Like a number of big sports campuses, Auburn University has designated faculty-enablers who smooth the way toward a bogus degree for athletes who don't have time to take courses and read books and that sort of thing.

Every few years, Auburn's activities along these lines get national exposure, and, in the most recent case, after months of delay, denial, and ridicule of whistle blowers, the university was forced to admit that it had gone so far as to evolve an entire department, headed by Emperor of the Enablers Professor Thomas Petee, which did little other than create pretend courses and give great pretend grades to the guys.

Petee was suspended with pay.

Now he's suing the university because they're not giving him summer salary:

<P>An attorney representing Petee said the university was told legal action would be taken if Petee's bi-monthly payments weren't reinstated and if he wasn't reimbursed twice in the June 15th deposit.</P> <P>A-U officials declined, saying Petee should only be paid for the fall and spring semesters. But the lawyer contends that Petee has worked all 12 months of every year since he started at Auburn in September 1989 and would have taught summer school this year if not for the suspension.</P>

Kind of a philosophical conundrum, isn't it? He's being paid for not working. He's not only not working the fall and spring semesters; he's also not working the summer semesters. So he should be paid for not working that semester too, right? After all, he would have worked -- he traditionally worked -- the summer semester. So paying him for not showing up in the fall and spring isn't enough; Auburn needs to pay him for not showing up during the summer.