UI admissions under scrutiny
A gubernatorial commission will put the University of Illinois admissions process under the microscope.
While legislators talk about conducting their own investigation into inappropriate influence on the University of Illinois' admissions process, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn Wednesday took action.
Quinn announced the appointment of a seven-member commission to be headed by retired federal judge Abner Mikva to investigate and prepare a public report within 60 days. It's unclear at this point how the commission will proceed, but it would be well served to hold public hearings during which important witnesses give testimony.
Circumstances have moved relatively quickly in the aftermath of news reports that began a couple weeks go about politicization of the application process. While the overall number of clout-driven admissions may be small in comparison to overall UI attendance figures, it's obvious these revelations have hit home with a public that's had its fill of political mischief in Illinois.
The real question, however, is not why political figures or politically connected figures have sought special treatment in admission, it's why would they not. After all, in a state where insiders have first dibs on the goodies of government, why should admissions to one of the world's greatest universities be exempt?
UI President B. Joseph White did a good job of feigning pleasure with Quinn's action, thanking Quinn "for this initiative" and expressing his appreciation to commission members for taking the time to serve.
"I am mandating complete and full cooperation with the commission from every member of the university community. The commission will have access to everybody and everything it needs to conduct its work. Any request or directive from the commission is to be treated as the highest priority and responses are to be timely," White said.
In other words, White said to the commission, what's ours is yours, and that approach is not only honest but politically astute. Any trimming, any shading, any minimizing of what's occurred will not be well received, a fact that Quinn made clear.
"If someone decides to get in the way of this commission they are asking for big trouble from me," the governor warned.
The UI, as an institution, cannot be pleased with this turn of events because it's sure to produce unflattering publicity. But if politics in the admissions process has been a problem, and it clearly has, this is a great opportunity to cleanse the process by establishing rules designed not only to block special pleading but also to immediately disclose it.
How eager would convicted felon Tony Rezko have been to see his request through former Gov. Rod Blagojevich publicized? Not very. So in the future, if people like Rezko, members of the Legislature, former governors like Blagojevich or Jim Thompson or UI trustees run the risk of being outed, wouldn't they be less likely to intercede?
The obvious problem to be confronted here is the state's pervasive culture of corruption. Everyone knows that the rules in Illinois haven't really applied across the board, that clout has been king.
The commission's job is to investigate and report what's transpired, point out the problems and recommend solutions, sparing no one's feelings in the process. If there's a boil to be lanced, let's get to it.
White and Herman should have resigned by now.
The Trustees involved should have resigned by now.
The mere fact that you need an "independent" commission is a great big shining indicator that you weren't doing your job. Nobody who has risen to the level of University President needs to be told that this is dishonest. He knew it was wrong when he clouted those people in. He should have resigned that day instead of trying to pooh-pooh things on the radio. BJ White, it didn't go away. This isn't 13 students.
And I'll wait to see who is on this "independent" commission and what happens-because we just had another blue ribbon panel chaired by a former federal prosecutor, which included the man whose seven kids were burned to death by an unqualified trucker and their work was ignored by Springfield and Pat Quinn.
The students with clout may be the only ones who actully pay for their education, manage to get all these endless buildings paid for. It is traditionly the way a major university is run. Why do you think their are names on buildings of donors? If this continues maybe they will take their money and underachieving relatives to a private school. This university takes in underachievers as a point of law. This university has dropped students with no options who got in on a merit ride.
This is issue seems a smoke screen.
No one seems to know the elected board of Parkland's names or the that they are spending 87 million of property increases to fund buildings, not low tuition or more clase time offerings.
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