I agree w/some of the posters above--this is getting a little boring. Time to move on!
	Report Comment Ricky, Claremore (1/31/2008 10:14:05 AM) Gail Heaven, sign me up! A place where the beer flows like wine, and the women instinctively flock like the salmon of Capistrono.
	Report Comment Machiavelli, Houston (1/31/2008 10:18:23 AM) How can anyone say this is the end of the story? The beginning was the professors' lawsuit. The end will be when Brooker/Brooker and the others settle (which will be disappointing if no information is disclosed) or when these suits go to trial. On another note: Thank you FDF for pointing out that CBSNews not only had the video clip but a couple of articles on Televangelists. I am by no means a fan of Joyce Meyer, but it seems she has a letter of confirmation from CPA's that says that she and her husband contribute more back to her ministry from the royalties of her books sold by publishers other than her own ministry than the two of them take together from the ministry. Now, here's an example where I don't need to know how much (I bet it's big!). Joyce sells so many books (New York Times bestseller that the royalties are so high that she and her husband can give back to her ministry both of their salaries and still live high on the hog! Yay for capitalism, because that's what it is!
	Report Comment WWJD, TTYL, (1/31/2008 10:23:30 AM) Ricky- Given the choice, it beats the heck out of FDF hell. But who is the Independent Party Candidate? Suz? She flip flobs every other post. It's a tough choice.
	Report Comment GreetingsfromKC, alum, Kansas City (1/31/2008 10:30:03 AM) I do hope that Mart has made provision that none of the $62 million can be used for settling these pending lawsuits. I would hate to see the ante go up for what these folks want to extort from ORU on the pretense of having been wronged by the university. $50,000 fine; $100,000 maybe if something really big has happened, but if any of these jokers (especially the two students who submitted a lawsuit because the scandal damaged the value of their not yet obtained degree...) are looking for a huge payout, they are demonstrating the same reprehensible greed and exploitation of ORU's donations and revenues that they are chastising the Roberts family for.
	Report Comment rip, okc (1/31/2008 10:34:46 AM) Jesus is magic...oooooooohhh booogidy boo!
	Report Comment Ricky, Claremore (1/31/2008 10:35:31 AM) WWJD - can you send me some literature about Gail Heaven? I want to vacation there in the spring.
	Report Comment Oh heavens, (1/31/2008 10:39:43 AM) #21 - Read the amended lawsuit. The Brokers are not asking for a "huge payout" as you state. They are asking or $10,000 and $10,000 and whatever the COURT deems appropriate. In reading these posts today it seems like the LR and RR cronies are at full force #15, 17 and 21. If this board is boring find a board that is not boring. Obviously you are just checking out the posts and trying to make everyone think this is all over..... ROFL..... Wrong again. Simple solution, since you are obviously LR and/or RR or a cronie, go spend the rest of the money you stole from donors and leave the rest of us alone!
	Report Comment Fifty Dollar Fine, (1/31/2008 10:43:04 AM) #9 FM - "Strange how this all worked out "without the existence of God", at least according to $50." FM, why are those words in quotes? I didn't say them. Stop shoving words in my mouth and quit making things up. Don't go blaming me if you can't prove any of the supposed truths of your religion. Another christian liar, another day at the TW boards, ho hum.

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