More Disastrous Collateral Damage Caused by our Corrupt Board

One of the arguments made by persons concerned about this blog’s exposure of unethical actions is an argument about “collateral damage” or “unintended consequences,” as if the writings on this forum are the cause of our problems rather than the actions that spur our writings. Well here’s some “collateral damage” or “unintended consequences” of the board’s politically motivated February declaration of “financial exigency.”

First, the Wayne Watson clones on the board made that declaration to insure the high-profile holdovers from the Watson administration would not lose their jobs. The university had no plan upon entering “financial exigency,” and it had no plan for exiting that status Of course, we know that the Higher Learning Commission ultimately responded with a sanction for the university based on its fiscal instability. That sanction came with monitoring. Our administration is currently in the process of responding to those concerns. That should inspire confidence.

Now, however, the board’s duplicity is likely to result in another type of negative attention from HLC: the public designation that Chicago State is an institution in “financial distress.” Here’s what that means: “The purpose . . . shall be to inform the public that the institution is dealing with a significant financial condition(s) . . . [that] have the potential to affect the institution’s operations, and the public should be aware of this information in making a decision to attend or continue to attend the institution under the designation. Any designation issued by the Commission President shall be public.”

The affected institution has only two weeks to respond to the possibility of a designation and will be saddled with the designation for up to two years, during which time it “must submit regular reports about its financial situation or undergo other regular or special monitoring, including Advisory Visits, as determined by the Commission President.”

Here are the conditions which may trigger special monitoring. Let’s see how many apply to Chicago State University:

1. institutional declaration of bankruptcy, financial exigency, or intent to close;
2. highly publicized and divisive controversies among the governing board, the administration, and/or the faculty or the student body;
3. significant unanticipated reduction in program offering, faculty, and/or enrollment;
4. public sanctions applied by governmental agencies or by other accrediting or licensing bodies;
5. serious legal, financial, or ethical investigations, including those involving adjudication in courts;
6. financial audit reports that raise serious concerns about financial viability or financial management practices;
7. serious misrepresentation to students and the public.

I make us to be at least six out of seven, and when you consider the number of administrators with falsified resumes, perhaps seven out of seven. The dissident faculty must be responsible for all those conditions, yes?

Here’s a message for our new interim president. As soon as possible, purge our university of all Watson holdovers, they’re responsible for our predicament. If you’re a Watson crony yourself, resign. You’re not going to win over the staff and faculty with the kind of bullshit you put out today. Speaking for myself, I’m tired of all the platitudes and clichés coming out of the Cook building, I’m waiting for some kind of positive action to begin healing this school and to put us on the right path. Are you capable of providing that?